Dr. Mark Beauchamp
(Principal Investigator)
Professor, School of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia, Canada.
Mark is a Professor in the School of Kinesiology at The University of British Columbia. He conducts research in the fields of exercise and health psychology, and has a particular interest in (a) understanding barriers to, and facilitators of, physical activity behaviour across the age spectrum, and (b) developing conceptually-sound evidence-based interventions that are cost-effective and sustainable. He has conducted extensive research with older adults, and was the principal investigator on a previous CIHR-funded randomized controlled trial that was designed to examine the extent to which social connectivity among older adults can promote the adoption and maintenance of health-enhancing physical activity, as well as mental health outcomes such as psychological flourishing. Mark is married to Karrie and has a young son, Ben (15 years old) and daughter, Lily (11 years old). He enjoys traveling, skiing, photography, and running.
Email : mark.beauchamp@ubc.ca
Dr. Eli Puterman
(Co-Investigator)
Associate Professor, School of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia, Canada.
Eli is a Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Physical Activity and Health and a Michael Smith Scholar for Health Research. His research seeks to understand the interplay among stress, aging, and exercise. Eli is currently developing new intervention trials and laboratory-based studies to disentangle the extent to which both acute and long-term exercise can strengthen both psychological and biological stress responses and immune function in children and adults alike. When Eli is not at work, he tries to reduce stress with home renovations, hikes in the area, canoeing in False Creek and walks on the seawall with his family.
Email : eli.puterman@ubc.ca
Dr. Yan Liu
(Co-Investigator)
Assistant Professor, Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology and Special Education, The University of British Columbia, Canada.
Yan is an Assistant Professor in Measurement, Evaluation and Research Methodology at The University of British Columbia. Her research interests not only include the theoretical work in psychometrics and statistics (e.g., propensity score matching, mediation and moderation modeling, response time, measurement invariance), but also include the application of advanced statistical methods in physical and mental health fields, especially exercise and health psychology. She has collaborated with researchers from a variety of fields, such as Kinesiology, Occupational Therapy, and Counselling Psychology. She was a co-investigator on a CIHR-funded randomized controlled trial that examined how social connectivity can assist with the physical and mental health of older adults. In her spare time, she likes traveling, swimming, cycling, hiking, and reading science fiction stories.
Email: yan.liu@ubc.ca
Dr. Ryan Rhodes
(Co-Investigator)
Professor, School of Exercise Science Physical and Health Education, University of Victoria, Canada.
Ryan is a Professor in the School of Exercise Science Physical and Health Education, cross-appointed in the Department of Psychology, Director of the Behavioral Medicine Laboratory, and Associate Director of the Institute on Aging and Lifelong Health at the University of Victoria, Canada. His primary area of research is on the psychology of physical activity with an applied focus of physical activity promotion during critical life transitions such as parenthood and early family development. Ryan is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, Society of Behavioral Medicine, Academy of Behavioral Medicine, American Psychological Association, and a College Member of the Royal Society of Canada. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Psychology and Health, and Associate Editor of Health Psychology, and Exercise and Sports Sciences Reviews as well as the Co-Chair of the Society of Behavioral Medicine’s Theory and Behavior Change Techniques Special Interest Group. He enjoys walking his dog on the beach and cooking
Email: rhodes@uvic.ca
Dr. Ryan Hulteen
(Trial Coordinator)
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Post-doctoral Fellow, School of Kinesiology, the University of British Columbia, Canada.
Ryan is a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Trainee. He received his undergraduate degree from Michigan State University and his PhD from the University of Newcastle (Australia). Prior to working at UBC, Ryan was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Australian Catholic University. His research aims to understand the importance of motor skill development across the lifespan, identify what skills are needed at different life stages, and determine how to best assess motor skills. Outside of work, Ryan enjoys traveling, yoga and a good cup of coffee.
Email: kin.scope@ubc.ca
Geri Ruissen
(Research Assistant)
Doctoral Student, School of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia, Canada.
