Understudied populations subject for neuropsychology doctoral research Taylor McEachnie, a doctoral student of clinical neuropsychology, is exploring how sex hormones interact and affect cognitive processes. Taylor McEachnie is a PhD student in the clinical neuropsychology program working under professor Carlin Miller. Like many students in the UWindsor MAPhD program, McEachnie came from away. She’s from Comox, B.C. and completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Victoria. “When I learned about clinical neuropsychology as an undergrad, I decided that's it. That's what I want to do,” she says. She knew from her coursework that she loved both the biology piece and the psych component. She also knew that she enjoyed working with people and that she wanted to help people through assessment and intervention. “I learned that I could combine these things perfectly in clinical neuropsychology. And then I learned that it would also be a challenging process. “When I was researching programs, I discovered that there are very few Canadian…
Cross-border collaboration seeking to improve community health Professor Kathryn Pfaff leads the Health and Wellness Friendly Communities project. The University of Windsor campus lies in the shadow of the Ambassador Bridge to Detroit. For many of its researchers, collaborators are just across the fast-moving water that defines the Windsor-Detroit boundary. The free exchange of knowledge is just as important as the stream of trucks that pass through the international border every day. The Health and Wellness Friendly Communities project led by nursing professor Kathryn Pfaff used the border and the interconnectedness of Windsor and Detroit to begin to grapple with pressing health concerns that impact the cross-border communities. She established a team that included researchers from law, biomedical sciences, political science, and computer science, and pulled in partners from Windsor Regional Hospital, Hospice Palliative Care Ontario, the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, McMaster University, and the University of Toronto with a goal of setting…
Researchers coming to grips with cardio workout A group of participants in Uganda use isometric handgrip exercises as part of a health intervention study aimed at treating high blood pressure. Photo by Eli Reichman. Worldwide, hypertension is a leading cause of death and disability. Too much pressure in blood vessels can lead to such complications as chest pain, heart failure, blocked arteries, kidney damage, and death. For the last 15 years, human kinetics professor Cheri McGowan, co-founder of the Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Research Lab, has been conducting studies together with her students and collaborators focused on isometric handgrip training — a form of resistance training that involves squeezing a handgrip interspersed with short periods of rest. It is “simple, inexpensive, time-efficient, and highly tolerable,” Dr. McGowan says. “People need therapies that do not cost a lot of money and that they can do over their lifetimes.” She is part of an international team launching a study to investigate its effectiveness…
Showcasing Health Research Excellence at WE-SPARK’s Annual Conference A conference March 22 is an inclusive space to present research, expand knowledge, and engage with the Windsor-Essex health research community. WE-Spark Health Institute is hosting its annual Health Research Conference on March 22, 2025, at Caesars Windsor. The event serves as a dynamic platform for the health research community to connect, collaborate, and showcase ground-breaking work alongside peers and renowned experts. The carefully curated program offers: Engaging plenary sessions: Learn from leading experts about the latest advancements in health research. Interactive panel session: Explore the meaningful inclusion of people with lived experience in research projects. Networking opportunities: Connect with researchers, clinicians, students, and trainees from across the region. Presentations and discussions: Share your work and gain feedback during poster and oral presentations. The conference welcomes researchers, clinicians, allied health professionals, administrators, students,…
Study to examine experiences of 2SLGBTQ+ players in recreational sports UWindsor researchers want to learn about the experiences of 2SLGBTQ+ participants in recreational sports leagues. Sometimes an idea for a research project comes from your lab, and sometimes it comes from an alumna. Enter “Bolt” (she/they), who runs the Windsor Rainbow Sports Club and is a UWindsor psychology grad. When one of her players mentioned psychology professor Dana Ménard’s research, she was enthusiastic about the possibility of collaborating on a project. Dr. Ménard says it was a natural fit. “My research group right now is 100 per cent composed of sexual and gender minority group members, so some of the research directions have sort of naturally evolved to reflect their frustrations with the existing research,” she says. “Every time we have a question about ‘what do we know about the experience of trans people’ or ‘how such-and-such a thing effects gay people’ the data just isn’t there. The research hasn’t been done, and that's been sort of endlessly…
Researchers using AI to address social isolation Computer science professor Pooya Moradian Zadeh believes artificial intelligence can benefit human health by bridging social isolation. Artificial intelligence often gets a bad rap. But professor Pooya Moradian Zadeh of the School of Computer Science argues AI has a critical role to play in supporting societal challenges and contributing to domains like the health-care sector. His research team is exploring how technology tools and AI can be leveraged to address social isolation, a key factor in determining health outcomes, in combination with other hands-on, wrap-around supports. “We know that there is a problem. Social isolation is a significant challenge, which may limit many individuals’ ability to access the necessary resources they require,” explains Dr. Zadeh. “The limited social connections and reduced community engagement associated with social isolation can create barriers, making it more challenging for people to reach and benefit from the support and resources essential…
Join WE-SPARK Health Institute's December Networking Event Connect with the vibrant Windsor-Essex health research community at WE-SPARK Health Institute’s monthly networking event. It’s a fantastic opportunity to meet others passionate about health research through casual conversations and formal networking opportunities. WE-SPARK After Dark is set for 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5, at Bourbon Tap & Grill, 1199 Ottawa St. Whether you’re already part of the health research community or just curious to learn more, this event offers an informal and enjoyable way to make meaningful connections. The first hour will focus on getting to know like-minded individuals interested in health research. Registration is encouraged but not required — bring a friend or colleague you’ve been wanting to connect with. Click here to register.
Research team investigating frequency of head injuries in hockey Steven Yalda, Emily Roberts, Megan Briese, Lucas Chartrand, and Emily Stanley are part of the Head Impact Research Team. A group of students supervised by professor Dave Andrews in the Faculty of Human Kinetics aims to understand just how frequently head impacts occur during youth hockey games. Besides the potential to prevent or mitigate brain injury, the project is giving the students experience in research: from conceptualizing a study to reviewing literature to working with data. It all started during the COVID-19 pandemic, says Dr. Andrews. “All the research in my lab requires human participants, so we needed to find ways that we could still study athletes while respecting social distancing. A group of undergraduate students, working as part of the Head Impact Research Team in the biomechanics lab, came up with some innovative ways of building on previous head impact research,” he says, mostly in football. The team begin observing and videorecording hockey games at the Atlas Tube…
Team to track instances of avian flu in Windsor-Essex birds Professors Mike McKay, Kenneth Ng, and Dan Mennill are leading an investigation into avian flu infections in local wild birds. So far there have been relatively few instances of humans contracting avian influenza, but that is no reason for complacency, says chemistry professor Kenneth Ng. “The concern is that each time there is a spillover infection from a bird to a human or from a cow to a human, we are rolling the dice and giving the virus another chance to pick up additional mutations that could then allow it to start spreading efficiently among humans,” Dr. Ng says. “When that happens, there will be an outbreak that could be the start of a major public health problem.” He is the project lead on a team of scientists exploring the diversity of influenza virus subtypes infecting wild bird populations in Windsor-Essex. Using environmental samples taken from areas of Essex County where both migratory and resident birds congregate, they will monitor the levels and types of influenza…
