For the full paper, Click Here.
Congratulations to professor Robert Boushel, Director of the UBC School of Kinesiology, on receiving the 2021 Spirit Award in Excellence in Partnership from the Pacific Northwest Division of Family Practice.
The award recognizes the dedication, passion, talent, and tireless effort of those working to provide significant contributions to meaningful healthcare initiatives in the north.
Dr. Boushel was recognized for his visionary leadership supporting exercise and diet intervention directly into primary care practice. The Pacific Northwest Primary Care Network (PCN) is the first in the province, and country, to officially recognize kinesiologists in team-based health care professions.
The Spirit Award is modelled after the rare and elusive Spirit Bear, the Province of BC’s official animal. The Spirit Bear represents healing, strength, peace, and harmony.
Campus KINnections is a peer mentorship program that pairs upper-year students with first-year and transfer students in Kinesiology for a year-long partnership. The initiative aims to provide incoming Kinesiology students with resources, support, and guidance to ensure a smooth transition into UBC Kin. Throughout the year, students will meet virtually and in person at Campus KINnection events designed to foster a sense of community and strengthen the bond between mentors and mentees. A few events you can expect to see this year include games nights, skating, movie nights, and more!
As we transition back to on-campus learning, first-year and transfer students benefit from having a familiar face within the Kin community who they can trust, reach out to, and acquire resources from as they adjust to a new learning environment. Upper-year students in the program also notice the positive effect that a reciprocal peer-learning relationship has on their active listening skills, leadership qualities, and ability to empathize with others.
This year, Campus KINnections hopes to help students feel more connected to the Kin community and further enhance first-year and transfer student support. Although registration is closed for this school year, keep an eye out for peer mentor and mentee applications next August!
If you have any questions regarding the program, feel free to send an email to campus.kinnections@gmail.com.
Meet the Campus Kinnections Executive Team:
Hi, my name is Tanvi! I am in the Bachelor of Kinesiology and Master of Management program, specializing in Social and Behavioural Sciences. I have recently moved to Vancouver from Edmonton, Alberta. There, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work with young children as a camp counsellor, high school students as the Secretary-General of a high school Model United Nations club, geriatric patients as a recreational aide, and orthopedic patients as an orthopedic social activities leader. I also worked as a receptionist/physiotherapy aide with a panel of esteemed physiotherapists. This was an incredible insight into the field I one day hope to enter! Right now, I am looking forward to starting my role as a fitness leader with the Active Aging Institute. What I am most excited about, however, is my upcoming work with the Campus Kinnections program.
The Campus Kinnections program is a peer-to-peer mentorship program within the Kinesiology Undergraduate Society that aims to provide mentorship and leadership opportunities to upper-year Kinesiology students while providing incoming first-year and transfer students with a myriad of tips, tricks, and on-campus resources that will make their first year go much smoother. Under my role as a Campus Kinnections Event Coordinator, I will create, organize, and deliver events for all participants. For me, this position is the best of both worlds! I can exercise my organizational skills and channel my creativity while building connections with the phenomenal individuals in this program. However, what is most thrilling is that I will be able to use my own experiences as a first-year student to improve the experiences of incoming first-year students. Given these unprecedented Covid-19 conditions, it is vital to continue to innovate, evolve, and improve. I look forward to doing so and creating a positive and lasting impact on the participants of this program!
Hello everyone! My name is Nicholas Feng, and I am a 2nd-year undergrad Kinesiology student in the Neuromechanical and Physiological Sciences Stream. This year, I will be working as the communications coordinator for “Campus Kinnections,” a program that pairs upper-year students with first-year and transfer students in Kinesiology. I joined Campus Kinnections to provide incoming students to the UBC community a sense of belonging and knowledge that upper-year students can provide, whether that be academic, personal, or a friendly face on campus to connect and communicate. This opportunity allows both mentors and mentees to learn more about their fellow Kinesiology students, and to develop their interests, skills, and qualities.
Coming into UBC last year was difficult and had many challenges and hurdles to overcome. I hope to use my experiences in previous clubs, work experience, and extracurriculars to support incoming students and provide them a program that values not only academic development but also personal growth.
UBC has provided fantastic opportunities to work in various interests and fields. I have worked as a research assistant on diverse projects, both within Kinesiology and other faculties. Outside the classroom, I am working as a collegia advisor at upper exchange and as an MOA/Rehab specialist trainee at a musculoskeletal clinic.
At the end of a long day, I enjoy just cooking some nice food and relaxing with either a good book or watching something on the television, but the food is always important and something that I am passionately trying to develop my skills.
My goal after I graduate with my Kinesiology degree is to pursue a career in the healthcare field. Whether that be physically practicing, or in health policy, I want to progress patient care that is advanced and efficient.
I hope you all have a great academic year, and if you ever see me on campus, don’t be afraid to say hello!
I am the person in the brown shirt in the photo!
Hi, my name is Andrew, I am the Associate Director of Campus Kinnections. I am a fourth year student in the education stream. I was the VP Student Life for 2020-2021. Within Campus Kinnections, I will be overseeing logistics as well as planning and promoting fun events. I joined this program to be more involved in the lives of first year students. I want to guide students in valuing their education while making new friends and attending fun events. The goal of the program is to create long lasting relationships between upper and lower year students.
