Researchers

Contact: Stephanie.Chesser@umanitoba.ca

Research area: I use qualitative research methodologies to examine ways that we can go about creating more inclusive communities and societies. One of my current research projects involves an examination of the impact of COVID-19 public messaging on older peoples’ experiences of internalized ageism (i.e., when a person adopts thinking based on social norms/expectations that devalue and marginalize older people) and how these messages might alter their attitudes and behaviours throughout the pandemic. Another current project involves an exploration of ways the University of Manitoba could become more family-friendly, based on the experiences and perspectives of students, staff, and faculty who are involved in some form of dependent caregiving (e.g., a child, a parent, a sibling, a partner). I would be keen to work with an undergraduate student who has an interest in building more inclusive communities, learning about qualitative research, and immersing themselves within the stories and perspectives of participants.

Contact: Stephen.Cornish@umanitoba.ca

Research area: This research study will use a repeated measures cross-over design, where participants will act as their own control, to evaluate the differences in systemic myokine response to three different exercise protocols in young healthy recreationally active adults. The three different exercise protocols will include the following: 1) moderate intensity continuous exercise; 2) high intensity interval exercise; and 3) RE. The main dependent variables for this study will be the systemic blood based myokines which include: apelin, FGF-21, IL-6, IL-15, and irisin. The participants will have their blood sampled at 4 times surrounding each exercise session (immediately prior to exercise, immediately after exercise and 1- and 3-hours post-exercise). This protocol will allow for a minimum of 1-week of rest between each exercise protocol to allow for full recovery following each of the exercise sessions. Furthermore, participants will be asked to consume the same meals on the days we are collecting their blood samples. Participants will also be asked to avoid moderate to vigorous physical activity/exercise for 72 hours prior to the exercise sessions to avoid confounding the results.

Contact: Todd.Duhamel@umanitoba.ca 

Research area: Women’s heart health, physical activity and cardiovascular screening research. 

More information can be found on Todd's bio page.

Contact: Gordon.Giesbrecht@umanitoba.ca

Research area: Neuromuscular control of voluntary muscle activity during cold intervention. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (motor cortex) and Electrical Stimulation (spinal regions), and muscle EMG will be used to determine corticospinal and spinal excitability of the biceps muscle when the body surface and/or core is cooled. This relates directly to survival and performance in cold environments

Contact: mcheryl.glazebrook@umanitoba.ca

Research area: Dr. Glazebrook and her students investigate how sensory information, such as what we hear, feel and see, influence how humans learn and control voluntary movements. Ongoing experiments in the Perceptual Motor Integration Lab use behavioural and neurophysiological techniques to understand the underlying neural processes for motor control and learning. Current studies are examining how different auditory (such as sounds, rhythmic cues, and music) and vibrotactile inputs affect movement performance in a variety of populations.

Contact: Steven.Passmore@umanitoba.ca

Research area: My research interests include running experimental studies on the impact of where an individual focuses their attention during motor performance tasks. We apply this concept in settings such as simple balance tasks, but also complex skills including Olympic and Paralympic curling. I am also interested in perceptual factors that impact the learning and delivery of spinal manipulative therapies. Lastly, another component of my research program focuses on spine health. I have funded projects looking at integration of conservative spine care, in underserved acute and chronic pain populations in an urban setting, and another project looking at the implementation of conservative spine care in a northern Manitoba's community.

Contact: Ayesha.Saleem@umanitoba.ca or Asaleem@chrim.ca

Research area: My research focuses on cell-to-cell communication as executed through extracellular vesicles (EVs) and its effect on metabolism using different models of health and diseases. We are looking for undergraduate students who can help with the analysis of EVs from control vs. exercise conditions, their molecular cargo, and their effect on recipient cells.

Contact: Ben.schellenberg@umanitoba.ca

Research area: I study psychological processes in sport (e.g., with athletes, sports fans) and in other leisure activities. Key research topics that I am currently studying include passion, savouring, perfectionism, and self-compassion.

Contact: Trisha.Scribbans@umanitoba.ca

Research area: Dr. Scribbans’ Integrative Musculoskeletal Research Lab aims to determine how the nervous, musculoskeletal and fascial systems interact to produce and influence movement and force production of the upper limb in healthy individuals and those with shoulder disorders to learn more about some of the projects going on in the lab and some of the students in the lab.

