Eric Dorflinger, Peer Advisor

Eric Dorflinger, Peer Advisor

Expected graduating year: 2019
Degree: BKIN
Hometown: Honolulu, Hawaii

What got you interested in being a Peer Advisor?

As an international student, entering UBC was a very challenging yet enjoyable experience. During my first year at UBC, the advising office was a great place to discuss my courses as well as my future ambitions. Now, as a peer advisor, I very much enjoy being in a position where I am able to help students excel in their academic pursuits.

What is your favourite KIN Memory?

KIN Camp in Squamish during the Fall of 1st year.

What was your favourite KIN course?

Kin 389 and KIN 351

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I love to hike and skateboard. I have been playing the piano for 14 years.

What do you want to do after graduation?

I am interested in a career in rehabilitation. I am currently a Student Athletic Trainer with the varsity baseball team.

 

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Kinesiology Mentorship Program Launches for 2017/18

On October 24th, the Kinesiology Mentorship Program celebrated 9 years of mentorship, and hosted its annual kick-off event celebration at Cecil Green Park House, sponsored by AlumniUBC.

Photo credit: Charlie Gunn

The Kinesiology Mentorship Program brings together senior student mentees and alumni mentors over a five-month period, to engage in career building experiences, develop professional skills, expand their networks and explore their personal and professional identities.

This year’s cohort of 22 mentees features students pursuing Health Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies, ranging from 2nd to 4th year. Together, they have been paired with alumni mentors that include graduate students in Medicine, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy as well as a wide variety of industry professionals in some of the following areas: Kinesiology/Movement Specialists, Rehabilitation, Sport Management, Sport Coaching, Exercise Physiology, and Chiropractic.

The event began by welcoming 22 alumni back on campus; many of whom have been mentoring in the program for 3 years or more. In true UBC Kinesiology style, a heightened level of energy and enthusiasm was sustained throughout as alumni reconnected with former classmates, mentoring pairs exchanged stories with each other over dinner and program participants got to know each other better by participating in a fun and interactive game of speed networking.

The Kinesiology Mentorship Program runs from October to March annually. For more information on the Program, click here.

 

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Stand@Home: Home-based Standing Desk Study Recruitment

Do you want a FREE standing desk? Want to try a standing desk before purchasing one?

Dr. Guy Faulkner, UBC Professor in the School of Kinesiology, and the Population Physical Activity Lab is seeking participants for a study aimed at evaluating the perceptions, usability, and acceptability of low-cost standing desks in the home environment.

Each participant will receive a free cardboard standing desk and will be asked to complete one online survey and two phone interviews over a period of 6-months. At the end of the study, the desk will be gifted to you to keep!

To be eligible to participate, you must reside in the University Neighbourhood Association (UNA) residential areas or be a UTown@UBC resident and be between the ages of 18 to 65 years.

Please contact the Pop-PA lab at pop_pa.lab@ubc.ca to receive more information or to sign up for the study.

Tristan Mascarenhas, Peer Advisor

Expected graduating year: 2019
Degree: BKIN Interdisciplinary Stream
Hometown: Vancouver, British Columbia

What got you interested in being a Peer Advisor?
I have been involved with the KPAC program in the past as an academic coach, which helped me develop a passion for helping others with regards to education. Furthermore, I understand that being a university student can be stressful; I am proud to have the opportunity to guide students through their degrees, help reduce some of that stress, and collaborate with a supportive advising team in the process.

What is your favourite KIN Memory?
I had a wonderful time at Day of the Longboat in each of the last two years I participated. Paddling with KIN friends against other KIN teams made the competition both friendly and enjoyable.

What was your favourite KIN course?
It is quite hard to choose one course, but Kin 261 and 389 are two courses I really liked.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
In my spare time you can find me going for runs around my neighbourhood, bicycling with friends, or watching hockey on TV.

Why did you choose Kinesiology at UBC?
I had the pleasure of hearing about the UBC’s Kinesiology program in high school from some teachers who graduated from the program. Hearing about the opportunity of blending my love for sports with science interested me in applying, which was one of the best decisions I have made.

What do you hope to do after graduation?
I would love to pursue a career related to rehabilitation science.

UBC Kinesiology Faculty and Research Assistants take top spot in UBC Rec’s Para Sport Games

Dr. Andrea Bundon, Dr. Carolyn McEwen, and a team of research assistants and friends competed in UBC Rec’s Para Sport Games, claiming first place in the Staff Division. Congratulations!

Photos from the event are below.

 

Currently recruiting for exercise & depression study!

