News in the Child Health & Exercise Medicine Program
Illustration by Yasmeen Mezil appears in article celebrating women in CSEP
June 6, 2018
This year the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP) is celebrating its 50th anniversary. As part of this, CSEP is releasing a number of communiqués showcasing the contributions Canada has made to the field of exercise physiology. The most recent in this series highlights the contributions and impact that women have made to CSEP. This article was accompanied by an illustration by CHEMP PhD Candidate Yasmeen Mezil, who in addition to being a research trainee is also a talented artist! You can see Yasmeen's illustration below, and click to view the article "Women Leaders of CSEP: A 50th anniversary celebration of major and significant contributions."
Yasmeen Mezil wins Graduate Student Teaching Assistant Excellence Award
May 31, 2018
Congratulations to CHEMP PhD Candidate Yasmeen Mezil for winning the Faculty of Health Sciences Graduate Student Teaching Assistant Excellence Award. Yasmeen received the award yesterday at the 2018 Faculty of Health Sciences Research Plenary.
The teaching assistant excellence award is given out to a health sciences graduate student who has demonstrated excellence in their teaching contributions.
Great job, Yasmeen!
Watch Hilary Caldwell’s 3-Minute Thesis: 'Falling in Love with Physical Activity'
May 30, 2018
In March, PhD student Hilary Caldwell was a finalist in McMaster's 3-Minute Thesis (3MT). If you have three minutes to spare, you can now view Hilary's presentation online. You will learn about the Physical Literacy Environmental Assessment (PLEA) tool that Hilary has been developing to help sport and recreation programs develop their participants' physical literacy skills.
Hilary Caldwell presents at the Kinesiology Graduate Research Day
May 24, 2018
Hilary Caldwell, PhD Student, presented at McMaster's Department of Kinesiology’s Graduate Research Day on Thursday, May 24th. Hilary's presentation was entitled 'Aerobic and anaerobic fitness in children: are they metabolic non-specialists?'. The presentation included work from her directed readings course and data from the SKIP Study.
Sara King-Dowling receives travel award
May 7, 2018
Sara-King Dowling has won a travel award from McMaster's Faculty of Health Sciences Postdoctoral Association. Sara will use the award to travel to the North American Society for Pediatric Exercise Medicine Conference in Oakland, California this summer where she will present her work on motor skills in children with a chronic medical condition as part of the CHAMPION Study. Congratulations Sara!
Funding success for CHEMP trainees
May 2, 2018
Congratulations to two of our CHEMP PhD students, Bhanu Sharma and Hilary Caldwell, and one of our postdoctoral fellows, Dr. Katharine Currie, for being awarded the following:
- Dr. Katharine Currie was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship from Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
- Bhanu Sharma received a 3-year Canada Graduate Scholarship - Doctoral Award from CIHR.
- Hilary Caldwell has been awarded an Ontario Graduate Scholarship for 2018-2019.
Physical activity and the built environment - the latest issue of Preschooler Focus
April 23, 2018
View our latest issue of the Preschooler Focus for tips and strategies on how your home and community environment can support kids’ movement and physical activity.
Want to stay up-to-date with our newsletter? Sign up to receive an email copy of the Preschooler Focus as soon as a new edition is released.
10th Annual McMaster Child Health Research Day
April 4, 2018
Last week, CHEMP participated in McMaster’s 10th annual Child Health Research Day. The day highlighted the research being done in the Department of Pediatrics and included poster sessions, oral presentations, and short oral presentations for works-in-progress. Nicole Proudfoot was awarded Outstanding Poster Presentation and Hilary Caldwell received an honourable mention for her work-in-progress.
Dr. Joyce Obeid was a part of the planning committee, and graduate students Hilary and Bhanu helped ensure the day ran smoothly.
