Marie handles the details of financial processing, financial record keeping, and record retrieval for the Department. Marie also assists staff with diverse work projects, as required.

Marie joined the Department in May 2018 as finance clerk before taking a leave of absence to care for her elderly mother who now lives with her. Prior to working full time in the PT Department, Marie also worked at BC Studies as a Sales and Marketing Assistant. Pre-UBC, Marie worked in hotels (Audit), a petroleum supply company (Accounts Receivable), a private club (Accounts Receivable, Procurement), and VANOC (Accounts Payable). In her spare time, she has tried learning the guitar, built a bike (yes, it is rideable, albeit colourful), done drawing and pottery, and is currently obsessed with rock climbing. Proudest physical moments: finishing the Quebec Marathon and climbing the Squamish Chief. She doesn’t talk much, unless you ask her about climbing.

Students with Hyman Gee (Right)

Happy Anniversary Student Run Outpatient Clinic and clinic supervisor, Hyman Gee!

Time and time again, students comment “My placement at Queen’s Park Student-Led Clinic stands out.”

The Student Rehabilitation Outpatient Clinic (SROC) originated at Royal Columbian Hospital (RCH) in 2009. Funding cuts led to the closure of the outpatient program at RCH, however, some innovative thinking and advocacy fueled a proposal to re-instate the program with a twist – a physiotherapy service led by physiotherapy students on clinical placements. Through a partnership between The University of British Columbia (UBC) and the Fraser Health Authority a novel teaching and service delivery model was developed, the first of its kind in the province.

Hyman Gee took on the challenge of developing and implementing this new model. He had practiced as a physiotherapist for 10 years in a variety of practice settings – from acute care, public practice outpatient and private practice. He brought a wealth of experience from cardiac and respiratory units, neurology units, orthopaedics, intensive care and even neonatal intensive care.  He had supported physiotherapy students on placements previously, though never more than two at a time!

“Little did I know this would be the chance of a lifetime and would stoke my passion for being a clinical educator”. Hyman

Throughout the development of the SROC, Hyman remained focus on two primary questions:

Who were the customers going to be?  Who was he going to serve?  Hyman concluded early in the development phase that his role would ‘serve’ a diverse caseload of patients while also ‘serving’ the learning needs of the physiotherapy students. Hyman has shared that he feels the experience and success of the students in the clinic directly influence the quality and success of physiotherapy care provided to the patients treated at SROC. The clinic provides a crucial public healthcare service that was missing in the local community.

Hyman has refined his approach to managing the needs of multiple (up to 6!) physiotherapy students on clinical placement at the same time in the clinic. He fosters an organized and supportive environment in which students can learn and thrive. He relies on peer coaching and peer learning approaches with ongoing mentorship from himself and ensures the students have fun along the way! Hyman’s approach to teaching, mentorship and clinical practice has influenced countless physiotherapy students.

Hyman was an excellent preceptor and professional role model. He has a very structured approach to how he educates both his students and his patients. This model of teaching worked well for me. Expectations were always clear. Hyman encourages regular reflection in the students he mentors. He regularly scheduled time for feedback and reflection with each student independently and together with other students in the clinic. This supported me in applying my clinical reasoning and I think helped me get the most out my placement experience. As a student, I was able to thrive in this supportive learning environment and build my confidence in my abilities to practice independently.  Bev Larssen, MPT Graduate  

SROC has evolved since its inception in 2009. It moved to Queen’s Park Care Centre in 2017. The clinic provides collaborative care and learning opportunities. Hyman has supported the professional and clinical skill development of medical students, rehabilitation assistant students, occupational therapy students, and physiotherapy students from across Canada and Internationally. The benefits of this collaborative practice model are plentiful and profound – firstly, for ensuring comprehensive, best practice care for the patients served. Secondly, in fostering a greater understanding of health trainees in the breadth and depth of their own scope of practice and the benefits of collaborative practice on health outcomes.

“It’s been extremely interesting and rewarding to see the students of the various professions learn while on placement and learn from each other.  I have gained a different appreciation of not only what other health care professions can bring to a team but also what I can bring as a physiotherapist in the care of our clients.  These partnerships and experiences have strengthened my practice and given the many students that have spent time in the clinic valuable interprofessional learning opportunities.” Hyman

This year marks the 10-year anniversary for SROC! Hyman is also celebrating an important milestone with a 20-year reunion in Montreal; he graduated from McGill in 1999 to begin his accomplished physiotherapy career. Hyman continues to provide exceptional support and mentorship to countless physiotherapy students and to the Department of Physical Therapy. We are so fortunate to benefit from his insights and experience through the UBC Physical Therapy and Research Clinic Steering Committee, the Clinician Advisors for Clinical Education Committee, the Advanced Communication Workshop for the MPT Students and various other engagements in the Department.

