It is with great sadness the School has learned that Emeritus, Jack Pomfret passed away on Nov 6th. He was 96 years old. Jack was an Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Education (School of Kinesiology) at UBC from1946-1988, serving a 41 year career as a dedicated teacher, and a remarkable 37 years as a varsity coach. Jack was exceptional, and ‘felt that teaching kids was his most important responsibility’. He excelled in sport and was inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 1971, and in the UBC Sports Hall of Fame in 1994. Details of Jack’s incredible career are captured here. Our deepest condolences to the Pomfret family, and friends.
A memorial service will take place at St. Philip’s Anglican Church, Vancouver in early January. Formal details and a full obituary will be circulated once confirmed along with flag lowering date.
Obituary details
Event Details:
- Date: 7th January, 2020,
- Time: Sign-in time 5:30 PM | Start time 6:00pm – 7:30 PM
- Location: Vancouver General Hospital, Jim Pattison Pavillion South, Room 1891
Hosted by the UBC School of Kinesiology and the Physical Activity and Precision Health Research Cluster and supported by the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Killam Connection Award. We’ve invited internationally renowned researchers and physicians to engage the topic of healthy and successful aging from different perspectives. It is our hope that through this series of five lectures, that our public audiences will emerge with a greater appreciation for the many different ways to think about what promotes or hinders healthy and successful aging. Our goal is to support a Canadian culture that values science and discovery to support decisions – at the individual and policy levels.
The first lecture takes place on January 7th, 2020 with the Dean of the Stanford School of Medicine, Dr. Lloyd Minor, who will present on “Precision Health: Stanford’s Vision for Healthy Aging.” With Dr. Minor’s leadership, Stanford Medicine has established a strategic vision to lead biomedical revolution in Precision Health – a fundamental shift to more proactive and personalized health care that empowers people to lead healthy lives.
Dr. Minor’s presentation will speak to that the fact that life expectancy in the US has dropped for three consecutive years, and life expectancy at birth in Canada has simply stopped rising. Many factors contribute to this lack of progress, but one is the traditional reactive model of healthcare. Stanford Medicine’s Precision Health vision is ushering in proactive healthcare that will improve health and wellness throughout the lifespan by predicting, preventing and curing disease-precisely.
Attendance is free, but registration is required. Please click here to register.
Lecture Poster
Scheduled Upcoming Lectures:
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January 7th, 2020
Precision Health: Stanford’s Vision for Healthy Aging
Dr. Lloyd Minor, MD
Carl and Elizabeth Naumann Dean of the Stanford University School of Medicine
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January 28th, 2020
Winners and Losers in Global Action on Aging
Dr. Norah Keating, PhD, FCAHS, FGSA
Director, Global Social Issues on Aging, International Association of
Gerontology & Geriatrics
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February 11th, 2020
Self-Determination As We Age, and Indigenous Ways of Knowing
Dr. Evan Adams, MD
Chief Medical Officer for the First Nations Health Authority
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March 10th, 2020
The Environment and Our Health: New Discoveries Using Novel Approaches
Dr. David Rehkopf, PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine and Health Research and Policy at Stanford University
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March 24th, 2020
Step Counting and Cadence Tracking in Older Adults:Implications for Health
Dr. Catrine Tudor-Locke, PhD, FACSM, FNAK
Professor and Dean of the College of Health and HumanServices at University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Event Details:
- Start: 2nd December 2019, 08:30 AM to 4 PM
- End: 3rd December 2019, 08:30 AM to 4 PM
- Location: Ponderosa Ballroom, 6445 University Blvd, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2
The Origins of Balance and Deficit Research Cluster will gather together on December 2nd-3rd at UBC for our Annual December Conference.
Event Details
Speaker: Dr. Vivian Weerdesteyn, Associate Professor, Donders Institute for Brain Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University
Host: Dr. Mark Carpenter, Professor, UBC School of Kinesiology
Title: “What ‘startles’ tell about motor control in health and disease”
When we make a voluntary movement to an external cue, such as lifting our foot from the brake when the traffic light turns green, it typically takes us (at least) 200 ms to react. Yet, when the cue is paired with a startling acoustic stimulus, the motor response can be initiated at much shorter latencies (below 100 ms). This early release, and sometimes also augmentation, of motor responses is called StartReact. It was first demonstrated for voluntary single-joint movements, and later studies confirmed that this effect also pertains to more automated whole-body responses, such as postural responses, stepping and avoiding sudden obstacles. StartReact latencies appear too short to allow cortical processing, which has led to the hypothesis that a prepared movement is released at the brainstem level, with the motor command being conveyed to the spinal motorneurons through the reticulospinal tract. In her talk, Dr. Vivian Weerdesteyn will 1) present work in patients with corticospinal lesions that supports the involvement of the reticulospinal system in StartReact, 2) discuss how conflicting findings in choice reaction tasks may be understood within this framework, and 3) discuss implications of StartReact results for motor control in health and disease.
*Following the Seminar presentation, students (and interested others) are invited to stay for a 20-30 min discussion on broader themes related to the talk and of interest to graduate students. This will be led by the KIN student reps and graduate co-directors.
*Light Lunch will be provided from 11:45 pm to 12:30 pm
This lecture will be recorded for podcasting.
Seminar Poster
Hey everyone
! My name is Katie, I am a 4th year Kinesiology student and am in the dual degree program in the Faculty of Education. I am a transfer student so this is technically my second year at UBC. Growing up, I knew that I wanted to be a teacher because I loved working with children.