CHEMP made the following presentations:
- Mila Bjelica, Undergraduate thesis student, poster presentation: The relationship between aerobic fitness, physical activity levels and natural killer cells in children with a chronic inflammatory condition
- Samantha Li, Undergraduate thesis student, poster presentation: Relationship between muscle strength and physical activity in pediatric patients with cystic fibrosis
- Bhanu Sharma, PhD student, poster presentation: Cognitive and neural effects of exercise following traumatic brain injury: A systematic review of randomized and clinical controlled trials
- Nicole Proudfoot, PhD student, poster presentation: Sex differences in indicators of cardiovascular fitness in the early years and the role of physical activity and body fat
- Roxy Chen, MSc student, work-in-progress: Tracking of fitness and physical activity in children with a chronic inflammatory condition
- Hilary Caldwell, PhD student, work-in-progress: The associations between physical literacy and health in children
- Katharine Currie, Postdoctoral Fellow, work-in-progress: Exercise blood pressure and resting cardiovascular health in children with a chronic inflammatory condition
Graduate students compete in the 3-Minute Thesis (3MT)
March 15, 2018
Hilary Caldwell and Roxy Chen competed in McMaster’s 3-Minute Thesis (3MT). The goal of the 3MT is for graduate students to communicate their research in under 3-minutes, in a way that is easy to understand for the general public.
In Hilary's 3MT, she told us about the Physical Literacy Environmental Assessment (PLEA) tool that she has been developing. The PLEA tool helps sport and recreation programs find areas for improvement in order to develop their participants' physical literacy skills so they 'Fall in Love with Physical Activity'. Hilary made it to the finals out of over 100 participants!
Roxy's 3MT focused on how children with a chronic inflammatory condition (like juvenile arthritis) might be able to 'Fight Inflammation with Fitness'. Roxy is measuring fitness and physical activity in children with a chronic inflammatory condition to see how fitness and physical activity changes or stays the same as they grow and their disease progresses.
CIHR planning meeting and pediatric exercise medicine day at CHEO
March 2, 2018
A group of researchers from across Canada and the UK met last week in Ottawa to plan an international database on physical activity for children living with a chronic health condition or disability. The goal of the database is to build knowledge relevant to physical activity promotion for these youths. We also discussed new ways to analyze physical activity data as well as the Pediatric Exercise Medicine Network, whose goal is to advance the field of exercise medicine for children living with a chronic medical condition or disability.
At the end of the week we joined in the Pediatric Exercise Medicine Day at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO). This day included a background on pediatric exercise medicine and how it is practiced in various institutions worldwide. Trainees at CHEO and the University of Ottawa also presented on their current research projects.
The meetings were funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute.
Participants in the CIHR planning meeting from L-R: Craig Williams, Brian Timmons, Lauren Sherar, Don Mabbott, Angelica Blais, Nicole Proudfoot, Désirée Maltais, Pat Longmuir, Kelly Arbour, Jane Schneiderman, Sara King-Dowling, Samantha Stephens, Joyce Obeid, Gita Wahi, Jan Willem Gorter, Susan Tupper. Missing: Marta Erlandson, Tim Takken, Marco vanBrussel, Virginia Wright, Barbara Cifra, Mark Tremblay.
Dr. Timmons presents at CHEO Grand Rounds
February 21, 2018
Dr. Brian Timmons delivered a presentation to the Pediatric Grand Rounds at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), in Ottawa, where he is currently on sabbatical. A webcast of the presentation, Physical activity recommendations for children with a chronic medical condition or disability: What is the evidence?, can be viewed here.
Hilary Caldwell and Roxy Chen awarded Oded Bar-Or Bursary
February 15, 2018
Hilary Caldwell and Roxy Chen are recipients of the 2017-2018 Oded Bar-Or Bursary. The Bar-Or Bursary was created to honour the late Dr. Oded Bar-Or, founder of the Children's Exercise & Nutrition Centre, and is awarded to graduate students studying in the area of pediatric exercise or nutrition. Hilary also received a Travel Award from McMaster University's Graduate Students Association for her presentation at the Sport for Life Canadian Summit in Gatineau, Quebec in January. Congratulations to Roxy and Hilary!
Motor skills and physical activity in the early years - the latest issue of Preschooler Focus
January 30, 2018
View our latest issue of the Preschooler Focus for information on the new 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years and tips on how to help young kids move, sit, and sleep in the right amounts.
Want to stay up-to-date with our newsletter? Sign up to receive an email copy of the Preschooler Focus as soon as a new edition is released.
