Congratulations to Moss Norman (Co-Principal Investigator, KIN) for his successful CIHR Indigenous Gender and Wellness Team Grants application.

A hearty congratulations to Assistant Professor Moss Norman (Co-Principal Investigator, KIN) for his successful CIHR Indigenous Gender and Wellness Team Grants application. Co-Lead on the project is Dr. Michael Hart (U of Calgary).

Dr. Moss and team were funded for $375,120 for their project titled Knowing Ourselves, Re-Membering Our Roles and Responsibilities: Pathways to the Health and Wellness of Cree Boys and Men. Co-Investigators on the project are Associate Professor Cash Ahenakew (EDST), Mr. Ed Azure, Mr. Wilfred Buck, Dr. Jennifer Leason, and Mr. Donald Robinson.

This 3-year project employs an Indigenous-centred, community-first design to explore the relationship between Cree values and practices, identity, healing, and wellness as a pathway for re-membering and reclaiming Cree roles and responsibilities of boys and men. The project centres Cree Elders and knowledge holders in addressing three research questions: how has colonialism impacted Cree gender formations, specifically the values, roles and responsibilities of boys and men; what is the relationship between Cree values, practices, identities and wellness; how can Cree values and embodied practices be re-membered and reclaimed in fostering the resurgence of tribally-specific roles and responsibilities of boys and men.

Dr Mark Beauchamp speaks about the important role that social structures play in people’s ability to stick with workout routines.

Mark Beauchamp, a professor of exercise and health psychology at the University of British Columbia, said previous research has highlighted the important role social structures play in people’s ability to stick with behavior changes.

“Exercise is a very complex behavior, and inexpensive nudge-type interventions that provide marginal behavior shifts can have major impacts,” said Beauchamp, who was not involved with the new research. “But it’s not just about starting a behavior. It’s about sticking with it, and social structures could boost that. When people feel socially connected to exercise, they are more likely to do it long-term.”

Read the full article: Study unlocks the secrets to developing a regular workout habit.

Dexter, Ross

Ross Dexter (MKin 2010) is an Athletic Trainer at Southern Oregon University, where he first pursued his academic journey. He works with athletes to rehabilitate from injury and improve performance. He is also a published author and researcher, and has written for three peer-reviewed journals, and counting!

In 2006, Ross graduated from Southern Oregon University with his BSc in Health and Physical Education and later embarked on his first master’s degree at UBC. He did not believe that he would pursue graduate studies until he found UBC: “I was particularly lucky to be studying in the Lower Mainland during the 2010 Winter Olympics which, for any sports performance professional, brings another level of awe to the environment,” remarks Ross. The Kin faculty was inspirational for his career journey as they helped him leverage his skills and knowledge of the subject. In fact, he continually passes the knowledge he gained from Kin professors Richard Mosher (1944-2021), Michael Koehle, Maria Gallo, and Patricia Vertinsky, to his students. After graduating from UBC, he enrolled in the University of Idaho’s MSc and Doctoral programs in Athletic Training.

When asked how his UBC degree contributed to his career growth, Ross expressed that it was “a striking conversation starter” when he came back to the United States. He states, “my KIN degree allows me to communicate across numerous professions that interact with athletes,” in areas such as sports psychology, physiology, and pedagogy.

Ross started his career journey as a track and field coach at UBC. “I spent much of my time coaching the Varsity Track and Field and Cross-Country teams under Marek Jedrzejek, who was a major influence in my early career”, says Ross. He worked to become a strength and conditioning coach and massage therapist, but he ultimately combined both experiences and became an Athletic Trainer/Therapist. He noted that “the logical conclusion for him was to bring both occupations together and draw on the knowledge and skills he has gained to develop a high-performance approach to his practice.” Currently, Ross is finishing a book, “Start with the Core,” about how core stability enhances sports performance and reduces injury risk. He is also reforming his department to accommodate athletic training clinical education.

Ross’s advice to students: Listen, collaborate, and engage. Listen to those with less or differing experience – they may be on the cutting edge. Collaborate with your colleagues – shared learning will benefit both parties. Seek out and engage in dialogue with luminaries – there is always something to learn. Stay curious!