Hyman was an incredible educator and a great example of patient-centered practice. He was very encouraging and welcoming, which fostered a supportive environment for both patients and students to learn and grow. I appreciated the autonomy he provided, and how he encouraged us (his students) to always focus back on the patient’s goals. I also appreciated how organized he was as an educator, and his patience and encouragement towards our learning as brand new 1A students! Devon Chan, MPT Candidate 2019

Beyond these extensive commitments and contributions, Hyman enjoys an active family life. Hyman, his wife and their two school-aged daughters enjoy camping, hiking, and skiing. Hyman is highly trained in Martial Arts; with previous practice in Kung Fu, Tae Kwon Do, Hap Ki do, Wrestling, Judo, and Chinese Lion Dance. Now Dragon boating is his primary activity. He trains in False Creek and travels locally and beyond for races and regattas. I am at a loss for how he manages to fit it all in!

Michelle Schaeffer is currently a Post-doctoral fellow in the Cardiopulmonary Exercise Physiology Lab. Her research is focused on the mechanisms of dyspnea and exercise intolerance in patients with interstitial lung disease and the use of hyperoxia as in intervention during an exercise rehabilitation program.

Exercise is a huge part of my life, and I feel fortunate to have built my lifestyle and professional career around something that I am so passionate about. While competing on the varsity rowing team as an undergraduate at UC Berkeley, I often wondered what explained the large variability in peak performance among athletes. I pursued academic courses to help me understand exercise physiology, but I often noticed trends or had questions for which I could not find satisfactory answers. These experiences led me to pursue a career in research.

I completed my master’s degree at McGill University where I examined sex differences in activity-related breathlessness in young, healthy adults. I then pursued a PhD here at the University of British Columbia with Dr. Jordan Guenette where I continued studying the symptom of breathlessness but in a clinical population. For my thesis project, I examined the physiological underpinnings of breathlessness in patients with a highly morbid condition called fibrotic interstitial lung disease. I also investigated the effects of administering high levels of oxygen on breathlessness in these patients during a single exercise session on a stationary bike in the laboratory. The improvements in symptoms and performance that we observed were profound and are the premise of a large clinical trial that is now up and running at seven different sites across Canada. With this trial, which is now the focus of my post-doctoral work, we hope to provide the data needed to implement guidelines around the provision of supplemental oxygen for patients with interstitial lung disease during pulmonary rehabilitation programs. This may serve to improve the outcomes of these patients from traditional rehabilitation programs and furthermore, improve their quality of life. Our work was recently highlighted by the British Columbia Lung Association. You can read about the personal experience of one of our participants as well as watch a short video documenting our research here: http://thedailyscan.providencehealthcare.org/2018/11/extra-oxygen-helps-people-with-lung-disease-stay-active/

Photo taken by Nick Wilson (@nickwilson.photo)

Outside of the laboratory, I am a semi-professional road cyclist racing for a Vancouver-based team, InstaFund La Prima. So far this season, I have had the opportunity to travel to Arizona, California, and Arkansas to compete at some of the top American Road Calendar and USA Pro Road Tour events. I am also really looking forward to lining up again at BC Superweek here in Vancouver this July. Balancing the demands of my racing and my research is challenging, but I am doing my best to practice what I preach. I hope that my work continues to help others to engage in physical activity in a way that is also meaningful and beneficial to each of them.

Jesse Charlton is currently an MPT/PhD student in the Graduate Programs in Rehabilitation Sciences. His research investigates how people with knee osteoarthritis learn walking pattern modifications, and how the modifications are performed in the real-world. Since 2014, Jesse has worked in the Motion Analysis and Biofeedback Laboratory, with Dr. Michael Hunt.

Walking modification for knee osteoarthritis: wearable sensors, biomechanics, and motor learning.