Oct. 21, 2017 – The Pop-PA lab is currently recruiting for the “Exercise and depression: Moving from efficacy to effectiveness” study. We are looking to recruit:

  1. Mental health professionals who work with adults with depression. We will ask you about new treatment guidelines, your experience with exercise and physical activity for this population, and preferences for a new resource that you can use in practice.
  2. Adults aged 18-65 years with a current or former diagnosis of depression from a healthcare provider. We will ask you about your experience with physical activity and preferences for making a new resource that your health professional can use with you.

This is a UBC study and consists of a single 30-45 min one-on-one phone OR an in-person interview. You will receive a $20 gift card for your participation.

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If you have any questions or are interested in participating in this study, please contact:
Krista Glowacki (research coordinator)
krista.glowacki@ubc.ca OR 604.822.5288 OR 604.822.4940

Romeo Chua awarded a SCAPPS Fellowship in the Society

Romeo Chua was awarded a Fellowship in the Society  at the 2017 SCAPPS conference held in St John’s NL.

‘Fellows’ are recognized for making distinguished contribution to the advancement of the fields of psychomotor learning and sport psychology or who have given exceptional service to this Society. Erica Bennett and Chris Forgaard also presented at the SCAPPS conference under the ‘Young Scientist Presenters” category. Read Erica’s story here and read Chris’ story here.

 

 

OMiCS Team visits Science World

The Optimizing Movement in Children Study (OMiCS) visited Science World on October 7 to meet and engage with children for Science World’s Meet a Scientist day. The team chatted with kids and showed them how they can turn their passions for science into a future career!

Study to explore impact of heart function on motor outcomes following spinal cord injury

Dr. Chris West, assistant professor in the School of Kinesiology, along with co-investigator Dr. Brian Kwon, professor in the Faculty of Medicine, have been awarded $1.926 million from the US Department of Defense to study how the functioning of the heart after a spinal cord injury can impact motor outcomes (i.e., ability to move parts of the body below the injury).

Drs. West and Kwon, both researchers with the ICORD spinal cord injury research centre in the UBC Faculty of Medicine and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, will explore how the heart changes immediately at the time of injury and during the first hours-to-days after SCI. They will also investigate whether increasing the function of the heart improves spinal cord blood flow and motor outcomes.

Dr. Brian Kwon

Chris West

Dr. Chris West

The current medical approach to SCI is to increase blood pressure in all patients to the same threshold. Although relatively simple, this approach has been shown to improve outcomes in some individuals but to be damaging in other individuals. This suggests that an individualized approach could see more success.

Dr. West explains, “We believe that part of the management of people with spinal cord injury, when they arrive at hospital, should be to increase the function of the heart back to what it was prior to injury such that blood flow to the injured spinal cord can be improved.”

Determining how the heart changes after SCI is the first step in assessing whether increasing heart function prevents loss of movement in people with spinal cord injury.

This research is being funded through a Translational Research Award by the Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, Spinal Cord Injury Research Program. The SCIRP was initiated in 2009 to provide support for research of exceptional scientific merit that has the potential to make a significant impact on improving the health and well-being of military Service Members, veterans, and other individuals living with spinal cord injury. The TRA specifically focuses on supporting research to accelerate the movement of promising ideas into clinical applications. More information about the program can be found at http://cdmrp.army.mil/scirp/default

ICORD is a world leading health research centre focused on spinal cord injury. From the lab-based cellular level of understanding injury to rehabilitation and recovery, our researchers are dedicated to the development and translation of more effective strategies to promote prevention, functional recovery, and improved quality of life after spinal cord injury. Located at Vancouver General Hospital in the Blusson Spinal Cord Centre, ICORD is supported by UBC Faculties of Medicine and Science, and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute. Visit www.icord.org.

The UBC School of Kinesiology is one of the top ranked programs in Canada and internationally and is among the most competitive admission programs at UBC. The School is unique in British Columbia for its commitment to the biological, behavioural, and sociocultural study of physical activity, sport, para-sport, and health. The broad scope of the School’s academic and research programs incorporates physical activity as a model to examine the full range of human function spanning molecular to whole system to society levels and as a basis for health promotion, disease prevention and treatment.

Cheryl Niamath
ICORD Communications & Admin Manager
604.675.8844
niamath@icord.org

Shannon Lambie and
Communications Coordinator
604.822.0950
shannon.lambie@ubc.ca

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Population Physical Activity Lab takes top spot at UBC Day of the Longboat

The Population Physical Activity Lab took the top spot at the UBC Day of the Longboat in the Staff category. Congratulations!