Dr. Katie Di Sebastiano
Dr. Guy Faulkner
Congratulations to KIN post-doctoral researcher, Katie Di Sebastiano, KIN faculty member Guy Faulkner and co-authors, Matt Dolf, Melissa Baker, and Sara Kozicky for their article,“The University of British Columbia healthy beverage initiative: changing the beverage landscape on a large post-secondary campus” which was published by Cambridge University Press.
Click Here to read the abstract.
A new study by UBC School of Kinesiology post-doctoral research fellow and lead author, Dr. Katie Di Sebastiano and faculty member Dr. Guy Faulkner, along with Tala Chulak-Bozzer and Leigh Vanderloo of ParticipACTION Canada examined device-measured physical activity levels before and after the implementation of physical distancing measures in Canada.
Dr. Katie Di Sebastiano
Dr. Guy Faulkner
Following the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic, their research has found that the amount of physical activity Canadians engage in, have declined. Though moderate-to-vigorous physical activity rebounded up over the first 6 weeks of the pandemic, however, light and more incidental physical activity did not.
In the first study to objectively track physical activity in Canada during the pandemic, researchers from UBC’s School of Kinesiology analyzed data from an app connected to the smartphones and wearable devices of more than 2,300 Canadians. They found that all levels of physical activity declined between 9 – 12.6% shortly after physical distancing was introduced, and the trend was reversed for only for moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.
Read the full study here.
Sep. 21, 2020 – New paper out by Dr. Katie Di Sebastiano and Dr. Guy Faulkner detailing UBC’s healthy beverage initiative. Read it here!
Congratulations to Dr. Eli Puterman, Associate Professor Kinesiology, for his successful CIHR Project Grant application. Dr. Puterman (PI) and his team were funded for $100,000 for their project titled, The Positively Dance Pilot Program: Examining the Feasibility of a Peer Research, Associate-Led Dance Program for Women Living with HIV. Co-investigators on the project are Drs. Mark Beauchamp (KIN), Hélène Côté (UBC), Melanie Murray (UBC), Angela Kaida (SFU), Erica Bennett (Trainee, KIN), and Shelly Tognazzini (Collaborator, Vancouver Friends for Life).
The project aims to pilot a free and easily accessible peer-research, associate-led, 24-week aerobic dance program to assess its feasibility and acceptability, and explore the effects of aerobic dance on immune cellular health markers as a primary outcome, and traditional health markers, and psychological and social wellbeing in a sample of women living with HIV, as secondary outcomes.
In a School that is renowned for its close-knit community of students, faculty and staff, affectionately known as the “KINmunity”, Jump Start and Imagine UBC Day took on a whole new level of significance in 2020.
UBC’s first-year orientation began with Jump Start, where 100 KIN students were welcomed and oriented by faculty members and upper-year student leaders through various learning seminars, and participated in a variety of scheduled events with peers in their learning community. On September 8th, the School embraced 400 new-to-BKin students, while welcoming back returning students from around the globe in Virtual Imagine UBC Day. The complex array of programming offered an AM and a PM schedule to accommodate time zone differences and accessibility and featured pre-recorded events, live lectures, live facilitated peer meetups and a live and interactive involvement fair.
On Imagine UBC Day, you could feel the kin spirit and energy shining through into the online space. Our team of dedicated orientation leaders did an exceptional job of welcoming students to the community, sharing personal experiences and facilitating conversations that enhanced peer connections amongst members in their groups.
As we wind up orientations for another year, the School would like to acknowledge and thank all 75 of our ‘amazing, amazing’ student leaders, faculty, and staff for making our transition back a welcoming and memorable one. Special thanks and recognition goes to Jump Start Faculty Fellows, Dr. Maria Gallo and Dr. Carolyn McEwen, as well as all of our Jump Start Orientation and Transition Leaders, Imagine UBC Senior Orientation Leaders and Imagine UBC Orientation Leaders for their dedication and commitment to welcoming our incoming class of 2020.
Jump Start Orientation Leaders: Martin Dong, Sabrina Kazi, Michelle Yang, Aaron Chan, Ivana Abrigo, Raf Bhuyia, Collin Seto, Wade Zhang. Imagine UBC Senior Orientation Leaders: Delon Chan; Donald Lao; Harjot Thandi; Ivran Rai; Pushhti Parekhh. Imagine UBC Orientation Leaders: Ahmed Masood; Aisha Rehman; Amanda Lee; Angie Lu; Anjali Johal; Ashley Johal; Benjamin Yoon; Chelsea Zmetana; Christina Whang; Delon Chan; Gary Sidhu; Julia Berka; Kaytia Kostersky; Michelle Li; Priya Dhaliwal; Pushhti Parekhh; Ramneek Dhaliwal; Rebecca Tsow; Sarah Sum; Sheida Keshavarzi; Sydney Guderyan; Tahir Mawji; Taylor Unger; Tommy Xu; Tomoki Okamura.