I first gained exposure to biomechanical research during my undergraduate studies. At that time, I was primarily interested in how changes to exercise biomechanics could improve athletic performance and safety. Once I began my MSc, I turned my focus toward applying these concepts in clinical populations, specifically knee osteoarthritis. Knee osteoarthritis is a painful, functionally limiting, and progressive disease. Unfortunately, people often live with the disease for many years. Thus, managing symptoms and slowing progression is an important clinical objective. Various aspects of walking biomechanics, including high knee joint forces, are a key risk factor for pain and disease progression. Fortunately, knee joint forces can be modified.

To date, most of my work has examined the biomechanical affects of modifying walking motion. Small changes to foot motion (toeing in or out) when walking, can redistribute knee joint forces away from the diseased regions of the joint. However, the process of learning this walking modification is not well understood. Moreover, we know little about real-world walking biomechanics in people living with knee osteoarthritis. Without this important knowledge, it is difficult to know if this approach to managing knee osteoarthritis is clinically feasible.

My doctoral research blends the worlds of motion analysis, movement modifications, and motor learning to address these questions. Wearable-sensor-based motion analysis allows for the objective assessment of walking biomechanics, outside of the lab setting. To assess motor learning, I will measure the permanence, generalizability, and automaticity of a walking modification, over the course of an intervention. Pain has the potential to negatively affect motor learning. However, pain is highly variable in knee osteoarthritis, making it difficult to examine this effect. Therefore, in a separate study, I will be using an experimental pain model to examine how pain alters short-term motor learning, in healthy adults.

As a dual-program student, I am very excited to blend my clinical and research training. The MPT/PhD program provides the unique opportunity to develop clinically relevant research and strong evidence-informed clinical practice skills, simultaneously. Although my research activities occupy most of my time, I am a passionate mountain biker, skier, and overall outdoor enthusiast. Professionally, I work as a strength and conditioning coach, both in a private and public setting. Ultimately, my career goal is to combine my passion for exercise, biomechanics, and rehabilitation to help people living with musculoskeletal diseases live active and fulfilled lives.

I love to connect with other passionate researchers and clinicians to discuss metascience, rehabilitation, and exercise! Follow me on Twitter: @JesseCharlton_ or Research Gate: Jesse_Charlton

We are working full steam ahead on the development and opening of the new student-led clinic in the Department of Physical Therapy: The UBC Physical Therapy and Research Clinic. Renovations began in May with anticipation of clinic opening in July.

This fee-for-service Clinic will be owned and operated by the Department of Physical Therapy within the Faculty of Medicine to:

·         Provide an enriched clinical placement opportunity as part of the Masters of Physical Therapy (MPT) Program at UBC.

·         Engage in research and collaborative relationships within the UBC community and nationally/internationally to advance physical therapy knowledge and practice.

·         Provide high quality affordable physical therapy care grounded in the best available evidence to service populations within the local community.

The Department has been fortunate to receive advice and input in the development of the clinic from the UBC Physical Therapy and Research Clinic Steering Committee; a highly committed group of PT’s with diverse clinical and entrepreneurial experience.  Hyman Gee, PT and Clinical Educator at the Queen’s Park Student-Led Clinic provides invaluable perspective around the logistics and educational considerations of supporting multiple students at once. Hiring for the Clinical Administrator Role for the Clinic is in process.

For further information regarding the clinic, please visit the website: https://physioandresearchclinic.med.ubc.ca

Or email Karen Sauve, Associate Head Clinical Education with any questions: karen.sauve@ubc.ca.

For More Information: Visit the Faculty of Medicine Website

Dr. Whittaker will join the Department in July 2019 expanding our musculoskeletal expertise.

I undertook my clinical training as a physiotherapist at the University of Alberta, graduating in 1993. Between 1993 and 2015 I worked clinically, primarily in musculoskeletal private practice, in both the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. During that time I received certifications in manual and manipulative therapy (FCAMPT), acupuncture (CAFCI), dry needling (CGIMS), ultrasound imaging and was recognized by the Canadian Physical Therapy Association as one of eight original clinical specialists in musculoskeletal physical therapy.

As a clinician, I encountered innumerable patients with chronic musculoskeletal disorders that I believe would have benefited enormously if it had been possible to either prevent, or rehabilitate fully their condition when it first started. The desire to improve the care of these patients was the motivation for undertaking a PhD in Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation from the University of Southampton, which I completed in 2012. I continued my research training with a postdoctoral fellowship focusing on epidemiological and biostatistical approaches to prevent osteoarthritis after youth sport-related knee injuries at the Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre, University of Calgary (Faculty of Kinesiology) from 2012-2015. In 2015 I joined the University of Alberta, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of Physical therapy as an Assistant Professor and served as Research Director of the Glen Sather Sports Medicine Clinic.

