KINnected | School of Kinesiology Faculty and Staff Newsletter | October 2 2026 | Welcome to the new academic year! | KINnected is the School of Kinesiology's Faculty and Staff Newsletter, published twice a year. For more frequent updates, follow @ubckin on Instagram and keep an eye on our website, kin.educ.ubc.ca. | Celebrating the newly renamed MacIsaac Health Building On September 25, UBC formally celebrated the newly named MacIsaac Health Building (formerly the Gateway Health Building) and showcased the new Team-Based Care Teaching Clinic, which will provide primary care for up to 4,450 B.C. patients while providing supervised clinical learning opportunities for students from nine health disciplines. Read more here. | UBC KIN ranked 1st in North America and 4th Globally in Sports-related Subjects According to the 2026 QS World University Rankings, the UBC School of Kinesiology together with the UBC-O School of Health & Exercise Sciences ranked 1st in North America and 4th globally in sports-related subjects. Learn more here. | New Faculty and Teaching Appointments | Mr. Mark Newman joined KIN on September 1 as a Lecturer in Exercise Prescription and Injury Management. Mark brings experience in strength and conditioning, rehabilitation, injury biomechanics, and applied exercise practice, with teaching focused on developing students' clinical reasoning and professional judgement. | | Mr. Spencer Briggs joined the School in August as a Lecturer in Physical Education and Health Pedagogy. His scholarship and teaching focus on Meaningful Physical Education, Contextualized Instruction, teacher education, student voice, and creating inclusive and personally meaningful movement experiences. | | Ms. Astrid De Souza joined the School as a part-time Lecturer in Clinical Exercise Prescription. Astrid brings more than 20 years of experience in the health-care system, including work with the Healthy Heart Program at St. Paul’s Hospital and the Happy Hearts Cardiac Rehabilitation Program. Her extensive clinical experience adds valuable expertise to KIN's teaching in clinical exercise prescription and practice. | | Dr. Michael Leahy joined KIN as an Assistant Professor in Cardiovascular Exercise Physiology on July 1. A KIN alumnus, Dr. Leahy joins us from a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, bringing expertise in cardiovascular control, skeletal muscle, ageing, disease, and clinical exercise physiology. | | We also welcomed Mr. Patric Gonçalves in May as a Team-Based Practice Educator in Clinical Exercise Physiology, supporting experiential and interdisciplinary learning within the School. | | Please join us in welcoming our new colleagues to KIN! | Ben Marquard joined the School as the new Student Advising Assistant in July 2026. As a UBC BKIN graduate, Ben knows the student experience firsthand. He joins us after more than seven years with the YMCA of Greater Vancouver (working throughout his time in the BKIN), where he supported registrations, scheduling, participant inquiries, and the day-to-day operations of busy community programs. He also worked with the Vancouver Park Board as a Lifeguard and Swim Instructor, including delivering adapted swimming programs for individuals with disabilities in partnership with the Canucks Autism Network. Please join us in welcoming Ben in his new role! | | Congratulations: 2026 Grants 🎉 - SSHRC Connection Grant, M Norman (PI)
- SSHRC Insight Development Grants, M Norman (Co-I) , L Yoon (Co-I)
- SSHRC Insight Grants, A Bundon (PI), E Bennett (Co-I), C McEwen (Co-I), J Forsyth (PI)
- CIHR Indigenous Gender and Wellness Operating Grant, M Norman
- NFRF Exploration Grant, D Warburton (PI), R Miles (PI), S Bredin (Co-I)
- NSERC Discovery Grants, JS Blouin (PI), R Boushel (PI), R Chua (PI)
| Implementing a practical curriculum in Kinesiology Congratulations to Dr. Jasmin Ma who has been awarded a large Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund (TLEF) for her proposed project “Implementing a practical curriculum in Kinesiology: Preparing students as kinesiologists and clinical exercise physiologists.” | Media Highlights & Publications | Exercise and Muscle Epigenetics Congratulations Dr. Dan Gamu and his team for their recent publication, "Sex- and skeletal muscle-specific gene expression response of histone 3 lysine 27-modifying enzymes by voluntary running in mice". | UBC Active Kids and BodyWorks expand community programming | UBC Active Kids continues to expand its programming in Vancouver schools and communities. Following the successful launch of a new Vancouver School Board (VSB) summer camp last summer, Active Kids is now preparing to deliver programs in four VSB schools in the coming weeks, creating new opportunities for children to get active and engage in physical activity. UBC BodyWorks has also expanded its programming with the successful launch of Legacy Strength, a new program designed for adults aged 55 and older. BodyWorks is now serving 400 clients across six locations, marking continued growth in its community-based programming and expanding opportunities for adults to participate in fitness and physical activity. | Events & Academic Activities | KIN Student Leadership Breakfast 2026 On Friday March 27th, we celebrated the incredible contributions and achievements of our many student leaders at the School of Kinesiology’s annual Student Leadership Breakfast. | UBC Exercise, Kinesiology and Health Seminar Series UBC KIN hosted Dr. Sue Hopkins, Dr. Jon Patricios, Dr. Lyndsay Hayhurst & Keiron Cobban, Dr. Christian Swann and Dr. Rebecca Olive for the UBC Exercise, Kinesiology and Health Seminar Series. The school also hosted Shawna Lawson & Elisabeth Walker-Young as part of the new inaugural Anne Tilley Lecture. Past seminar recordings can be viewed in the link above. | Power PARC: More Than a Machine PARC is fundraising for a new NuStep Trainer to support the continued growth of our community and meet the increasing demand for accessible exercise equipment. With a second NuStep, members will spend more time moving and less time waiting—helping create greater access and more opportunities for members to stay active, healthy, and connected. | UBC Kinesiology Research Night 🗓️ Oct 8📍HEBB 114 🕑 5:00pm - 6:30pm Explore the world of Kinesiology research with Dr. Eli Puterman and our panel of graduate students. Register here. CSEP 2026 🗓️ Oct 14 - 17📍Edmonton Website link November Graduation 🗓️ Nov 25 - 27 📍Chan Centre for Performing Arts Wednesday November 25th, Ceremony #3 - 1:30pm Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies; Education: Kinesiology; Ph.D., M.A., M.H.P.C.T.L., M.Kin., M.Sc., B.Ed.(Secondary), B.Kin. Website link Annual Student Awards Night 🗓️ Feb 11 2027📍Robert H Lee Alumni Center 🕑 6:30pm - 9:00pm The School of Kinesiology is excited to host its annual Student Awards Night on Thursday February 11, 2027. More information to come. | If you have announcements or events to share with faculty and staff, we want to know! Please send an email to kin.communications@ubc.ca | | | | |
