A new study led by Post Doctoral Fellow Leila Dale and Guy Faulkner has just been published in Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism. The study examines Canadian awareness of the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology’s 2011 Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines for Adults. Read more here.
KIN Alumni and Current Students Competing in Rio
Best wishes for all Kinesiology Alumni and current students competing at Rio 2016!!!
| Blair Bann | Volleyball | Men’s Volleyball | Edmonton, Alta. | Alumni |
| Luc Bruchet | Athletics | 5000m | White Rock, B.C. | Alumni |
| Evan Dunfee | Athletics | Racewalk | Richmond, B.C. | Alumni |
| Nikola Girke | Sailing | Mixed nacra 17 (multihull) | Vancouver, BC | Alumni |
| Liz Gleadle | Athletics | Javelin | Vancouver, BC | Alumni |
| Antoni Kindler | Field Hockey | Men’s Field Hockey | Vancouver, BC | Alumni |
| Michael Mason | Athletics | High Jump | Nanoose Bay, BC | Alumni |
| Martha McCabe | Swimming | 200m Breaststroke | Toronto, Ont. | Alumni |
| Matthew Sarmento | Field Hockey | Men’s Field Hockey | Vancouver, B.C. | Current Student |
Dowdeswell, Jennifer
Graduating year: BHK 2001
Career: Owner Operator of Coaching & Consulting business; Royal Philips; Studeo55; Pinnacle Pursuits; NCCP; Harness Isle; Esteem Team; Sport BC
Stream: Sport Management
Certifications:
International Coaching Federation ACC Coach; Coach Training International Co-Active Coach; ACE Personal Trainer; ACE Health Coach; NCCP Level III Coach and Learning Facilitator; Media Spokesperson Training
“Surround yourself with people who inspire you, challenge you, and believe in you. Give generously of your time, knowledge and care. You will be immensely rewarded in return.”
University Experience
Brought up in Vancouver, BC, Jennifer completed her Bachelor of Human Kinetics from the University of British Columbia in 2001. During her years at UBC, Jennifer competed on the Varsity Women’s Field Hockey team. She was named to both the 1998 and 1999 CIS Championship all-star teams, and was co-captain for 2 national championships. In her graduating year she was awarded both the Marilyn Pomfret award for the UBC Female Athlete of the Year and the distinguished award of one of the Top 10 Academic All Canadian Athletes across all of Canada. In 2014 the UBC Field Hockey Team (1998 – 2000) was inducted into the UBC Sports Hall of Fame. In addition to her varsity team, education, and part time work, she represented Canada on both the Junior and Senior National Women’s Field Hockey Team from 1994 – 2000.
Her Mission
Her mission in life is to enrich the lives of others. Whether it has been through training sport coaches, delivering motivational speeches to youth, facilitating corporate team building events, providing high-end personal training, developing wearable technology in the health sector implementing behavioural change principles, or serving one on one clients in her high performance coaching programs, the focus is consistently geared towards helping others reach their own personal ‘next level’ in life. She has spoken as a keynote speaker at UBC Graduation ceremonies and has volunteered with the School of Kinesiology Mentorship Program for the past 3 years, ever since her return to Canada after living overseas.
What’s rather unique about Jennifer is her range of life experience. From blue ocean sailing, working as a skipper on a commercial prawn fishing boat, to learning Dutch and volunteering on organic farms in New Zealand she has many stories to tell.
Her Passion Project
In 2016 Jennifer has an enormous passion project on the go. She aims to raise awareness and fundraise up to $150,000.00 for dementia research, programs and services.
As Jennifer explains in her video, someone she loves was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, a form of dementia. Through her own personal experience Jennifer became aware of the immense challenge for those diagnosed and their families. She created 5 Free Documents aimed to help people with some basics, such as what signs to watch out for, top 10 signs of caregiver stress, and how to best communicate with someone with dementia.
“With the increasing numbers of people affected every day, I feel it is essential we know the signs, and how to be sensitive to those affected. The community needs our support. It is an incredibly challenging disease; the endurance required to cope is immense. I want to honour their struggle. So far we’ve raised nearly $11,000.00 and I am so grateful for all the support and personal stories shared. Most donors either know me personally, or have had direct experience with dementia. The thing is…everyone will have direct experience at some time. In a way, donating is an investment in your own future.”
Exercise: therapy for depression
Dr. Guy Faulkner has been working on the development of the new Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT) 2016 Clinical Guidelines for the Management of Adults with Major Depressive Disorder. In an important change to the guidelines, exercise is now recommended as first-line mono therapy for mild to moderate depression and as second-line adjunctive treatment for moderate to severe depression. This is an exciting opportunity for examining how kinesiologists can be integrated as part of the mental health care team. Learn more about the guidelines HERE.
Alex Rebchuk
In 2013, I graduated from UBC Kinesiology (BKin).
