UWindsor prof part of push to increase Canadians' physical activity University of Windsor Professor Chad Sutherland, pictured outside his home on Friday, is part of a national research team looking to make physical activity more inclusive and equitable for all Canadians. PHOTO BY DAX MELMER /Windsor Star At a time when a global pandemic is limiting options for exercise, University of Windsor kinesiology professor Chad Sutherland is part of a national research team looking to make physical activity more inclusive and equitable for all Canadians. David Patchell-Evans, CEO and founder of GoodLife Fitness, tapped Sutherland and a diverse group of individuals from health care, business, academia, sports and fitness for the “Change for Good Health” project. Other participants include Patchell-Evans’ wife, Olympian Silken Laumann, noted University of Toronto professor Bruce Kidd and Paralympian Joel Dembe, along with representatives from Diabetes Canada, Heart and Stroke Foundation, Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada and the Canadian Coalition for Seniors’…
College Students Examine Radiation Therapy Wait Times Some St. Clair College Data Analytics students have developed an innovative scheduling application to help address wait times for radiation therapy at Windsor Regional Hospital. Under the direction of Program Coordinator John Ulakovich, data was provided on different types of treatments, their duration and the typical wait times for those treatments in 2019. The students in the ‘Radiation Therapy Wait Time Optimization Project’ then created a detailed report which uncovered some interesting results. “We could tell which days were the busiest, which treatments took the longest, and which treatments were completed most efficiently,” says Ulakovich. Ulakovich praised the collaboration from the Windsor Regional Cancer Centre administrative team, in particular Laura D’Alimonte, Clinical Practice Manager for the Radiation Program who helped pull the raw data which was used to discern the information in hopes of improving the current processes - to the benefit of patients. He also thanked…
Going grey a way to raise awareness of brain tumours “Go Grey in May” is a national campaign to raise awareness of brain tumours. Local researchers, health care professionals, students, and the Windsor-Essex community are coming together for Brain Tumour Awareness Month, dedicated to supporting, empowering, and amplifying the voices of those affected by brain tumours. Local brain tumour research has been growing steadily over the past several years. New multi-disciplinary teams across local and international institutions have come together, funded by a grants from the Brain Tumour Foundation, the Windsor Cancer Centre Foundation, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and WE-Spark Health Institute. Collaborative teams include University of Windsor biomedical scientists and chemists, Windsor Regional Hospital neurosurgeons and oncologists, and cross-border collaborations with specialists at the Henry Ford Health System and Michigan State University. Local teams include University of Windsor professors Lisa Porter, Simon Rondeau…
Prof joins call for equitable access to fitness Professor Chad Sutherland helped to produce a report recommending ways to make access to sport, recreation, and fitness equitable for everyone. The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced challenges to all Canadians, but its impact has been greater on more vulnerable community members, says UWindsor kinesiology professor Chad Sutherland. He is part of a team that has produced a report recommending ways to make access to sport, recreation, and fitness equitable for everyone — especially given additional barriers the pandemic has presented. Sutherland, director of operations for the Centre for Human Performance and Health, was invited to the national project based on his 12 years of experience with physical activity programming for adults with autism spectrum disorder and an intellectual disability as well as other vulnerable groups. “I wanted to share how the pandemic has interrupted their ability to engage in many physical activity programs, resulting in negative impacts on both their…
Report details progress of health institute WE-Spark Health Institute has released its fourth quarter report highlighting key metrics from February to April 2021. Highlights include: added 225 new members, for a total of 677; hosted an inaugural WE-Spark After Dark networking event connecting people from across its four partner institutions interested in health care research; published two Ask the Experts articles by members: What Exactly is Data Analytics, and Why is Psychology Important in our Everyday Lives; launched its 2021 Igniting Discovery Grant Competition providing seed funding for early-stage, novel, and innovative health research and education projects; hosted two think tanks; and facilitated five academic appointments in the UWindsor Department of Biomedical Sciences. Read the report here. WE-Spark Health Institute is a research partnership between the University of Windsor, Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, St. Clair College, and Windsor Regional Hospital. All quarterly reports can be found on the institute’s website.…
Workshop to introduce concepts of knowledge translation Have you heard about knowledge translation but aren’t sure exactly what it is? Do you leave that section of your grant application until the end because you’re not sure where to start or how to plan? Then WE-SPARK Health Institute has the workshop for you. Its introductory “KT 101 Workshop,” via Microsoft Teams at noon Friday, May 28, is open to all levels and research backgrounds. “Knowledge translation is an important process of information exchange between researchers or experts in a field, and knowledge users,” says Adriana Baggio, the institute’s knowledge translation co-ordinator. “It’s about taking what we learn and making it available and accessible for use in practice, learning, planning, and policy-making. Simply put, it translates knowledge into real-world application.” The workshop will review the concepts of knowledge translation, building a KT toolkit, and how to start a KT plan. Participants will leave with a checklist to use as a reference for future…
Screening study to expand reach Jackie Fong leads staff member Elizabeth Fidalgo Da Silva through the MyCap app as part of a pilot project to screen campus volunteers for COVID-19. Researchers with the COVID Screening Platform study will expand their work to include up to 400 campus volunteers willing to be screened weekly for COVID-19. Starting May 31 for 10 weeks, participants from the faculties of science and human kinetics, and university employees will get their saliva tested weekly, with results sent via a cellphone app called MyCap. This is the second of the three-phase campus COVID screening program. Phase one tested 30 individuals working in the Faculty of Science’s Essex Centre of Research (CORe) building and wrapped up on April 30. Lead researcher and biomedical sciences professor Lisa Porter say phase one allowed the team to set up and optimize processes and gauge University enthusiasm for an active testing program starting with research labs already on campus. “We were encouraged by the goodwill…
Forum to consider health research proposals Professors Jill Urbanic and John Trant will propose potential research projects at an upcoming WE-Spark think tank event. Two UWindsor professors will present their ideas for potential research projects at an upcoming health-related forum. Engineering professor Jill Urbanic and chemistry professor John Trant will be among the featured speakers at the WE-Spark Health Institute Virtual Think Tank on June 4. Dr. Urbanic will talk about the use of artificial tissue, called anthropomorphic phantoms, in medical training. Dr. Trant will discuss antimicrobial agents and research into quorum sensing, bacteria’s ability to share information to adjust gene expression. A third speaker, Rasna Gupta from the Windsor Regional Hospital’s cancer program, will talk about building a local physician wellness program. The WE-Spark Health Institute is a research partnership involving the University of Windsor, Windsor Regional Hospital, Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, and St. Clair College. “Our Think…
Professor dedicated to diversifying faculty A young Kristoffer Romero enjoys the 1991 Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto. Psychology professor Kristoffer Romero considers himself part of the changing face of academia. A Filipino-Canadian, he hopes that over time, more and more students will see themselves reflected in the faculty of the University of Windsor. “My parents immigrated to Canada in the early ’80s, first landing in B.C. and eventually settling in Kitchener-Waterloo,” he recalls. “As they were part of an earlier wave of Filipino newcomers, I didn’t know many other Filipinos growing up.” When he moved to Toronto to attend university, he found a more diverse population, but observed a discrepancy. “Despite the diversity I saw in the city and the student body, the faculty were not nearly as diverse, and I only had one Asian professor during all of undergrad,” says Dr. Romero. “It was a situation I wanted to remedy.” When he moved to Windsor in 2019, he did not expect much diversity in the faculty,…
