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Student Program Assistant
Undergraduate Student (Kinesiology), McMaster University
Activity Instructor
B.PE., B.HSc.(PT), Dip Sport, M.Sc. (Kin), MCPA
Director of Experiential Education and Business Development
(on leave)
Education
Prior to joining the Department of Kinesiology in her role as Director of Experiential Learning and Business Development, Colleen was the Clinical Manager of the David Braley Sport Medicine and Rehabilitation Centre for 15 years. She is committed to ongoing professional development and has over 25 years of experience as a Registered Physiotherapist.
R.Kin, B.Sc Kin & Cert. Clinical Kinesiology
Registered Kinesiologist
R.Kin., B.A.Kin., CSEP-CEP
Registered Kinesiologist & Program Supervisor
On Leave
Julia has a special interest in assisting older adults and individuals living with chronic disease or disability by improving physical function and quality of life through exercise. Julia’s areas of expertise include: the development and administration of individualized exercise programs designed to improve aerobic capacity and muscular fitness among older adults and individuals living with spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, cancer, cardiovascular disease as well as the operation of innovative rehabilitation technology to provide accessible physical activity.
Administrative Assistant
Ph.D.
Director of PACE & Faculty Advisor
My research program examines the interplay between brain and body fitness in the promotion of health.
I use brain-imaging methods to explore how neural network dynamics are affected by physical exercise and cognitive interventions for young adults, healthy older adults, and older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). A key question is whether cognitive-physical interventions target a particular cognitive ability or generalize to everyday functioning. An important clinical application of my work is to establish neural biomarkers as screening protocols for the early detection of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
By conducting research among exercisers in PACE community programs—such as the MacSeniors—I am able to study the long-term effects of regular physical exercise on cognitive health. Specifically, my research in PACE focuses on understanding the long-term benefits of exercise on measures of cognitive health, by assessing exercisers’ cognitive performance at regular intervals. This research will help to determine the optimal dose and type of exercise that mitigates cognitive decline in healthy older adults and individuals with mild cognitive impairment. The ultimate goal of my research program is to understand how lifestyle choices such as exercise can be used for disease prevention.
Graduate Student (Kinesiology), McMaster University
B.Sc.Kin., B.HSc.(PT)
Physiotherapist
Registered Physiotherapist
Marianne has over 15 years of experience providing compassionate and skilled therapy for older adults. Prior to joining the PACE team, she has worked in St. Peter’s Hospital, long term care and retirement settings developing a passion and dedication to the care of older adults. Marianne continues to find tremendous satisfaction and joy in continuing to develop her skills and expand her knowledge of the art and science of physiotherapy.
Marianne’s areas of special interest include balance and mobility training for older adults and persons living with neurological conditions. She practices a functional approach to rehabilitation focusing on exercise-based therapy to help clients achieve their goals.
R.Kin., B.Sc.Kin., ACSM/ACS-CET
Throughout her undergraduate studies, Paula gained valuable clinical experience first volunteering, and then working as a Student Program Assistant with the cardiac rehabilitation, cancer rehabilitation, and seniors wellness exercise programs. Paula has worked as a Registered Kinesiologist at PACE since 2017. She is passionate about student mentorship and guiding students’ application of academic knowledge into clinical practice. Paula recently completed the Cancer Exercise Trainer course through the American College of Sports Medicine to further her understanding of the role of exercise in cancer rehabilitation.
Paula also has experience working in the Vascular Dynamics Lab, in the Department of Kinesiology at McMaster.
R.Kin, M.Sc., CSEP/ACSM-CEP, ACSM/ACS-CET
Program Manager, Kinesiology
Registered Kinesiologist & Program Coordinator
Angelica first became involved at PACE as a student volunteer in 2008 and continued to work at PACE through McMaster’s Work Study Program during her undergraduate studies in the Department of Kinesiology. Following graduation, Angelica transitioned to a full-time role at PACE while completing certification courses through the American College of Sports Medicine. She then pursued graduate studies in Rehabilitation Science while continuing to work at PACE as a Registered Kinesiologist. Her research focused on how long-term enrollment in PACE’s MacSeniors program affects fitness in older adults. As Angelica’s role at PACE continued to grow, she completed a graduate certificate in Clinical Management. Angelica is committed to lifelong learning and she has a keen interest in the role of exercise in the management of chronic diseases.