Physical Literacy Environmental Assessment (PLEA) Tool presented at Sport for Life conference
January 25, 2018
Hilary Caldwell, PhD student, attended the Sport for Life Canadian Summit on January 23-25 in Gatineau, Quebec. Hilary delivered a presentation entitled: "Overview of the development of the Physical Literacy Environmental Assessment (PLEA) Tool". The PLEA Tool is a program evaluation tool designed for child and youth physical activity, recreation, physical education, sport and dance programs to see how well they are implementing the principles of physical literacy. Hilary has been working with Sport for Life to develop the PLEA Tool and hopes to finalize and release the questionnaire in the near future.
Peter Tait awarded MacDATA Fellowship for accelerometry analysis
January 24, 2018
Peter Tait, a graduate student in the School of Computational Science and Engineering, has been awarded a fellowship from the MacDATA Institute to look at better ways to fill in missing information from accelerometers. Peter will be supervised by Dr. Paul McNicholas, director of MacDATA, and Dr. Joyce Obeid from the Child Health & Exercise Medicine Program (CHEMP). He will use data that we collected with the Health Outcomes and Physical activity in Preschoolers (HOPP) Study.
In CHEMP we often have children wear accelerometers, which are small devices that can measure a child's physical activity. Children typically wear the accelerometers for 7-days. One issue with these devices is that if the child takes the device off and doesn’t remember to put it back on right away, we end up with missing data. For his MacDATA Fellowship, Peter will develop a new way to analyze incomplete data from accelerometers. He will then build a simple software package that can be used by researchers and clinicians to quickly determine physical activity from accelerometry data. Read more about the MacDATA fellows on the McMaster Daily News.
Congratulations to Dr. Sara King-Dowling!
December 14, 2017
Sara-King Dowling successfully defended her PhD thesis entitled "The interrelationships among motor competence, physical activity, and health-related fitness in the early years." Sara's thesis includes the Coordination and Activity Tracking in CHildren (CATCH) study from the INCH Lab as well as the Health Outcomes and Physical activity in Preschoolers (HOPP) study from CHEMP. In a few months Sara will be joining CHEMP as a CIHR-funded postdoctoral fellow.
Congratulations, Sara!Joyce Obeid receives New Investigator Award
December, 2017
Dr. Joyce Obeid, Assistant Professor with CHEMP in the Department of Pediatrics, has been awarded a New Investigator Award from Hamilton Health Sciences. Joyce's study, entitled "Motivated to Move – A Randomized Pilot Study to Determine the Feasibility of Self-Monitoring on Self- Perceptions towards Physical Activity in Youth," will be conducted in the Exercise Medicine Clinic at McMaster Children's Hospital.
Congratulations, Joyce!New Canadian 24-hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years (0-4 years)
November 20, 2017
Hot off the press! Canada has just released new guidelines for movement during the early years (children aged 0-4 years). These guidelines go beyond just physical activity recommendations and have guidance for multiple behaviours including moving, sitting and screen time, and sleeping. The guidelines were developed by the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP), HALO-CHEO Research Institute, the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation at the University of Alberta, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and ParticipACTION, along with a group of leading researchers, including CHEMP’s Dr. Brian Timmons.
The new guidelines recognize that the whole 24-hour day is important for health and development. Young children should be getting adequate sleep and limited screen time (no screen time for kids under the age of 2, less than 1 hour for 2-4-year-olds). A healthy day also has lots of movement – ranging from tummy time for infants to energetic play for preschoolers.
View the full guidelines to see the right amounts for young kids to move, sleep, and sit.
The scientific papers with background research used to develop the guidelines can be found here.
Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years (ages 0-4 years): An Integration of Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour, and Sleep.
Motor skills and physical activity in the early years - the latest issue of Preschooler Focus
November 3, 2017
View our latest issue of the Preschooler Focus for information on types of motor skills, new research, and what happens when kids have trouble with motor skills.
Want to stay up-to-date with our newsletter? Sign up to receive an email copy of the Preschooler Focus as soon as a new edition is released.
New Issue of Preschooler Focus: An Update on Screen Time in the Early Years
August 3, 2017
View our latest issue of the Preschooler Focus for information on the recommendations, risks, and benefits of screen time in the early years.
Want to stay up-to-date with our newsletter? Sign up to receive an email copy of the Preschooler Focus as soon as a new edition is released.
