Melanie MacKinnon is a practicing physiotherapist, multi-disciplinary clinic owner and Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, acting as co-lead for Unit 10, the Advanced Musculoskeletal Unit. She leads sessions in Unit 11 on transition to practice topics such as new grad mindset, aligning your values with your work, employment classification, and contracts. She is also the lead of the Founders Selective, which focuses on leadership and entrepreneurship.
She graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology (HBScKIN) from Dalhousie University and then continued her studies at the University of Toronto, receiving her Masters of Science in Physical Therapy (MScPT). She advanced her Physical Therapy training by completing her Masters in Clinical Science Manipulative Therapy (MClSc MT) degree from Western University and became a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Manual and Manipulative Physiotherapists (FCAMPT) in 2009.
Melanie has a passion for teaching and is deeply invested in teaching and mentoring. In addition to her University of Toronto appointment, she also teaches and mentors within both the Orthopedic Divisions’ Advanced Integrated Manual and Manipulative Physical Therapy (AIM) program and Western University’s post-graduate Advanced Health Care Practice Graduate Program (AHCP) within the CMP Field. Melanie was recognized for her contributions to mentorship in 2025 by the Canadian Physiotherapy Association Orthopedic Division, receiving the Lynn Chapman Clinical Mentorship Award.
Melanie is currently pursuing a PhD in Health Professional Education Research at the University of Toronto with an interest in how to create assessments that bridge the technical with social and humanistic elements of practice, to help prepare health professionals for the realities of clinical practice.
