Centre staff and committees

Biography

As Director of the Centre on Aging, Michelle Porter oversees all of the activities of the Centre. In addition to being the Director she is a professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management. For more information on her research, go to the following link.

Michelle received her Ph.D. (Kinesiology) from the University of Western Ontario; her Master of Science Degree (Community Health) from the University of Toronto; and her Bachelor Degree (Physical and Health Education) from Laurentian University. She spent her Post-Doctoral fellowship in Boston and Sweden.

Michelle’s work with older adults extends back to her undergraduate studies, where she volunteered and worked with older adults at residences and hospitals; and at academic research centres including the Dr. Paul Schwann Centre at the University of Regina, and the Centre for Activity and Ageing at the University of Western Ontario.

The multidisciplinarity of her research is matched by the diversity of her administrative experience at the University of Manitoba serving as: Associate Dean (Research); Acting Dean; Graduate Program Chair; and Acting Director of two research institutes, including the Centre on Aging (2003–2004).

Biography

As Associate Director, Nicole Dunn facilitates the research of Centre on Aging Research Affiliates; assists the Director and Research Affiliates with grant applications; conducts Centre-based research with the Director, staff/students of the Centre, Research Affiliates as well as with or for community/government; and produces reports or fact sheets on aging for the Centre and its stakeholders.

Nicole has a Bachelor of Arts Degree (Advanced) with a Major in Psychology and a Minor in Sociology, as well as a Bachelor of Recreation Studies, from the University of Manitoba. She completed her Master of Arts at the University of Georgia, where she studied therapeutic recreation and leisure education in older adults. Nicole most recently worked with the Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management in the Health, Leisure and Human Performance Research Institute as Associate Director (Administration), a position she held for five years.

Her prior research experience includes being: a Research Project Manager at St. Boniface Research Centre, Research Director at the Wellness Institute, a Survey Research Coordinator/Program Coordinator for the Wellness Institute Services Evaluation Research (W.I.S.E.R.) program, and a Research Associate at the Centre on Aging where she was involved in the evaluation of Adult Day Care in Manitoba.

Biography

As the Administration and Communications Coordinator, Rachel is responsible for developing and overseeing the communications strategy for the Centre on Aging including disseminating Centre research and the contributions of the Centre’s research affiliates through the Centre’s biweekly updates, newsletters, web site, and social media; developing reports and communication materials; coordinating the annual Spring Research Symposium; and providing support for the Students Targeting Aging Research (STAR) group supported by the Centre.
Within the area of gerontology, she has over 14 years’ experience working on project teams focusing on aging issues in the areas of age-friendly communities and gerontology. Her experience developing communication materials for 15 years includes designing and distributing dissemination materials to project partners and the general public. Rachel has served as newsletter editor for four organizations (academic and non-profit) and has developed a variety of documents for academic, non-profit, and government audiences.

She completed her certificate in Graphic Communications, and received her Technical Communications Diploma (Honours) from Red River College Polytechnic. Prior to that Rachel completed her Bachelor of Arts Degree (Anthropology) at the University of Winnipeg.