Hamilton hosting Ontario Physical Literacy Summit
June 22, 2017
The Ontario Physical Literacy Summit will be hosted in Hamilton at Redeemer College on September 22, 2017. This is an excellent event for researchers, coaches, physical educators and physical activity leaders. The one day event provides a mix of research talks and hands-on, active workshops. CHEMP PhD student Hilary Caldwell will be presenting with Sport for Life's Mark Verbeek about the Physical Literacy Assessment for Youth (PLAY) Tools. For more information about the event or to register, visit the Sport Hamilton website.
Lisa Chu receives Excellence Award on her last day with CHEMP
May 31, 2017
Lisa Chu has received an "Excellence Award" from the Faculty of Health Sciences Graduate Program. Lisa recently defended her PhD thesis on metabolic flexibility in children with obesity. This was Lisa's second stint in the lab as she first joined CHEMP as an undergraduate thesis student where she conducted a project on sports drinks and metabolism in overweight boys. After completing an MSc at the University of Toronto, Lisa returned to McMaster for her PhD under the supervision of Dr. Brian Timmons. During her time in the lab Lisa also helped with a number of other projects and was a great resource for her peers. Lisa is now starting a post-doctoral fellowship at SickKids Hospital with Dr. Jill Hamilton. CHEMP would like to extend to a huge "thank you" to Lisa for all of her work and dedication to the lab. We wish her all the best during this next step in her career!
CHEMP projects and trainees receive funding
May 25, 2017
The Child Health & Exercise Medicine Program is celebrating funding success over the past few weeks:
- Dr. Brian Timmons and co-investigators, including Dr. Joyce Obeid, were awarded a CIHR Project Grant for the iPLAY study. The goal of iPLAY is to figure out the best way to measure physical activity and sedentary time in toddlers.
- PhD Student Hilary Caldwell was awarded a Marco Cabrera Student Research Award from the North American Society for Pediatric Exercise Medicine (NASPEM). Hilary's project will investigate the associations between physical literacy and health with data collected in the HOPP and SKIP studies. Hilary also received an Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS).
- PhD Student Bhanu Sharma was awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST).
- Sara-King Dowling was awarded a CIHR Post-doctoral Fellowship. Sara will be going to the University of Michigan for her post-doctoral work after she completes her PhD later this year.
Congratulations to all!
CHEMP study on milk as a rehydration drink highlighted on on radioshow
May 19, 2017
A CHEMP study on how best to rehydrate on hot summer days was highlighted on a radioshow based out of Georgia, USA. The Milk and Rehydration Study found that milk is better than water and sports drinks for rehydration after kids exercise in the heat. Milk also has the added benefit of containing protein which is important for muscle development and growth in kids. This study was conducted under the supervision of Dr. Brian Timmons by Kim Volterman while she was a PhD student with CHEMP.
Hilary Caldwell awarded MacDATA Graduate Fellowship
May 17, 2017
CHEMP PhD student Hilary Caldwell has been award a graduate fellowship with the MacDATA Institute. Hilary's MacDATA Fellowship project will use data from the HOPP Study to look at the interplay between physical activity, sleep, and screen time and how they relate to health outcomes in preschool-aged children. This project will be supervised by Dr. Brian Timmons and Dr. Paul McNicholas, an expert in big data analytics. More information about Hilary’s MacDATA project can be found here.
Article on protein after exercise in children selected as Editor's Pick
May 8, 2017
The Journal of Nutrition has selected an article completed at CHEMP - Postexercise dietary protein ingestion increases whole-body leucine balance in a dose-dependent manner in healthy children - as an "Editor's pick" for this month's issue. A summary of the article can be found on page 5 of the American Society for Nutrition newsletter. This study was conducted by Kim Volterman while she was a PhD student in CHEMP.
Congratulations to Dr. Lisa Chu!
April 27, 2017
CHEMP Graduate Student Lisa Chu successfully defended her PhD thesis entitled "Metabolic Flexibility in Children with Obesity: Exercise as a Dynamic Stimulus to Assess Metabolic Health." Lisa will be starting a post-doctoral position at the University of Toronto this summer. Congratulations, Lisa!
Funding received from Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario (POGO) to study exercise in children with Leukemia
April 20, 2017
Co-Principal Investigators, Drs. Brian Timmons and Vicky Breakey, and colleagues have received funding from the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario (POGO) to study the impact of exercise on immune function in children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. More information on this study can be found here.