Job Opportunity: Student/Resident Kinesiologist Openings

Student Job Opportunities

There are two Student /Resident Kinesiologists Openings with the Pacific Northwest Division of Family Practice, Change BC Program.

A unique opportunity for UBC School of Kinesiology students to work in a team-based collaborative healthcare environment with doctors, dieticians, and kinesiologists on one of four Pacific Northwest communities. See the testimonial and job description in the pdf download below. Apply today!

Yingying Zhao (BKin 2020) worked as a resident kinesiologist with the Pacific Northwest Division of Family Practice Change BC program, in Massett, BC and says of her experience:

“I felt very fortunate to have had an immersive experience in rural northern BC. It felt meaningful to apply knowledge to positively impact health outcomes for Indigenous populations. More impactfully, I witnessed not only the barriers and struggles to access healthcare, but also the adaptability and strength of the community. Getting to know the Masset & Old Massett community and being a part of it will always hold a special place in my heart.”

If you are interested please contact Dr. Robert Boushel by December 15, 2021.
Please submit by email to: Robert.Boushel@ubc.ca

Download the full job description package: Click Here.

Photo credits: Kassi Welch and Yingying Zhao

Congratulations to the Tri-Council (SSHRC, NSERC & CIHR) Graduate Student Award winners

The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) support and promote high-quality research in a wide variety of disciplines and areas.

The KIN student tri-council award winners are:

Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Canada Graduate Scholarship:
- Masters Award: Brook Haight & Andy (Ho Yin) Hung
- Doctoral Four Year Fellowship: Naomi Maldonado-Rodriguez & Monir Shahzeidi

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC):
- Canada Graduate Scholarship Masters Award: Emma Reiter
- Postgraduate Doctoral Scholarship: Stephen Busch & Carrie Peters

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC):
- Canada Graduate Scholarship Masters Award: Kathryn Anderson, Nathan Sanghe & Catherine Tran
- Postgraduate Doctoral Scholarship: Lisa Trainor

For a full recap, visit the 2021 KIN Student Awards Night page.

KIN 75th Anniversary Undergraduate Projects, supported by the KUS

UBCKin Students Place at the 2021 Canadian Kinesiology Alliance Virtual Kin Case Competition

From left to right: Vanessa Meneghetti, Christoph Hager, Jessica Yuen

On November 27, 2021, three 4th year UBC Kinesiology undergraduate students, Jessica Yuen, Christoph Hager and Vanessa Meneghetti competed at the 2021 CKA Virtual Kin Case Competition. Jessica states, “We had never participated in a case competition, and wanted to experience what it was like. We thought it was a good opportunity to apply what we’d learned from our Kinesiology courses and took it on as an extra-curricular activity.”

Competing teams from UBC, Queens, and McGill were assigned the same case study to create an intervention for a 67-year-old female patient with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), hypertension, diabetes and who had previously smoked. “Our goal was to provide her with an exercise and nutrition intervention that could help her get back to her previous level of functioning (long distance walks with her grandchildren, daily living activities such as walking up the stairs),” says Jessica.

Teams were given three days to analyze the unpublished case and create their presentation, using the skills, knowledge, and experience they acquired from their respective kinesiology curriculums. In order to do so, they needed to consult with at least one researcher and one practicing Kinesiologist. The UBC KIN team felt very lucky to have Professor Bill Sheel serve as their mentor for the case competition. “He was very supportive throughout the whole process, and was always ready to help despite his busy schedule,” reflects Jessica. The team was also grateful to KIN grad students Mick Leahy and Calum Butterworth for their invaluable help.

Mick was their researcher, explains Jessica, “he looked over our presentation and suggested different methods to approach pulmonary rehabilitation and subjective and objective ways to track the patient’s exercising state, while Calum was involved in the exercise prescription planning and helped with cardio and strength training for the patient.”

On the day of the competition, they had 5 minutes to present their case study to a judging panel on Zoom, which was followed by a Q&A session. Due to their outstanding presentation, the team placed second and received a $150 bursary.