The goal of my research is to generate and implement knowledge that will influence a shift in the management of chronic musculoskeletal conditions such as osteoarthritis towards preventing and/or delaying their onset. This includes developing a greater understanding of the consequences of musculoskeletal injuries suffered as a youth or young adult, optimizing healthcare pathways and health outcomes for youth and young adults that suffer a musculoskeletal injury, and optimizing function and reducing disability in adults that develop osteoarthritis pre-maturely as a result of an injury. In addition I have strong interest in the appropriate application and referral for diagnostic imaging by physiotherapists.

Beyond my work, I am a passionate sports (soccer) fan, traveller and enjoy spending time in the outdoors with my partner and our dogs.

I am excited to join the amazing faculty and staff in the UBC Department of Physical Therapy and look forward to re-integrating into the physiotherapy community in the greater Vancouver area and continuing my research.

REGISTER HERE

Have you ever thought about a career in physical therapy? Come join us on November 13 to learn more about UBC’s Master of Physical Therapy program and how you go about pursuing a career in physical therapy. The information session will be followed by a Q&A. The program’s Admissions Manager, Associate Head, and an MPT student will be in attendance. Please RSVP as space is limited. 

If you can’t make it to our Vancouver info session, you can try to register for one of our info sessions at other universities. To register please send an email to MPT.admissions@ubc.ca and specify which session you would like to attend. Please note space is limited.

Andrea Hardaker is job-sharing the Administration Manager role in the department, as well as acting the department’s project lead on the MPT Expansion. Andrea joined the department in July 2018 on a temporary basis and moved to her current role in February 2019. Andrea has had a number of other roles at UBC and has previously worked at CHES, the Allard School of Law and Classical, Near-Eastern & Religious Studies. Before starting at UBC, Andrea worked for a whale-watching company on Granville Island, first as a tour guide and then as the Manager. Her educational background is in marine ecology and she continues to volunteer in this field in her spare time. Andrea also spends her free time going to the beach or park with her 2-year old son, Jack, and her dog, Lola.

Hilary Hinksman is the Assistant to the Department Head and Department Secretary. She helps organize meetings and events, hire lab students/staff, in addition to a wide variety of other tasks. Hilary had been working with the department on a temporary basis since last August and she was the successful applicant for the position in August this year. Previously, Hilary worked in various administrative positions within the private sector, including working as an Office Manager for a local engineering firm for over 10 years. Outside of work, Hilary enjoys hiking, travelling, photography, and being a foodie in Vancouver.

Louis-Alexandre Douesnard is the new Admissions and Recruitment Manager. He is responsible for developing strategies and activities designed to attract and yield well-qualified applicants. He is also responsible for increasing applications from northern, rural and aboriginal applicants in an effort to train physiotherapists that will work in communities with high demand for their services. Prior to joining the Department, Louis worked as the Strategic Student Initiatives Recruitment Manager for McGill University’s Faculty of Engineering where he developed new initiatives to increase graduate enrollment from underrepresented populations. Louis holds a Masters Degree from UBC in Critical and Curatorial Studies and curated exhibitions in Vancouver and Montreal.

Jasmine Mason joined the department in August as the Clinical Education Manager. Jasmine works within a fantastic team on expanding the number of clinical placement opportunities for students across the province. She actively seeks to better understand the clinical education experience and to identify potential areas for improvement. She helps to retain and recognise current clinical placement sites and manages the delivery of continuing professional development opportunities for current preceptors. Jasmine’s previous experience includes work in academic advising, program management, international sustainable development and capacity building. After work hours, she spends much of her time supporting her wanna-be photography habit, exploring our amazing province, and supporting coastal conservation efforts.

Melissa Idle is the Clinical Administrator for the new UBC Physical Therapy & Research clinic. The clinic is a student-led fee-for-service clinic that will expose students to the full scope of private clinic management. As a pilot project we are open to ideas, exploring opportunities for collaboration, and ways to integrate learning and research into the clinic. Melissa comes from a public practice background and developed and ran a student led clinic at Surrey Memorial Hospital for 5 years. Please drop by the clinic to have a look around and say hi!

After two wonderful years on secondment to the BC SUPPORT Unit (https://bcsupportunit.ca/), I am excited to return to the Physical Therapy Knowledge Broker (PT KB) position to reignite existing relationships and projects and to establish new ones.