Hilary Caldwell presents at International Physical Literacy Conference
April 15, 2017
Hilary Caldwell, PhD Student,
attended and presented at the International Physical Literacy Conference from April 12-15, 2017 in Toronto. Hilary presented Development of the Physical Literacy Environmental Assessment (PLEA) Tool, a program evaluation tool to assess how children's sport, physical education and physical activity programs implement the principles of physical literacy. The conference attendees were a mix of researchers and practitioners, and we were happy to receive lots of positive feedback about the PLEA Tool!
Excellent meeting of Golden Horseshoe Pediatric Exercise Group
April 7, 2017
The Child Health & Exercise Medicine Program was thrilled to host the 10th meeting of the Golden Horseshoe Pediatric Exercise Group. Dr. Joyce Obeid organized the event with help from fellow CHEMP members Liz, Natascja, Lisa, Sara, Hilary, Bhanu, Yasmeen, and Nicole.
The keynote address by Dr. Joey Eisenmann covered why and how we should create impact by taking research from the lab to the community – be it the playing field, park, or bedside.
The planning committee would like to extend a huge "thank you" to everyone who presented at the event and to the attendees for contributing to the conversation.
We would also like to thank the sponsors of the event: McMaster's Child Health & Exercise Medicine Program, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Pediatrics, and Department of Kinesiology.
Further details of the event can be found here.
Attendees of the 10th meeting of the Golden Horseshoe Pediatric Exercise Group, held at McMaster Children's Hospital.
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Left: Dr. Kelly Arbour-Nicitopoulos (Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education at the University of Toronto) delivers New Investigator Spotlight talk Moving into the Community: Promoting Physical Activity in Pediatric Clinical Populations.
Right: Dr. Joey Eisenmann (Director of High Performance and Education at USA Football) delivers keynote address: Science into Practice: Lost in Translation & Reverberating in the Echo Chamber.
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Left: Panel discussion featuring Dr. Pat Longmuir and Dr. Jane Schneiderman on Exercise Recommendations for Clinical Populations, with a focus on congenital heart disease and cystic fibrosis.
Centre: Event organizer Dr. Joyce Obeid.
Right: The event sponsors – The Child Health & Exercise Medicine Program, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Pediatrics, and Department of Kinesiology.
9th Annual Child Health Research Day
March 29, 2017
CHEMP trainees and staff took part in the 9th Annual Child Health Research Day organized by McMaster's Department of Pediatrics. Dr. Joyce Obeid and Dr. Brian Timmons helped plan the event. PhD student Hilary Caldwell gave an oral presentation of findings from the SKIP study entitled Compliance with 24-hour movement guidelines for children and youth and associated health indicators. CHEMP also made the following poster presentations:
- Undergraduate trainees:
- Evan Benak: The relationship between early childhood physical activity and temperament
- Kylee Innes: Comparison of substrate utilization in young boys and girls during moderate intensity exercise
- Daniela Kovacevic: Ratings of perceived exertion and heart rate during prolonged exercise in 12- and 14-year-old males and females
- Evelina Zebrowski: Systemic effects of exercise on bone in children
- Alexis Bullock: Systemic effects of exercise in children
- Research staff:
- Natascja Di Cristofaro: Does preschool physical activity predict school-age psychosocial quality of life in Canadian children?
- Nicole Proudfoot: Relationship between sleep and physical activity in early childhood
Congratulations to all!
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Left: Undergraduate thesis students after presenting their posters at Child Health Research Day. L-R: Daniela Kovacevic, Evan Benak, Evelina Zebrowski, Kylee Innes, and Alexis Bullock. Top Right: Title slide from PhD student Hilary Caldwell's oral presentation. Bottom Right: Nicole Proudfoot and Natascja Di Cristofaro during their poster presentations.
CHEMP hosting Golden Horseshoe Pediatric Exercise Group meeting
March 24, 2017
The Child Health & Exercise Medicine Program is hosting the 10th meeting of the Golden Horseshoe Pediatric Exercise Group. The meeting will take place at the McMaster Children's Hospital on April 7, 2017. This meeting brings together researchers and clinicians to promote research and exchange ideas in the area of pediatric exercise science and medicine.
This year's meeting will feature:
- An update and panel discussion on exercise recommendations for children living with a chronic condition.