I’m in Kinesiology because it perfectly combines my love of being active with my desire to teach. I’m now finishing my BKin and aim to complete my teaching degree the year after.
Once I arrived at UBC I made a point to become involved and make connections; so I volunteered with Active Kids and UBC Rec. This year I took another step by transitioning into an Active Kids coach role and joining the KIN Senior Orientation team.
I wanted to challenge myself by stepping into a bigger role and meet more people. I’d always had difficulty with public speaking and this role allowed me to step outside of my comfort zone to practice this skill. I felt nervous speaking at Imagine Day, but I persisted as I knew I could help new students, whose shoes I’d stood in only one year before!
Weeks after Imagine Day one of my peers approached me, thanking me for speaking that day and mentioning that many aspects of Imagine day had resonated with them. That simple thank you helped me to understand the important part I played as a KIN Senior Orientation leader. I’m especially proud of my transfer orientation leaders team for launching the first annual ‘welcome back’ pancake breakfast!
As a senior orientation leader I worked with a diverse group of staff and students. I learned that a leader isn’t necessarily the person with the loudest voice. And it’s not necessarily the person who speaks at the front of the room. Often the leader is the one doing the work behind the scenes who no one sees. Whichever leader you are, know that you will leave a lasting impact on your team and the community!
I really enjoyed developing new leadership skills and applying them in this role. Serving as a Senior Orientation leader has created many lasting and treasured memories for me – building strong bonds with likeminded and caring people allowed our team to develop even deeper more meaningful friendships. I’m excited for the next team of Senior Orientation leaders to come together and create more lasting memories for the KIN student body, for themselves, and for the School of Kinesiology.
Hello, my name is Riya, and I’m a first-year student in the UBC School of Kinesiology. Being a student in Kinesiology at UBC has been my dream since I was 15 years old. I was looking forward to attending a university that is globally recognized and to study in an area that I am passionate about. I chose Kinesiology because it combines my passion for sports and science — having been a student athlete for many years, kinesiology allows me to be involved with sports in my studies even if I am not playing.
My first two months at UBC have been truly exceptional. I am living in residence and I absolutely love every aspect of it, especially my roommates and the UBC community’s positive, welcoming atmosphere. My favourite class this semester is Dr. Anne Lasinsky’s KIN 110 – I love learning about anatomy and the human body. Dr. Maria Gallo’s KIN 120 class is another favourite, as I find the content engaging and the labs are exciting to participate in! Although my first midterm season was a bit of a struggle, I still enjoy every part of university. I am currently scorekeeping at Varsity Athletics games.
My initial goal after completing my BKIN was to attend med school to become a Sports Medicine Physician. However, after hearing KIN alumni present on their career paths in Dr. Gallo’s class, I am further reflecting on my goals – they shed light on the numerous and diverse career options that are available to those with Kinesiology degrees! Listening to alumni who have had similar educational experiences, and what they did to achieve their career goals, has allowed me to consider how to prepare for and look forward to the path ahead.
student profile
National Kinesiology Week runs from November 11-18, 2019
Evidence-based studies tell us that if we were to decrease the number of inactive Canadians by even 10%, we’d see a 30% reduction in mortality and a major savings in health care.
It is estimated that more than $2.4 billion, or 3.7 per cent of all healthcare costs, were attributed to the direct cost of treating illness and disease due to physical inactivity.
The financial impact of poor health amounts to a loss of more than $4.3 billion to the Canadian economy, and the negative repercussions of inactivity cost the healthcare system $89 billion per year in Canada. Research shows us that properly structured and supported exercise programs, designed and delivered by a kinesiologist can:
- Reduce the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease by 40%
- Reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes by 50% and be twice as effective as standard insulin in treating the condition
- Help the function of muscles for people affected by Parkinson’s disease and Multiple Sclerosis
- Decrease depression as effectively as pharmacological or behavioural therapy
- Reduce the risk of stroke by 27%
- Reduce the risk of colon cancer by 60%
- Reduce mortality and risk of recurrent cancer by 50%
- Reduce the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease by almost 40% compared to those who are less active.
Sponsored by the Canadian Kinesiology Alliance, this year’s theme is “Move Better, Live Better” and supports World Diabetes Day which will be hosted at UBC on November 14th, 2019.
The School of Kinesiology conducts research on diabetes and is an active member of the research cluster known as the BC Diabetes Research Network. The research cluster conducts research that is patient-centred, including physical activity and nutrition-based approaches to preventing diabetes; to the prevention of the complications of diabetes; as well as on researching Islet biology & cell therapy.
Learn more here: https://diabetesbc.ca/about-us/research/
Event Details
- Start: 11 November 2019 10:45 AM
- Venue: War Memorial Gymnasium
Since the opening of the War Memorial Gym in 1951, The University of British Columbia has held a ceremony commemorating November 11. This year, 2019 will mark sixty-eight years that The University of British Columbia has hosted a Remembrance Day ceremony. This special ceremony is an opportunity for faculty, staff, students and members of the on and off-campus community to honour and remember all those who served in times of war, military conflict and peace. All are welcome to attend.
Doors open at 10am and ceremony begins at 10:45am.
For more information click here.
At this exclusive event for UBC students, alumni and faculty, you are invited to discover all the opportunities within the Cannabis industry, now valued at $5.7 billion dollars in Canada, and how you can position yourself for a career in the sector. This will be of particular interest to students and professionals in the he