Given that there has been an absence of a Knowledge Broker for the last 2 years, it may be helpful to provide a brief refresher on the PT KB position, roles / activities:

• 5 FTE, funded equally by The UBC Department of Physical Therapy, PABC and the Vancouver Coastal Research Institute
• Functions as a bridge between the worlds of practice, research and policy. There are 5 primary roles:
  • Supporting co-development of new knowledgee. bringing teams of clinicians, researchers, healthcare decision-makers and patients together to work on issues of shared relevance
  • Facilitating synthesis of existing knowledge with a focus on developing tools/resources that are meaningful and useful e.g. development of toolkits that provide evidence-informed options for care
  • Facilitating effective dissemination/sharing of information
  • Providing guidance in identifying barriers to use of knowledge/tools and the targeted solutions to address these barriers
  • Fostering capacity for evidence-informed practice g. providing opportunities for others to enhance knowledge/skills/experience

What’s new?

The two new projects that were selected by the PT KB Steering Committee to move forward from proposals submitted in February 2019 are:

1. Resisted Exercise Initiative (RExI) https://med-fom-clone-pt.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2019/06/RExI-Overview.pdf

The current volume and level of acuity of elderly patients in acute care settings challenges physical therapists to address all needs.  One area of practice that is receiving increasing attention is the use of resistance exercise for elderly patients in BC hospitals. There are 4 objectives for this project: (1) to determine current practice (2) to identify opportunities to support enhanced practice (3) to undertake knowledge translation (KT) strategies to target barriers that support the use of resisted exercise and (4) to evaluate the effect of the KT strategies. The members of the team undertaking this project are: Patient Partner Marilyn Campbell and PTs Chiara Singh, Lori Hendry, Coleen Lapurga, Janet Lundie, Maylinda Urbina, Maha Elashi, PJ Lynd, Pamela McClelland, Angela Pace, Susanne Watson, Melissa Idle, Kristi Gerevas and Dr. Jasmin Ma.

2. Knowledge Translation for Pain Science Division (KT4PSD) https://physicaltherapy.med.ubc.ca/physical-therapy-knowledge-broker/knowledge-translation-for-pain-science-division-initiative-kt4psd/

The Pain Science Division (PSD) of CPA has developed a number of resources (knowledge tools) available to support Canadian Physiotherapists to provide evidence-informed practice in pain management. Member surveys have indicated a reduction in awareness of the availability and use of these tools. The objectives of the  KT4PSD project are (1) to determine current awareness, use, barriers/facilitators to use of the PSD tools, (2) to undertake KT strategies to target barriers to use of the tools and (3) to evaluate the effect of the of KT strategies. BC PT Tori Etheridge is the lead of this national project.

Update on the Physical Activity Support Kit Initiative (PASKI) https://physicaltherapy.med.ubc.ca/physical-therapy-knowledge-broker/physical-activity-support-kit-initiative-paski-move-more-sit-less/

PASKI, launched in 2014, is a PT KB facilitated project to develop a toolkit of resources to help persons living with chronic disease to be more physically active. It addresses a gap in vetted, user-friendly and evidence-based information and resources to support physical activity for both clinicians working with, and persons living with chronic disease (PWCD). The following diagram illustrates the process undertaken by the over 100 patients, clinicians and researchers who have generously donated their time to this project:

We are pleased to be working with HealthLink BC who will host the toolkit “ACTIVE 4 life: Resources to support activity for chronic health conditions”. Stay tuned for the launch J

Upcoming Activities– Webinars, hosted by PABC, with UBC Dept of PT Faculty

Two webinars with UBC Department of PT faculty are planned for the fall. On October 22^nd, Dr Jackie Whittaker will join me in exploring the accuracy of diagnostic imaging in Ortho/MSK conditions. Dr Michael Hunt will co-present the second webinar, on November 13^th, exploring the evidence and issues related to the use of orthotics for MSK lower limb pain. Please contact PABC (https://bcphysio.org/contact-us) if you are interested in joining us remotely or in accessing a recording of these webinars.

By: Eric Bennett
Eric is the PT Student Society (PTSS) President, a member of the Northern and Rural Cohort and a second year MPT student.

The 2018-2020 NRC Cohort taking their annual photo in the UNBC plinth lab.