Hello! My name is Alexia, and I’m a fourth-year undergraduate Kinesiology student in the interdisciplinary stream. I’m the director of “Campus KINnections” this year, which is a peer mentorship program in the KUS that pairs upper-year students with first-year and transfer students in Kinesiology. Campus KINnections provides students new to UBC Kinesiology with resources, tips and tricks, and a familiar face within the faculty to guide them through a smooth transition into the program, especially as we move back to in-person learning this year. The program also provides upper-year students with the opportunity to develop leadership and mentorship skills in a year-long pairing with their mentees.
Prior to directing this amazing program, I have worked alongside the KUS throughout my undergrad as a coordinator for the Kin Academic Support committee, as a KPAC coach, and as a member of the Professional Development Committee. I’ve also been involved on campus as an Active Kids gymnastics coach, competed on the UBC Cheerleading team, and played on several intramural ultimate frisbee teams. My passion for exercise and physical health, combined with my work as a receptionist at a physiotherapy clinic and volunteering positions with people with disabilities, inspired me to pursue a career in physical therapy after my undergrad.
Outside of my academic pursuits, I love baking, being outdoors, and trying new restaurants in Vancouver. Some of my favourite outdoor activities include biking, hiking, and skiing! In fact, one of my favourite undergrad experiences is the annual Kin Ski Trip up at Sun Peaks – I highly recommend going if you have the chance.
I am so excited for the upcoming year with Campus KINnections and the events to come! If you have any questions regarding the program, feel free to send an email to campus.kinnections@gmail.com.
New findings: COVID-19 Pandemic and Exercise (COPE) trial: a multigroup pragmatic randomised controlled trial examining effects of app-based at-home exercise programs on depressive symptoms. Congratulations to Drs. Eli Puterman, Mark Beauchamp, Michael Koehle and to Benjamin Hives, Nicole Grishin, Nicole Mazara, Stacy Hutton, and Nicole Mazara for their new paper published by the British Journal for Sports Medicine.
Abstract
Background: The number of adults across the globe with significant depressive symptoms has grown substantially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The extant literature supports exercise as a potent behaviour that can significantly reduce depressive symptoms in clinical and non-clinical populations.
Objective: Using a suite of mobile applications, at-home exercise, including high intensity interval training (HIIT) and/or yoga, was completed to reduce depressive symptoms in the general population in the early months of the pandemic.
Conclusions: At-home exercise is a potent behaviour to improve mental health in adults during the pandemic, especially in those with increased levels of depressive symptoms. Promotion of at-home exercise may be a global public health target with important personal, social and economic implications as the world emerges scathed by the pandemic.
For the full paper: Click Here.
This month, I had the chance to relive the magic of Imagine Day through my role as a Senior Orientation Leader. The day began with a 6:30 AM wakeup that was much less painful than expected. All the leaders arrived bright and early to check-in, deck themselves in green face paint, and head over to Wesbrook Field to meet our incoming students.
The excitement was palpable as students began trickling in to learn from faculty and other students about KIN campus life. The day began with a hearty welcome by Dr. Robert Boushel (our O-Prof and Director of the School). This was followed by valuable sessions on ‘Transfer Student Information’ and ‘Experiential Learning’. This portion of the day concluded with a fun lunch outside of Osborne with interesting info booths and student-led chants before the Imagine groups went on their ‘My Campus Experience’ tours.
Two of my favourite moments during Imagine Day included the Transfer Info Session, with Dr. Paul Kennedy and the Kin Advising Team, who led a wonderful and reassuring conversation to get students thinking about how they might make the most out of their UBC degree. Professor Kennedy’s puppy supervising our session was the absolute cherry on top! It was very cool to see everybody mingling outside of Osborne during lunch. There were first-years, transfers, profs, Bodyworks and Active Kids staff, the KUS, Orientation Leaders (OLs), and my Senior OL team… various pockets of the KIN community represented all at once! I also had the best time going up to the roof of Osborne to film our Kin Coaster cheer for @ubckin’s Instagram story. Since attending my own KIN Imagine Day 2 years ago, I have always wanted to see what the sea of green looked like from above – I finally got to live that dream, and the view from the rooftop was everything I hyped it up to be in my head! This is an invitation to all students to volunteer as an OL at some point!
Being involved in Imagine Day has been incredibly empowering and valuable for my own growth. From developing organizational and communication skills to learning more about the importance of flexibility and collaboration, I have gained leadership insights that I plan to carry far beyond my undergraduate degree. The most important lesson I am taking away from this role is to always approach individuals with a curiosity about who they are and what they bring to the present in the moment. I used to think orientations were all about providing ‘words of wisdom’ or ‘helping’ new students find their way. I now understand that acknowledging an incoming student’s unique interests and abilities is one of the most valuable things I can offer them. As someone who loves connecting with others, I cannot describe how rewarding this role was for me. For anyone who shares a similar interest, I would highly recommend getting involved with Imagine Day or any of the other orientation activities that UBC Kin has to offer! Thank you to our leader and KIN Student Engagement Officer, Emily Speidel, the OL team, and the Kin community for such an amazing Imagine Day experience.
– Rebecca Tsow, 4th Year Kin, Imagine Day Senior Orientation Leader