The Canada Research Chairs Secretariat has issued its public announcement of newly appointed Chairholders and it is our great pleasure to congratulate Dr. Eli Puterman on his appointment as Canada Research Chair.
Dr. Eli Puterman, Associate Professor, School of Kinesiology, has been appointed as a Tier II CRC in Physical Activity and Health. Dr. Puterman joined the Faculty in July 2015 and was previously an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco.
Dr. Puterman studies how adversity experienced across the lifespan – starting in childhood all the way through older adulthood – accelerates the aging of our immune system. His research demonstrates that physical activity is a powerful behavioural factor that has the potential to delay immune aging in individuals who experience high degrees of adversity across their lifetimes. Dr. Puterman’s research has repeatedly demonstrated that the impact of adversity on aging and disease development is more pronounced in individuals who are less physically active and significantly reduced or eliminated in those who are more physically active. Dr. Puterman’s research seeks to deepen our understanding of how physical activity promotes biological and psychological resiliency in highly stressed individuals who are most at risk for accelerated immune aging. By identifying how and for whom physical activity leads to psychological and biological benefits, Dr. Puterman’s goal is to develop behaviour change intervention strategies specifically designed for individuals living with high levels of adversity, before disease develops. His research will help to maximize our capacity to improve the health of Canada’s youth and adult populations who are at greatest risk for accelerated immune system aging and disease development.
The Government of Canada established the Canada Research Chairs program to attract and retain some of the world’s most accomplished and promising scholars. Chairholders aim “to achieve research excellence” and to improve “our depth of knowledge and quality of life, strengthen Canada’s international competitiveness, and help train the next generation of highly skilled people.”