This past July saw 20 students of the current MPT2 cohort head up to Prince George, British Columbia for a four week academic block. Students part of the Northern Rural Cohort (NRC) stayed in dorms provided at the University of Northern British Columbia and received the warmest of welcomes from the PT and medical community in the area. Dr. Paul Winwood invited the NRC to his lakeside house for a welcome BBQ meant for new medical residents to assimilate with the town of Prince George, which they were to now call home, however this ended up serving as a great opportunity for PT students and medical residents to network in a casual environment, with great food!

The next week we were invited to the annual “Physiotherapy Moose BBQ” held at the Jenkin’s farm, which gave all the PT students an opportunity to network with local PTs and OTs, who attested to the power of practicing in the North. No words can truly describe the hospitality felt at this event, from the moment we stepped on to the Jenkin’s farm to the moment we left, with arms full of leftovers, there was no doubt that we were well taken care of, and part of the PT family in Prince George.

Some of the NRC class at Robin Roots place enjoying a bonfire

During our last week in Prince George, we were invited to the home of Robin Roots, the clinical education coordinator of the NRC, where we swam down the Nechako river, had a bonfire, and played a few rounds of Spike Ball (which Robin herself joined in on!).

The experience of the NRC is something that can go unmatched, for many students it was their first experience of the North, and even for the students originally from Prince George it was a great experience. Karissa Polsom, also a NRC member and PTSS Orientation Officer, shared “It was so special to share the hometown I know and love with the NRC cohort. It’s one thing to describe the culture and the lifestyle, but it’s another thing to have them there and experience all Prince George has to offer as a cohort and friends!”

Jasmin Ma is currently a post-doctoral fellow with Dr. Linda Li in the department of Physical Therapy/Arthritis Research Canada. Her research is focused on supporting strength training behaviour change and developing methods for tailored physical activity interventions among people with rheumatoid arthritis and other chronic diseases and disabilities.

If you know me well (or have just met me for that matter) you’ve likely heard me talk about “getting your DPA (daily physical activity)”. I’m passionate about physical activity, in part because I see it as a common platform to bring together different research disciplines, professions, and abilities. I come from a diverse background in kinesiology training including disability, physical activity behaviour change science, exercise physiology, and knowledge translation. I’ve also worked the past eight years as an adapted personal trainer for people with intellectual and physical disabilities that’s helped form the basis of many of my research questions and to see first-hand the application of the work we do.

During my master’s, under the supervision of Dr. Brendon Gurd at Queen’s University, we examined the effects of a 4-minute high intensity exercise protocol on fitness and the underlying physiology behind its potency. We later translated this protocol to a series of high intensity interval stories (Google FUNtervals if you have kids that need to spend some energy… i.e., all kids) that showed a 4-minute break can help kids behave and focus better in class. In my PhD, under the supervision of Dr. Kathleen Martin Ginis at UBC Okanagan and in collaboration with Dr. Christopher West at ICORD/UBC, we worked with over 300 end-users to co-develop an intervention to support community members with spinal cord injury to be physically active. Physical activity coaching where we taught individuals with spinal cord injury the basics of physical activity and strategies for sticking to a goal, provided referral to appropriate peers and programs, and developed tailored exercise prescriptions were the keys to successful physical activity and fitness improvements. We are currently working with GF Strong Rehabilitation Hospital, BC’s provincial spinal cord injury organization (SCI BC), and the Rick Hansen Institute to put this intervention into practice.

My previous training highlighted the importance of tailoring our approaches to helping people engage in physical activity, which should also include customizing our approaches to addressing a specific behaviour. Strength training as a unique physical activity behaviour is largely understudied and under promoted. In fact, we often criticize our nation for our poor participation in the aerobic portion of the guidelines (150 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic activity/week), yet a much smaller fraction of the population is meeting the strength training guidelines (2x/week). This is a missed opportunity given the unique benefits to strength training as an important disease management strategy and facilitator of functional independence. My current work focuses on working with patients to identify strategies to support people with rheumatoid arthritis to do regular strength training. By understanding the determinants of strength training, synthesizing the supporting evidence on effective strength training behaviour change interventions, and engaging patients as partners, we aim to develop knowledge translation approaches to help address this problem.

Of course, in my pursuit to push for physical activity to be accessible and enjoyed by all, I need to practice what I preach. In my off-hours you can find me cycling, swimming, beach volleyball-ing, geocache racing, or doing anything that involves a little competition.