Quick links:
Strategic Initiatives: Transformational Research
- Funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and the Ontario Research Fund (ORF) totalled $4.2M in 2015/16 to support the Advanced Aging Research Centre (ARCH). ARCH is led by the Department of Kinesiology and the new funding, which spans three Faculties, will support four different technology-focused research projects.
- The 2015 Patterns and Trends Report, published by the Propel Centre for Population Health Impact, found that young people are just as likely to try electronic cigarettes as smoking — a finding that is impacting legislation across the country. Data from Propel’s Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey played an important role in five provinces’ decision to ban flavoured tobacco including menthol.
- Professor Richard Hughson’s Vascular Echo project is one of four new projects funded by a $1.4M grant from the Canadian Space Agency. The research will be conducted aboard the International Space Station to understand why astronauts experience conditions that mimic aging-related problems and chronic diseases on earth.
- In October the Governor General opened the Centre of Excellence for Innovation in Aging at the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging on north campus. The Centre includes laboratory space for AHS Schlegel Research Chairs.
- Professors Clark Dickerson and Marina Mourtzakis received $377K from the Canadian Breast Cancer Society to investigate functional capacity in breast cancer survivors and the influence of exercise in improving arm function and quality of life.
- The Centre of Research Expertise for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders (CRE-MSD) is spearheading a national project to develop a Canadian standard to address issues of work disability prevention. Created in collaboration with the Canadian Standard Association (CSA) and the Centre for Research on Work Disability Policy (CRWDP), the standard is the first of its kind in the world.
- Professors John Hirdes and Christopher Perlman led the development of assessment criteria and quality measures that allow people to compare data on more than 1K long-term care facilities using a new web tool on the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) website.
- The Network for Aging Research funded seven Emerging Scholar Mentorship Grants and 10 Catalyst Grants worth up to $10K each to inspire new or exploratory research related to aging. Additional funding support was provided for seven on-campus agingfocused events, including an aging research symposium.
- The Faculty began a search for several new hires, including:
- a Tier II Canada Research Chair in the area of mental health;
- a J.W. Graham Information Technology Emerging Leader Chair in applied health informatics;
- two clinically-oriented faculty members specializing in biomechanics/neuroscience and exercise;
- a Schlegel Research Chair in mobility and aging; and
- two tenure-track faculty in recreation and sport business.
- In partnership with the Young Carers Project, the Murray Alzheimer Research and Education Program created several new resources to better support young caregivers in the community. The resources were launched at an event at Kitchener City Hall in February 2016.
- Funding from Aging Gracefully across Environments using Technology to Support Wellness, Engagement and Long Life (AGE-WELL) Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE), will support School of Public Health and Health System (SPHHS) researchers to make progress on new resources. These will help innovators navigate policy and regulatory processes and will create decision-support algorithms to make effective use of data generated through health information systems and smart technologies, including wearable devices.
- Faculty awards and honours earned in 2015/16 include:
- Professor Lora Giangregorio won the prestigious Bloomberg Manulife Prize for the Promotion of Active Living for her pioneering work on osteoporosis;
- Kinesiology Professor Andrew Laing and Recreation and Leisure Studies Professor Bryan Grimwood both received Early Researcher Awards;
- Professor David Hammond was named to the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists and received the Pan American Health Organization and World Health Organization’s 2016 World No Tobacco Day Award;
- Professor Clark Dickerson received a NSERC Discovery Accelerator Supplement; and
- Professors Scott Leatherdale and David Hammond received CIHR Trailblazer Awards.
National Co-op of the Year winner Rachel McDonald reviews records with Dr. Cyril Danjoux at Sunnybrook Hospital
Strategic Initiatives: Academic Programming
- In winter 2015, Applied Health Sciences (AHS) offered a new course for students outside the Faculty to learn about the basics of health wellness, and disease prevention. Its sister course on the sociology of activity, health, and well-being will be offered for AHS students in fall 2016.
- The new course-based Master of Science (MSc) Kinesiology program welcomed its first cohort of nine students in September 2015.
- Waterloo’s Health Evaluation Collaborative, founded by SPHHS and Propel, offered a four-day Collaborative Learning Institute in Evaluation.
- SPHHS joined 117 other health-related schools from 14 countries in signing the Health Educators Climate Commitment, an international accord launched by the White House to enhance training around the health impacts of climate change.
- Kinesiology joined the University’s Living-Learning Community program to help support first-year students living in residence with the transition to university life.
- Professor Christopher Perlman won the 2015 Applied Health Sciences Teaching Award for his inspirational teaching style and commitment to student excellence. This year, all three academic units also instituted a Teaching Assistant Excellence Award, with the inaugural awards set to be presented in the fall.
- Kinesiology launched an annual Undergraduate Research Colloquium to provide upper-year students completing fourth-year research projects with a forum to build skills and explore areas of interest.
- SPHHS hosted the Canadian Coalition for Global Health Research Student Forum, bringing together students from four universities to focus on innovative approaches to tackling global health challenges.
- In collaboration with the Murray Alzheimer Research and Education Program, AHS launched HACK4HEALTH, a 48-hour event designed to drive the creation of software, hardware, and social innovations to enhance quality of life for people with multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, and related dementias.
- With support from the Network for Aging Research, graduate students hosted the Symposium on Aging Research (SOAR) to initiate trans-departmental collaborations and engage in conversations on aging research.
- Eleven graduate students participated in AHS’ Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition this year. SPHHS student, Merryn Maynard moved on to the University round.
- AHS hosted an inaugural graduate recruitment visitors’ day to expose top applicants to student research, introduce them to potential supervisors, and showcase graduate studies in the Faculty.
- AHS students won numerous awards and honours in 2015/16, including:
- SPHHS student Rachel McDonald was named Co-op Student of the Year by the Canadian Association for Co-operative Education (CAFCE);
- PhD candidate Chi-Ling Joanna Sinn was honored with the Rising Star Award from the CIHR Institute of Health Services and Policy Research;
- Fitsum Areguy, a Recreation and Leisure Studies student won the Ontario Medal for Young Volunteers — the highest honour a young person can achieve for volunteer contributions to the province;
- SPHHS student Tina Chan won the second annual Big Ideas Challenge for Social Good for her Panic Anxiety and Stress Support (PASS) Kit and spent a term at St. Paul’s GreenHouse further developing the innovation;
- a team of students and faculty members from SPHHS won the Infoway Innovation Award as part of the Hacking Health challenge held during e-Health 2015; and
- incoming Kinesiology student Cindy Wei received a Schulich Leader Scholarship, a prestigious award which funds the country’s most promising students in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.