When asked what they have learned from participating in the competition, the team members stated that it “provided an excellent opportunity to learn about time management and team dynamics. We learned how to apply principles learned in class to design an exercise and nutrition intervention for a patient with medical comorbidities. Open communication between the team members was crucial to deal with the challenges of the case. We highly recommend that other UBCKin students participate in the competition next year. It is a great experience because it gives you a chance to expand your kinesiology knowledge and apply it to a real case scenario. Having our team mentor, researcher, and kinesiologist present during this process was incredibly beneficial for completing the case, and it gave us insight into certain clinical aspects of their careers.”

Watch their presentation:

Winner of 2021 Canadian Architect Award of Excellence: UBC Gateway Building

We are pleased to announce that the new UBC Gateway Building, where the School of Kinesiology is slated to move in 2024, is the winner of the 2021 Canadian Architect Award of Excellence.

The Gateway building will express a sense of welcome and announce Musqueam as the host Nation. It will invite people into the campus heart and inspire a feeling of well-being and home to those who enter it. The Gateway building will also convey that the university is a place of innovation, sustainability, leading-edge research, and forward-thinking ideas.

At the principal point of entry to the University of British Columbia’s Vancouver campus, the Gateway project will create a place for learning, research, and community outreach through the co-location of the schools of Nursing, Kinesiology, Language Science and UBC health clinics.

Conversations with representatives of the Musqueam First Nation were fundamental to co-creating a contemporary design vision aligned with traditional Musqueam values. The site strategy evokes the lost forest, long stewarded by the Musqueam, where the university now stands. The architecture, which makes extensive use of local wood in its hybrid wood-concrete-steel structural system and the cladding throughout the public spaces, reflects the project’s Pacific Northwest setting and the immediate campus context.

To learn more, visit the Gateway Building page.

Faculty of Education Student Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Decolonization (EDID) Funding Grants

Application Deadline: December 20th, 2021, 5:00pm
Submit to: michael.wilkinson@ubc.ca.

As part of the Faculty’s commitment to advance EDID priorities, this pilot funding opportunity is aimed at supporting student led EDID activities and initiatives.

Proposals from students or student groups should demonstrate ways by which they will advance equity, diversity, inclusion, decolonization, anti-racism, and Indigenization for undergraduate and graduate students through small projects that include, but are not limited to:

Advancing awareness and understanding of EDID matters, including anti-racism, keeping in mind intersecting issues such as Indigeneity, gender, sexuality, language, religion, and ability
Organizing events such as workshops, panels, symposiums
Hosting or showcasing cultural performances
Hosting or showcasing cultural performances
Reducing barriers facing students from historically, systemically, and persistently marginalized groups
Promoting social and inclusive participation

Each proposal must have at least two students listed on the application form.
The FoE will provide funding of up to $1,000 for each successful project proposal. Funding will be provided to students by FoE through submission of project expenses for reimbursements, up to a maximum of $1,000 per project.

Expense reimbursements should be submitted to the FoE Finance Office, including proposal approval documentation and all applicable expense receipts. Proposals with matching, or additional funds from other UBC or FoE funding sources are encouraged. Collective proposals as well as those from individual groups/organizations within the FoE are welcomed. Applicants may submit only one application for this round of the funding.Funds that are awarded to successful proposals and are unspent, or those associated with events and initiatives that are canceled, must be returned.

Proposals for events or projects already completed will not be considered.

Submission:
The application form must be submitted to michael.wilkinson@ubc.ca by 5 PM on December 20th, 2021, and must include the following:

Project title
Project details
Budget details
Signature of department/unit head or advisor/supervisor

On completion, successful applicants will be expected to provide a one-page report on the project. Details, and timeline for the report will be provided to successful applicants.

Evaluation Criteria:
Proposals will be evaluated on:

The project’s contributions towards the advancement of the general objectives and goals of the funding
The project’s benefits to, or impact on, FoE students
The degree to which the project is effective in 1 or more or the following aspects:
- address EDID matters in the FoE student communities
- support events that highlight the diverse student communities in the FoE
- raise awareness of, and celebrate diversity at the Faculty, and possibly UBC level
- create comfortable spaces for students from Indigenous, racialized, and underrepresented groups
- raise awareness, and promote social and inclusive participation
Clarity, feasibility, and quality of the proposal, and likelihood that listed objectives/ timelines will be met.

Term of the Grant:
Funds from the grant are expected to be used before June 30, 2022.

Download the full PDF details: FoE Student EDID Fund.