Geri is a CIHR Vanier Scholar in the fourth year of her PhD. Her research interests primarily involve developing and evaluating cost- and time-effective intervention strategies to promote physical activity. Specifically, Geri is interested in the dynamic role that affect plays in physical activity behaviour change. Geri completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology at the University of Victoria, and then moved to UBC to complete her Master’s and PhD. In her free time, Geri can usually be found ‘practicing what she preaches’ either on her yoga mat unwinding or outside exploring all that the amazing West Coast has to offer.
Email: geri.ruissen@ubc.ca
Nathan Sanghe
(Research Assistant)
Masters Student, School of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia, Canada., Canada.
Nathan recently completed his Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Life Science’s from Queens University in Kingston, Ontario. Nathan will be entering his first year of the MSc program at UBC starting in the fall in the Psychology of Exercise, Health and Physical Activity lab. Outside of the lab, Nathan enjoys playing hockey and basketball while volunteering for programs that advocate and promote physical activity and movement for those with intellectual and physical disabilities.
Email: nathan.sanghe@ubc.ca
Joseph O’Rourke
(Research Assistant)
Masters Student, School of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia, Canada..
Joseph is a Mitacs Globalink Graduate Fellow studying an MSc in sport and health psychology. Before this, Joseph was a research assistant on a province-wide disability inclusion in sport project as part of a SSHRC-funded partnership between UBC KIN and viaSport B.C. Joseph is also a research assistant helping implement the Canadian Mental Health Guidelines into Vancouver housing services for people with mental illness. His research interests include mental health in various settings, the experiences of marginalized groups, and doing research that works in practice. Outside the lab, Joseph enjoys volunteering with mental health organizations, practicing yoga, and recreating outdoors.
Email: joseph.orourke@ubc.ca
Sophie Wensel
(Research Assistant)
Recent Graduate from the Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Canada, Canada.
Sophie completed her Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in Psychology at UBC. Before moving to Vancouver, Sophie was a professional dancer, and spent six years dancing in Germany. She now teaches dance and is active in the local dance community. She also volunteers as a research assistant for the UBC Social Health Lab. Her research interests include dancers’ mental health and illness and improving professional dance programs. Sophie is usually dancing, creating choreography or enjoying the beautiful nature in Vancouver when she is not working or studying.
Email: sophie.wensel@alumni.ubc.ca
George Gao
(Research Assistant)
Undergraduate student in the School of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia, Canada, Canada.
George is from Edmonton, Alberta, and is currently undertaking a Bachelor of Kinesiology degree at the University of British Columbia. He also works as a strength and conditioning coach at the UBC Varsity Gym. Outside of work and research, he enjoys weightlifting, long-distance running, and playing basketball.a is …..
Email: g.gao@alumni.ubc.ca
Taha Elramly
(Research Assistant)
Recent Graduate from the School of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia, Canada, Canada.
Taha Elramly is a recent Kinesiology graduate from the University of British Columbia. He currently works as a Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor. Although he has interests in many healthcare subjects including Health Psychology, Taha specializes in Active Rehab, Strength and Conditioning, and Functional Movement. Alongside his fitness and research experience, Taha has also worked in various positions at organizations and clinics such as Strive Health, Wescoast SCI Physiotherapy, and Richmond Cares, Richmond Gives. Above all else, Taha enjoys making music when he has the chance.
Email: tahaelramly@alumni.ubc.ca
Colin Wierts
(Research Assistant)
Doctoral Student, School of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia, Canada.
Colin is from the Niagara region in Ontario, and completed his Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences and a Master of Science in Kinesiology at Brock University. Colin is now in the third year of his SSHRC-funded PhD studies at UBC, and his research interests revolve around issues of motivation and well-being in physical activity contexts across the lifespan. More specifically, Colin is interested in the psychological experiences that individuals need to have in order to thrive in and out of physical activity participation. In his free time, Colin enjoys running, snowboarding, and reading.
Email: colin.wierts@ubc.ca