Program Administrator
Kate’s expertise centers on customer service, administration, and fundraising. Kate joined the team at PACE in 2016 and her role involves administration and operation of the PACE Reception Desk.
B.Sc.Kin., M.Sc.PT.
Associate Director/Faculty Advisor
I am passionate about conducting collaborative and transformative interdisciplinary studies to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion in physical activity participation. Employing community engaged methodologies, I seek opportunities for everyone to pursue active lifestyles that enhance their health and well-being in various contexts of human movement. Four areas of research focus are:
My research examines social-cognitive factors that influence and are influenced by participation in physical activity. Current interests include self-perceptions such as self-efficacy, perceived control, self-regulation, and self-determination.
My research examines social-cognitive factors that influence and are influenced by participation in physical activity. Current interests include self-perceptions such as self-efficacy, perceived control, self-regulation, and self-determination. I also investigate people’s perceptions about influential others who interact with them (proxy agents) in their pursuit of behavioural objectives. Understanding relationships between these perceptions and behaviour involves laboratory and field-based research. Challenges faced by people navigating life transitions such as moving away from home to attend college or university, rehabilitating from illness, and becoming a parent are of particular interest.
My current research activities in the PACE include a collaborative project—The “HOPP” (Health Outcomes and Physical activity in Preschoolers) Study—in which we are investigating health risk factors associated with physical activity in young children as well as parents’ perceptions of benefits and barriers to providing physical activity opportunities for their preschoolers. I am also involved in a collaborative study investigating the effects of a telephone-delivered counseling intervention to promote physical activity among children and youth with epilepsy.
My research examines the regulation of skeletal muscle energy provision. I am particularly interested in the potential for exercise and/or nutrition to induce metabolic adaptations at the molecular and cellular levels in humans.
In addition to basic, mechanistic studies, I also conduct applied research that examines the impact of exercise training and dietary manipulation on sport performance. Recent work in my laboratory has focused on two main areas:
Working within the PACE facilities, we plan to conduct larger-scale, randomized controlled trials in order to comprehensively examine the physiological and health-related benefits of low-volume HIT versus traditional high-volume endurance training. We are interested in the potential for high-intensity interval training (HIT) to improve health-related indices in various populations including those at risk for chronic diseases. Preliminary work from small proof-of-principle studies suggests that HIT is a time-efficient strategy to improve insulin sensitivity and reduce blood sugar levels in people at risk for, or afflicted by, type 2 diabetes
Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Neuromuscular Plasticity in Health and Disease
Our laboratory investigates mechanisms of neuromuscular maintenance and remodelling with an emphasis on identifying therapeutic targets for neuromuscular system disorders.
Neuromuscular plasticity refers to the remodeling of the neuromuscular system in response to genetic or environmental cues. Neuromuscular disorders, including the neuromuscular alterations that are hallmarks of advanced aging, are more common in Canada then generally appreciated. The central experimental questions that form the foundation of our research program are: 1) What roles do phenotype-modifying proteins play in the maintenance and remodeling of the peripheral neuromuscular system, and 2) Are these molecules efficacious therapeutic targets for neuromuscular disorders? To address these questions, we design investigations around rational lifestyle- and pharmacological-based strategies focused on the manipulation of powerful phenotype-bending molecules in the neuromuscular system. Furthermore, we employ an integrative and rigorous cell-to-animal experimental approach, as well as an innovative combination of molecular physiological solutions.
The long-term goals of our research activities in the PACE are to expand fundamental understanding of the mechanisms governing neuromuscular plasticity, as well as to identify novel, evidence-based therapeutic strategies to improve the lives of those with compromised neuromuscular systems. In our efforts to attain these goals, we design studies that examine the presence, location, and activity of specific proteins in neural and skeletal muscle tissues. We manipulate their molecular and cellular characteristics by employing lifestyle, drug, or genetic interventions in order to better define the function of these proteins, as well as to facilitate their identification as potential therapeutic targets. In collaboration with our colleagues in the PACE, as well as with partners in the Faculty of Health Sciences at McMaster University, we advance studies through basic, pre-clinical, and clinical phases of inquiry
Dean of Science
Our blood vessels play an important role in transporting blood to and from all of the tissues of our body. My research focuses on the role that physical activity plays in altering arterial structure and function.