- An opportunity for trainees, research staff, and clinicians to share their current research in short, 5-minute presentations.
- A keynote by new investigator Dr. Kelly Arbour-Nicitopoulos. Dr. Arbour-Nicitopoulos is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on evidence-based practices for promoting physical activity in individuals living with a physical disability, including children.
- A keynote address by Dr. Joey Eisenmann. Dr. Eisenmann recently embarked on a new role as the Director of High Performance & Education with USA football. Prior to this he was a Professor at Michigan State University and director of Spartan Performance, where he continues in a scientific advisory role. Dr. Eisenmann has extensive research experience in the field of pediatrics and exercise science and moving research from the lab to the playing field.
Meeting Agenda
9:30 a.m. Registration (Coffee available)
10:00 a.m. Welcome/Announcements by Dr. Joyce Obeid
10:15 a.m. Overview of Golden Horseshoe Pediatric Exercise Group by Dr. Brian Timmons
10:30 a.m. Keynote by New Investigator Dr. Kelly Arbour-Nicitopoulos, Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto
11:30 a.m. Research presentations by trainees, research staff, and clinicians
12:30 p.m. Group picture
12:35 p.m. Lunch (provided)
1:30 p.m. Keynote by Dr. Joey Eisenmann, Director of High Performance and Education at USA Football
2:30 p.m. Update on Exercise Recommendations for Clinical Populations – Panel Discussion
4:00 p.m. Concluding Remarks
4:30 p.m. Departure
For more information, please see our event page.
New Issue of Preschooler Focus: An Update on Health-Related Fitness
February 9, 2017
View our latest issue of the Preschooler Focus to find out how we measure health-related fitness in the early years and ways to help young kids develop fitness.
Want to stay up-to-date with our newsletter? Sign up to receive an email copy of the Preschooler Focus as soon as a new edition is released.
Brian Timmons gives keynote talk at the Childhood Obesity & Public Health Conference
October 25, 2016
Dr. Brian Timmons delivered a keynote lecture called "On the Right Track: Why Fitness Matters for Young Children" at the 2016 Childhood Obesity & Public Health Conference in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The focus of the conference was on finding strategies to tackle obesity, particularly in the early years.
Yasmeen Mezil organizes the Gallery of Graduate Arts
October 19, 2016
Yasmeen Mezil, PhD Candidate in CHEMP, put on the Gallery of Graduate Arts last week at McMaster. The Gallery showcased artistic creations from graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty members across all disciplines. Read more about Gallery of Graduate Arts in the Daily News. Great job, Yasmeen!
New Issue of Preschooler Focus : Sleep your way to health
October 17, 2016
View our latest issue of the Preschooler Focus to find out how sleep helps young kids grow, maintain healthy weights, and fight off germs.
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Funding received from Ontario Research Fund to support physical activity research in young children
September 9, 2016
Dr. Brian Timmons and CHEMP have been awarded $80,000 from the Ontario Research Fund to look at the connection between physical activity and health in young children. Information on this and the other McMaster research projects to receive the funding can be found here.
Hilary Caldwell gives presentation at Physical Literacy Summit
September 1, 2016
Hilary Caldwell spoke at the Ontario Physical Literacy Summit in Hamilton on the development of the Physical Literacy Environmental Assessment (PLEA) Tool. The PLEA Tool was designed to help assess how physical education, sport and recreation programs are supporting the development of physical literacy in their programs.
Congratulations to Dr. Gabriela Tomedi Leites!
August 23, 2016
CHEMP Graduate Student Gabriela Leites successfully defended her PhD thesis entitled "Boys and men exercising in the heat: Thermoregulation, dehydration and performance, and substrate utilization." Gabriela will be heading back to her home in Brazil and we wish her all the best. Congratulations, Gabriela!
New Issue of Preschooler Focus released: Happiness, friendship and active play
August 16, 2016
View our latest issue of the Preschooler Focus to find out how active play can help your child make new friends, be happy, and become more confident!
Want to stay up-to-date with our newsletter? Sign up to receive an email copy of the Preschooler Focus as soon as a new edition is released.
CHEMP welcomes Elizabeth Fonseca to the team
August 15, 2016
We are happy to welcome Elizabeth Fonseca as our new administrative assistant. Liz brings a wealth of experience in supporting child health research. Welcome, Liz!