After graduation, I moved to Toronto and pursued a job in the medical insurance industry. I worked for one year as a Case Manager at Manulife Financial. During this time I realized I much preferred academia to industry. So in September 2014, I returned to UBC to pursue graduate studies under the supervision of Dr. Blouin.
During my undergraduate studies I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work as a student-trainer with the UBC Women’s Rugby team. While working with the rugby team I was exposed to many concussions. I became fascinated with the injury and wanted to learn more about the relationship between impact exposure and neurological impairment.
Returning to UBC for graduate school was the perfect opportunity to pursue this passion. With Dr. Blouin I developed a thesis project that investigated impact exposure and concussion in collegiate football players. I defended my thesis and graduated with an MSc in 2016.
Following graduate school I have chosen to pursue medicine, once again at UBC (MD 2020). I truly believe the MSc program at UBC KIN, especially under the supervision of Dr. Blouin, has prepared my for my future career in medicine.
New Paper Out
Read the latest paper by Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Dr. Erica Lau: Factors influencing implementation of youth physical activity interventions: An expert perspective Read more…
Nick Snow
Education:
MSc (Rehabilitation Sciences), University of British Columbia (2015),
BKin (Hons), Memorial University of Newfoundland (2013).
Certification:
Exercise is Medicine Canada (EIMC) Level II Professional, Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (2014-Present),
Certified Exercise Physiologist (CEP), Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (2013-Present).
What do you do at the School of Kinesiology?
I am a research assistant at the School of Kinesiology, and work under the supervision the School’s Director, Dr. Robert Boushel. I get to learn about exercise physiology for a living, with the help of some leading experts!
Currently, we are working to examine the effects of exercise at a molecular level. It has been well-established that engaging in exercise on a regular basis has positive benefits for health. But what are the molecular bases—the Biomarkers—of these health benefits? And what is the optimal dose of intensity, duration, frequency, and type of exercise to achieve optimal results?
How did you get here?
During my Bachelors at Memorial University, I decided that Business Administration just was not my forte. Based on the recommendation from a friend, I signed up for a human anatomy course. Needless to say, I was converted!
I eventually came to UBC to do my MSc, in which I examined the influence of aerobic exercise on motor learning and elements of the motor system. It was such an amazing experience, that I planned to begin a PhD program in Neuroscience, at Dalhousie University! However, I ultimately decided that I was not ready for this endeavour, and was back to the drawing board.
On the recommendation of a friend (again), I applied for a job posting in the School of Kinesiology. Actually getting the job was wholly unexpected, and the experience has been tremendously rewarding. I feel so lucky to work in such a diverse and stimulating environment! Suffice it to say, I owe a lot to my friends!
What are your plans for summer 2016?
On Canada Day, I will be heading out on a bike trip, all the way down the Pacific Coast Highway, to Tijuana, Mexico! (Don’t worry – I’ll be spending July 1 on home soil!)
I considered this bike trip a great excuse to give back to a local not-for-profit where I volunteer. So I have launched a fundraising campaign, to contribute to the Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House (DTES NH), a grassroots organization that offers programs, services, and really great food to residents of the Downtown Eastside community. If anybody is interested in contributing, or learning more, please go to https://www.canadahelps.org/…/pages/coastal-cruise-for-com…/
What are your plans for the future?
I am presently in the midst of applying for admission to medical school! Although I feel blessed to have gained so much in the way of knowledge, experiences, and opportunities here at the School of Kinesiology, I have given a great deal of thought to the idea of pursing medical practice. Or I am destined to become a career student.
Right now, I am very intrigued and excited about the prospect of using aerobic exercise in a medical or rehabilitative context. Specifically, I have gained a real appreciation for the use of exercise as “molecular medicine”, and also wish to explore its efficacy as a tool in neurorehabilitation.
Guidelines! What are they good for?
PhD student Negin Riazi guest blogged about the new 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth on Obesity Panacea – a blog written by two obesity researchers, Peter Janiszewski, PhD, and Travis Saunders, PhD, CEP. To read more, check out Guidelines! What are they good for?
2016 ParticipACTION Report Card & New Paper Out Now!
The 2016 ParticipACTION Report Card reports that only 9% of Canadian children (5-17 years) are meeting the recommended 60 min of daily MVPA. In response, experts have developed the 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth which incorporate physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep. Dr. Guy Faulkner was a consensus panel member developing the guidelines and a Report Card Research Committee member.
Dr. Faulkner and PhD student Negin Riazi were involved in a study examining stakeholders’ perceptions regarding the clarity of, level of agreement with, and perceived importance of these new Movement Guidelines. Read more…
Hear Dr. Faulkner talk about the new guidelines on CTV News Vancouver.
Congratulations Dr. Carly Priebe!
Congratulations to Carly Priebe for taking 1st place at the PDA’s Annual 3 minute PostDoc Slam on May 26th! Dr. Priebe presented her work with Run to Quit, a 10-week smoking cessation program where participants receive practical support on quitting smoking and also train to run a 5K.