Liliana Alvarez, PhD

Associate Professor (on Sabbatical)

Contact Information
lalvare2@uwo.ca
@LiliLapierre
Google Scholar
i-Mobile Driving Research Lab

Education

  • Postdoctoral Fellowship (Western)
  • PhD (Alberta)
  • MSc (Universidad de Los Andes, Colombia)
  • BScOT (Universidad del Rosario, Colombia)

Graduate Program Supervision

  • Health and Rehabilitation Sciences MSc | PhD

Research In Profile

Professor Alvarez’ program of research examines the community mobility of at-risk populations, including their fitness to drive, driving performance, access to and use of public transportation, and road safety. Her research seeks to uncover the personal, social, economical, political, and environmental factors that shape the access to and safety of community mobility for people with illness, injury, or impairments, drivers under the influence, and drivers across the life span. In her i-Mobile Driving Research Lab, she has and continues to work with inspiring students who are advancing community mobility as a human right, while contributing to enhanced safety. Her background in assistive technology and occupational therapy shapes her specific interests regarding the use of in-vehicle technologies, and vehicle automation, as well as issues of technology and transportation equity and justice. As a dual citizen of Colombia and Canada, professor Alvarez brings an occupational lens into her work and is passionate about the diverse ways in which people across the world want and can navigate their communities.

Featured Publications and Projects

Books

Chapters and Reports

  • Alvarez, L., Sangrar, R., & Vander Veen, A. (2025). Driving and Transportation. In Curtin, M., Egan, M., Cezar de Cruz, D., Galvaan, R., Parnell, T., Prior, Y., Sauvé-Schenk, K. (eds.) Occupational Therapy for People Experiencing Illness, Injury or Impairment. 8th edition. Netherlands: Elsevier.
  • Alvarez, L., Cook, A., & Polgar, J. (2022). Assistive technology. In Mihailidis, A., Smith, R. (eds) Rehabilitation Engineering: Principles and Practice (p. 43-71). First edition. Boca Raton: CRC Press. ISBN. 9781315270487. https://doi.org/10.1201/b21964 [Contribution: 50%]

Articles in Peer-Reviewed Journals

  • Colonna, R., Tucker, P., Mandich, A., Alvarez, L. (2026). Preliminary Efficacy of ‘High-Alert’ a Brief Smartphone Intervention to Reduce Cannabis-Impaired Driving Among Youth: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. Manuscript submitted to Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology & Behaviour, 117, 103489
  • Colonna, R., Tucker, P., Mandich, A., & Alvarez, L. (2026). Using Intervention Mapping to Evaluate ‘High-Alert,’ a Brief Smartphone Intervention to Reduce Youth Cannabis-Impaired Driving. PLOS One, 20 (8): 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0329383
  • Vander Veen, A., Holmes, J.D., Tucker, P., & Alvarez, L. (2026) Evaluating the Practice Resource for Driving After Stroke: A Multiple Baseline Study. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy. Advance Online Publication, doi:10.1177/00084174261424561
  • Alvarez, L., Henley, S., Krasniuk, S., Pathan , Z., Vander Veen, A., Knott, M., Gélinas, I. (Accepted). Where the rubber hits the road: Determinants of positive driving retirement conversations among older adults and health care providers. Canadian Journal on Aging.

Visit Google Scholar for a comprehensive list of publications.

Current Grants and Research Projects

  • The road less travelled: Exploring the Intersection of Driving, Cannabis, and the Experiences of Racialized Youth in Canada (Ontario Early Researcher Award)
  • #dontdrivehigh: Establishing Youth’s Risk Profiles for Driving Under the Influence of Cannabis (CIHR Project Grant)
  • #imgonnadoit: Understanding user generated social media discourse around cannabis and driving (SSHRC Insight Development Grant)
  • Where the rubber hits the road: Uncovering the determinants of positive driving retirement conversations among older adults and healthcare professionals (COTF Innovation Research Grant)

Featured Graduate Student Projects

High Alert: Cannabis & Driving Mobile Brief Intervention for Youth

  • Colonna, Robert (in progress). PhD, Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Health Promotion Field

Driving after stroke: Developing an acute care screening process to provide evidence-informed recommendations

  • Vander Veen, April (in progress). PhD, Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Occupational Science Field

Newcomers’ experiences of community mobility barriers to employment in Canada

  • Medhizadah, Shabnam (in progress). PhD, Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Occupational Science Field

Driving Performance of Healthcare Shift Workers with Insufficient Sleep

  • Knott, Melissa (in progress). PhD, Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Occupational Science Field

Perception and Attitudes of Canadians living with Parkinson disease towards using Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) (2022)

  • Sultania, Anupradi. MSc, Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Rehabilitation Field Field

Visit Scholarship@Western for a list of completed student theses and dissertations in the repository.

Graduate Student Opportunities

Our lab is currently seeking potential MSc and PhD students interested in any of the following areas:

  • Driving Simulator Assessments in older adults and the use of automated vehicles
  • Establishing Youth’s Risk Profiles for Driving Under the Influence of Cannabis
  • Understanding user generated social media discourse around cannabis and driving
  • Determinants of positive driving retirement conversations among older adults and healthcare professionals

For graduate opportunities in the i-Mobile Research Lab, email professor Alvarez (lalvare2@uwo.ca) a copy of your CV and a letter of intent.

Additional Information

Academic Appointments and Research Affiliations

  • Adjunct Professor, School of Public Health, University of Saskatchewan
  • Member, CIHR College of Reviewers
  • Programme Coordinator of Research, World Federation of Occupational Therapists (2016-2022)

Awards

  • Early Researcher Award, Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security of Ontario (2025)
  • Petro Canada Young Innovator Award, Western University (2025)
  • Merit Award, World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) (2022)

Professional Activities

  • Principal Delegate - Colombia, World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) (2012-2021)