Two important features of our arteries are how flexible they are and how much they can expand when they need to accommodate more blood flow. In my lab, we are using new ultrasound methods to look directly at the walls of the arteries and blood flow inside muscles. Our ongoing studies will focus on the use of cutting edge ultrasound technology to view blood vessels. The information gained from these studies will assist in advancing the current basic knowledge of human physiology and help in developing effective exercise programs.
My work in the PACE includes several studies looking at blood vessels in different populations including healthy individuals and those at increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Some current research questions include:
Canada Research Chair (Tier II) Sensorimotor Control
The purpose of my research is to develop fundamental understanding of the cortical control of the human hand and upper limb.
My research program is focused on the somatosensory contributions to motor control; human hand control is profoundly dependent on the integrity of somatosensory input that arises from touch and muscle receptors. Multiple cortical areas receive and process somatosensory input yet little is known about the role of these areas in the control of human hand movement. My research program is primarily focused on investigating the role of somatosensory loci in the control of hand movement in healthy and clinical populations such as individuals with spinal cord injury. Students in my lab use a combination of neurophysiology techniques including transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and functional magnetic resonance imaging.
One of the long-term goals of my research in the PACE is to improve hand and arm control in individuals with incomplete spinal cord injury. To achieve this goal, we are initiating several studies that aim to combine positive plasticity-inducing effects of TMS with positive plasticity-inducing effects of exercise. Our initial studies in SCI will examine the neural output of the motor cortex to the muscles of the hand. These studies will determine the extent of the remaining connections between the neurons in the motor cortex and spinal cord with the muscles that control finger and hand movements. Further, we are measuring how the remaining motor connections are modified by remaining sensory connections. These studies will tell us whether the motor connections can be modified, an essential element of inducing neural plasticity.
My research focuses on skeletal muscle growth and adaptation that requires the contribution of a unique population of cells known as muscle stems (or satellite cells).
In response to damage or stress, muscle stem cells become activated, proliferate, and fuse with muscle fibers to repair damaged tissue. These cells are controlled by a series of transcriptional networks, collectively referred to as the myogenic regulatory factors that govern the induction of these cells from quiescence through proliferation and into terminal differentiation. What remains poorly understood is precisely what environmental cues, released in the hours and days following exercise-induced muscle damage, and how these cues interact with satellite cells.
A related question, that is a focus of my laboratory, is what are the intracellular events that act downstream of these signals leading to the activation of the myogenic regulatory factors? My research activities in the PACE link with a second major focus of my laboratory—revealing the mechanism(s) underlying the progressive loss of muscle mass associated with aging. It has been shown that muscle growth (hypertrophy) is not possible without the contribution of a functional muscle stem cell population. By extension, it stands to reason that a loss of muscle mass with aging, and a blunted hypertrophic response to chronic exercise in older adults, is likely a result of age-related muscle stem cell dysnfunction and/or age-related loss of muscle stem cell number. My research program aims to examine potential age-related impairment of muscle stem cells, as well as the molecular and cellular events that lead to dysregulation of muscle stem cells in advanced age.
PT, Ph.D.
My research is focused on exercise and cardiovascular health among people with stroke and other neurological conditions, particularly as these relate to cardiovascular risk factors and prevention of cardiovascular disease.
In Canada, there are 50,000 new cases of stroke each year, or about 1 stroke every 10 minutes. Stroke affects different people in different ways. Many people continue to live with physical and cognitive effects of stroke, which can contribute to limited mobility, physical inactivity, and sedentary behaviours. This can lead to higher risk for developing cardiovascular disease or having another stroke.
Exercise and regular physical activity has the potential to mediate many cardiovascular risk factors and may be effective for primary and secondary prevention of stroke and cardiovascular disease.
Our research examines the physiological effects of exercise and physical activity after stroke, refining protocols for exercise testing and training, investigating the effects of broader, holistic health promotion approach to improving cardiovascular health, and examining the effects of physical activity on primary and secondary events. This work contributes to our knowledge regarding effective strategies to improve the health and lives of people at risk for stroke and those living with the effects of stroke.
PACE Reception Desk Ivor Wynne Centre, Room E114
McMaster University 1280 Main Street West Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4L8
Phone: (905) 525-9140 ext. 27223 Email: pacesm@mcmaster.ca Fax: (905) 525-7629
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