Heather Foulds Successfully Defends Her MSc

We are extremely pleased to announce that Heather Foulds has recently (August 9, 2010) defended her MSc. Heather’s accomplishments during her MSc studies are remarkable with numerous peer-reviewed presentations, abstracts and published articles, and extensive external funding. She was able to complete her thesis is less than the allotted time, despite personally collecting data on over 700 participants. This involved a 13-week lab-based assessment of 106 participants, and a community-based physical activity intervention involving over 500 persons of Aboriginal descent. Her work simply is at the forefront of the field and we are extremely proud of her accomplishments. We are excited to have Heather remain in our laboratory for her PhD studies in the Faculty of Medicine.

Congratulations Heather, you surely deserve every honour that you have received!

Mischa Harris Receives the CIHR Masters Award

We are pleased to announce that Mischa Harris has been awarded the prestigious CIHR Masters award. We are extremely proud of his accomplishments.

Katie Chapman Receives the CIHR Masters Award

We are pleased to announce that Katie Chapman (LEARN Laboratory) has been awarded the prestigious CIHR Masters scholarship. We are extremely proud of her accomplishments.

Danielle Beaudoin Receives a NSERC Scholarship

We are pleased to announce that Danielle Beaudoin (LEARN Laboratory) has been awarded the prestigious NSERC PGSM scholarship. We are extremely proud of her accomplishments.

Heather Foulds is Awarded a NSERC Post-Graduate Scholarship

We are pleased to announce that Heather Foulds (PhD Student) was awarded the prestigious PGSD3 – Postgraduate Scholarship from NSERC. This award is in addition to the numerous awards that Heather also won during her MSc studies. We are extremely proud of Heather’s accomplishments.

Interactive Video Gaming Research Highlighted by Canadian Medical Association

We are pleased to announce that the innovative research of Drs. Warburton and Bredin has been highlighted by the Canadian Medical Association in “Future Practice.” Future Practice is a publication of the Canadian Medical Association that was developed to “help inform physicians about the growing world of health information technology in Canada.” In this issue, Marla Fletcher discusses the research currently being conducted in the Physical Activity and Chronic Disease Prevention Unit at the University of British Columbia. She highlights the innovation of this work and the potential role interactive video gaming may play in improving the health status of Canadians, in particular those with established chronic disease. To read the article please go to: http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/5daa6be2#/5daa6be2/28

Welcome Shirley Ngai to the University of British Columbia and the Pan-Pacific Trainee Exchange

We are pleased to say that Dr. Shirley Ngai (post-doctoral fellow working with Dr. Alice Jones) is the first candidate to be selected to represent Hong Kong Polytechnic University. We welcome Shirley and look forward to working with her over the next while. As part of this program, Shirley will spend close to three months working intensively on various collaborative research projects at the University of British Columbia. In the past, Shirley Wong (PhD Student Experimental Medicine, UBC) has represented the University of British Columbia at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Drs. Warburton and Charleworth have also participated in the international keynote lecture series/exchange. Drs. Wong and Dr. Marco Pang have likewise participated in this exchange.

MORE INFORMATION REGARDING THE PAN-PACIFIC TRAINEE EXCHANGE PROGRAM

In 2009, the Physical Activity and Chronic Disease Prevention Unit and the Centre for East-meets-West in Rehabilitation Sciences (in Hong Kong, China) formalized an international exchange for research trainees from the University of British Columbia and Hong Kong Polytechnic University. This exchange is entitled “The Pan-Pacific Trainee Exchange: Creating Leaders of Tomorrow.” Applications from each university are considered on an annual basis. Trainees complete a two-four month exchange at the partner university and their travel and accommodations are covered by the collaborating laboratories and the exchange program. The selection committee consisting of Dr. Shannon Bredin, Dr. Alice Jones, Dr. Marco Pang and Dr. Darren Warburton consider applications on a continual basis, with an expected exchange of one to two students per year.

Dr. Bredin is Selected to Give a Presentation at the 1st European Congress on Physical Activity and Health Among 0-6 yr old Children

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Bredin was amongst a select group of researchers to present at the 1st European Congress on Physical Activity and Health Among 0-6 yr old Children in Epinal France (May 28, 2010). Her presentation entitled “Gender Stereotyping by Parents for Contemporary Toddle-Aged Toys” was exceptionally well received by approximately 300 attendees. During this talk, Dr. Bredin highlighted some of the innovative work being conducted by the LEARN laboratory, in particular the Children’s Play Initiative.

Article Reaches Its 500th Citation!!!

On behalf of the Physical Activity and Chronic Disease Prevention Unit, we are honoured to announce that an article created by Dr. Darren Warburton, Crystal Whitney (research trainee) and Dr. Shannon Bredin (published in the prestigious Canadian Medical Association Journal) has reached the achievement of being cited over 500 times. To put this into context, an article that has been cited more than 400 times is often referred to as a “citation classic.” We are proud to be amongst an esteemed group of researchers to achieve this milestone.

We are pleased with the reception that this article has received since its publication in 2006. We feel that this reflects clearly the importance of the health benefits of physical activity, and provides further validation for the value of the research conducted in the Physical Activity and Chronic Disease Prevention Unit.

LAUNCH of the PAR-Q+ & PARmed-X+ Online: International Congress on Physical Activity and Public Health 2010

Mobilizing Research for Global Action in Policy and Practice

On May 5-8, 2010, the 3rd International Congress on Physical Activity and Public Health was held in Toronto, Ontario. There were more than 1200 delegates from more than 48 countries in attendance. Drs. Warburton and Bredin were honoured to be amongst a select group of presenters during the Congress. They participated in a symposium entitled: “Enhancing the Effectiveness of the PAR-Q and PARmed-X Screening for Physical Activity Participation” with Dr. Norman Gledhill and Dr. Veronica Jamnik (from York University). This symposium marked the official launch of the revised PAR-Q+ and the newly developed PARmed-X+ Online.

Dr. Warburton served as the chair of the session and also a presenter. During his talk, entitled “Evidence-Based Guidelines and the Revised PAR-Q and PARmed-X Clearance Process,” Dr. Warburton highlighted the evidence that formed the basis for the newly created PAR-Q+ and PARmed-X+ Online. Dr. Bredin followed up by discussing how the information derived from the systematic reviews of the literature was used in the development of the Physical Activity Support Line. Her talk was entitled “Applying what We have Learned in the Community: the Physical Activity Support Line.” The symposium presenters were honoured to present to a room filled with distinguished attendees from around the world. The feedback from this session was overwhelmingly positive reflecting the importance of over three years of work by our research team. During the session, Drs. Bredin and Warburton highlighted how important their trainees were to the successful completion of this important project.

Dr. Warburton followed up the symposium by giving a four hour hands-on workshop to approximately 200 delegates. This workshop was also well received highlighting further the importance of this initiative.