Contact: Veronica.Silva@umanitoba.ca

Research area: My research relates to the problem of falls in the aging population and how people use vision to keep their balance and walk safely. Vision provides crucial information about our surroundings that allows us to avoid obstacles, navigate on uneven terrains and even walk while engaged in another activity (e.g., talking, texting). The goal of my research is to understand how we use visual information to walk under varying conditions and how that changes as we age. URA students will assist with lab equipment setup, participant recruitment, data collection and analysis, while learning about 3D motion analysis, eye-tracking, visual attention, and aging.

Contact: Jonathan.Singer@umanitoba.ca

Research area: My lab aims to understand how individuals control and maintain upright stability during normal activities of daily living and under situations that pose a considerable balance challenge. We use this information to identify the biomechanical factors that may lead to increased fall-risk among clinical populations, such as older adults and stroke survivors. The long-term goal is to use these findings to inform the development of exercise-based balance rehabilitation programs, targeted at an individual’s specific stability control challenges.

Contact: Shaelyn.Strachan@umanitoba.ca

Research area: Over 40 years ago, Robert Butler, former director of the National Institute on Aging said, “If exercise could be packaged in a pill it would be the single most widely prescribed and beneficial medicine in the nation” (1978). Since then, epidemiological and experimental evidence has further reinforced the value of exercise for health. It is well-accepted that when individuals engage in regular physical activity, they can have a substantial positive impact on their physical and mental health and well-being (Hardman & Stensel, 2009). Yet unlike simply swallowing a pill, regular physical activity is a challenging behaviour to adopt and maintain (Sallis et al., 2006). This legitimate challenge may explain why the vast majority of Canadians are not active enough to enjoy the health benefits physical activity has to offer (Colley et al., 2011). A variety of factors can help explain why many Canadians are not capitalizing upon this health intervention; it is important for me to acknowledge that the problem of physical inactivity is multifaceted. In my research, I focus primarily on one category of factors - psychological factors - that influence adherence to health behaviours (with a primary focus on physical activity). My research is mainly grounded in social-psychological theories and the concept of self. I employ observational and experimental designs to generate mainly quantitative but also qualitative data which I use to test theoretically-based hypotheses. Through this research, I aim to better understand how psychological factors influence people’s thoughts and feelings about and engagement in health behaviours. Springing from this more basic research, I also conduct intervention research to apply this basic research in real-world settings, in hopes of helping individuals lead more physically active lives.

Contact: Sarah.Teetzel@umanitoba.ca

Research area: Dr. Sarah Teetzel’s research in applied sport ethics focuses on the intersection of rules and values in sport. Current projects examine the impacts of whistleblower programs in the anti-doping movement and the inclusion of transgender athletes in sport and recreation.

Contact: Rodrigo.Villar@umanitoba.ca

Research area: Cardiovascular and respiratory adaptations to postural changes and exercise 

My long-term research goals are to promote health, reduce disability, morbidity, and mortality, to improve people's health, well-being and quality of life. To achieve my goals, my research laboratory, the Cardiorespiratory and Physiology of Exercise Research Lab, is dedicated to (1) development of a comprehensive understanding of the integrative autonomic (brain), cardiovascular (heart and vessels), respiratory (lungs), and muscular responses and adaptations to exercise and postural challenges; (2) determining how sex, frailty, sedentary lifestyle, aging, chronic diseases play a role in autonomic, cardiovascular, respiratory, and muscular responses to exercise and changes in body position; (3) apply the research knowledge to support early detection of impairments in the autonomic, cardiovascular and respiratory responses to postural challenges and exercise; (4) guide more target intervention strategies focusing on preserve, improve, or regain autonomic, cardiovascular, respiratory, and muscular health function; and (5) create solutions to improve autonomic, cardiovascular, respiratory, and muscular function (i.e., external aids). The integrity of the autonomic, cardiovascular, respiratory and muscular systems is crucial for survival, function, health and quality of life. Despite the evident benefits of exercise, there is still a gap in knowing the underlying mechanisms involved in integrative autonomic, cardiovascular, respiratory, and muscular regulation during exercise. The undergraduate students participating in my research lab will be trained to work with autonomic, cardiovascular, respiratory, and muscular measurements (i.e., heart rate, blood pressure, cardiac output, oxygen uptake, etc.) using high-tech laboratory equipment (electrocardiogram, blood pressure beat-by-beat, metabolic cart system, near-infrared spectroscopy etc.). The students also will be responsible for laboratory set-up, participants’ recruitment, data collection, and data analysis. Abstract writing and poster preparation and presentation at a scientific conference may become an opportunity for the students.