Download the Kinesiology Imagine Day Phone Wallapaper!
Click Here!
(Right click on opened image, and select ‘Save Image As…’ to download)
Some people are natural born leaders who constantly give back to their community. Meet Nikol Grishin (BKin ’20). Nikol served as the KUS president last year, and upon graduation she has stepped up yet again as the co-lead of the Young Alumni cohort with fellow alum, Yingying Zhao.
Nikol’s interest in research has led her to begin her MSc studies at UBC with professor Bill Sheel. She hopes to continue her academic pursuits and is aiming to do a PhD.
Nikol states, “I wanted to give back to the Kin community, that gave me so much while I was in my undergrad. I recognize that a lot of undergrads seek advice and knowledge from alumni, especially those who have recently graduated. Thus, being able to connect the two and assist with something like the Career Crossroads podcast series really drove me to take this position on.My goals for the alumni are to create connections between one another through traditional and new events and also to create interaction between alumni and undergrads. I think that there is much knowledge and experience to be shared, and being able to connect with one another is really key in doing that!”
September 8, 2020
Dear Kinesiology Community,
I hope you have all had a good summer. For the School’s faculty and staff, it has been a summer of hard work reimagining and building new approaches to university life. The resumption of activity and operations across different sectors has been gradual and guided by enhanced safety protocols. We have aligned our strategy with our commitment to the health and safety of the UBC community, and all Fall and Winter term courses have been prepared for online delivery. The School has implemented an operational safety plan as this phase unfolds under the guidance of the provincial government, Ministry of Health and WorkSafe BC.
Faculty are returning to labs to continue their research under these enhanced safety protocols. Teaching, research and engagement will all be different, yet we strive to bring the energy and inspiration of new beginnings that characterizes the School’s excellence and enduring spirit. Our faculty and staff are committed to making it the best year it can be for all students, encouraging them to achieve their greatest potential. In doing so, we encourage a welcoming environment of respect, equity, and inclusion, where individual voices are heard and participation in activities of the School is valued.
I’m delighted to be welcoming students from all over Canada and the world. We have strived to make online learning flexible, accessible, comfortable, and interactive with technical and design features to enhance learning. Our new KIN 101 orientation course on the KIN homepage is an example of helpful resources for students. Jump Start began this week with the Opening Ceremony held on Tuesday, September 1, 2020. Students and faculty will welcome new students over the course of the week. If you weren’t able to see the Jump Start event, a recording may be viewed online. I encourage you to watch it! Imagine Day, on September 8, marks the start of the UBC Fall term. We hope you will be able to join in this inspirational event. Faculty and staff may join in an Imagine Collaborators “premiere watch party” via Zoom (an opportunity to enjoy the event alongside other colleagues) or alternatively on YouTube.
As the academic year unfolds, we will continue to plan creative ways to meaningfully engage, inform and guide new and returning KIN students, Alumni and the larger community. For example, we will be holding a biweekly graduate seminar with UBC-Okanagan School of Health and Exercise Sciences that will be open to our Alumni. While this year’s university experience will be new, our goal is to ensure that students and all members of the school community are included, supported and feel collectively part of our unique and enduring KIN culture. I want to acknowledge the extraordinary contributions of Staff and Faculty who have shown such remarkable commitment and resilience since the onset of the pandemic, including maintaining both safety and excellence in the delivery of our curricula and in research.
I wish you all a wonderful start to the new academic year!
Dr. Robert Boushel, D.Sc.
Professor and Director
School of Kinesiology
For more UBC, Faculty of Education and School of Kinesiology response updates to Covid-19, Click Here.
Sep. 7, 2020 – Article in the Georgia Straight about the importance of keeping active during the pandemic with an interview with Dr. Katie Di Sebastiano. Read it here!
On Tuesday, September 8, start imagining the possibilities! This year you will be able to enjoy Imagine UBC virtually, wherever you are in the world.
For most students, Imagine UBC replaces the first day of classes. You will have the chance to meet some great people including the School’s Director, Robert Boushel, some of your future professors, key staff members, and other students. It will be an opportunity to learn about your new academic environment and the specific expectations of the School of Kinesiology.
By participating in Imagine UBC with your orientation group, meeting your School Director, and virtually visiting some of the over 350+ club booths at the Main Event, you’ll be able to make connections all day long that will help kick-start your UBC experience.