CHEMP delivers presentations at NASPEM Conference
August 15, 2016
Last week CHEMP attended the North American Society for Pediatric Exercise Medicine (NASPEM) Conference in Knoxville, Tennessee. We would like to thank the host, Dr. Dawn Coe, for putting on such a great event. The presentations made by CHEMP are below:
- Dr. Brian Timmons presented in the Dr. Tom Rowland Series on the immune response to exercise and training.
- Dr. Joyce Obeid: Barriers to physical activity and objectively-measured activity in children with and without a chronic medical condition.
- Sara King-Dowling: Longitudinal relationship between motor proficiency, short-term muscle power and physical activity in the early years.
- Lisa Chu: The responsiveness of metabolic flexibility to 7-days of exercise training in children with obesity.
- Nicole Proudfoot: Intensity of physical activity impacts the rate of change of arterial stiffness in the early years.
- Hilary Caldwell: From early years to school-aged years: Compliance with Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines.
- Yasmeen Mezil: Bone and exercise outcomes in healthy children and children with chronic inflammatory disease.
CHEMP at NASPEM. Top left: Dr. Joyce Obeid delivering her talk; bottom left: Nicole, Hilary, Yasmeen, and Lisa after hiking the Smoky Mountains; top right: Nicole, Sara, and Hilary at the Neyland Stadium; bottom right: Lisa and Joyce at the Stadium.
Lisa Chu publishes paper on Metabolic Flexibility in Overweight Youth
August 8, 2016
A paper from PhD Candidate Lisa Chu's Metabolic Flexibility Study has recently been published. The paper is called "No difference in exogenous carbohydrate oxidation during exercise in children with and without impaired glucose tolerance." You can read the paper here (with subscription) or find out more about the study here.
Sara King-Dowling receives Ontario Women's Health Scholars Award
June 22, 2016
Sara King-Dowling was one of four Doctoral students to win the Ontario Women's Health Scholars Award. Sara's work will look at how the development of girls' motor skills affects their overall health and activity levels over time. Congratulations, Sara!
Happy Retirement to Shirley Lampman!
June 16, 2016
Today we say goodbye to our Administrative and Program Assistant, Shirley Lampman. Shirley has been with the Child Health & Exercise Medicine Program (CHEMP) and Children's Exercise and Nutrition Centre (CENC) for 22 years. Elise Gallant, Operations Manager in the department of Pediatrics, summed up Shirley's career:
Shirley began her career in the department of Pediatrics in 1986, supporting a number of faculty members (Drs. Andrew, Barr, Finkel, A. MacMillan, O'Brodovich, Pai, Schmidt and Venturelli) until joining Dr. Oded Bar-Or in the CENC officially in March 1994. With Shirley's "quiet, polite style", she has efficiently and consistently managed and provided support to the CENC/CHEMP. She has been a support and mentor to her colleagues within the department in all aspects of administrative research, sharing her knowledge and expertise. Congratulations Shirley on your retirement. Thank you for your 30 years of support and dedication to the department, McMaster and children's health. You are leaving a great legacy and will be missed by all.
Brian and all of the current and past members of the Child Health & Exercise Medicine Program wish Shirley well as she embarks on her retirement. You will be missed!
Current and past members of the Child Health & Exercise Medicine Program at Shirley's retirement lunch, held at the Royal Botanical Gardens. L-R: Gabriela Leites, Kim Volterman, Yasmeen Mezil, Alexis Bullock, Nicole Proudfoot, Sara King-Dowling, Shirley Lampman, Natascja Di Cristofaro, Lisa Chu, Hilary Caldwell, Joyce Obeid, Margaret Wilk, Bogdan Wilk, Brian Timmons.
Yasmeen Mezil receives Teaching Assistant Excellence Award
May 31, 2016
Yasmeen Mezil was awarded a Teaching Assistant Excellence Award at the 2016 Faculty of Health Sciences Research Plenary. This award recognizes graduate students in health sciences who have made outstanding contributions as a teaching assistant. Congratulations, Yasmeen!
8th Annual Child Health Research Day
May 25, 2016
CHEMP trainees and staff took part in the 8th Annual Child Health Research Day organized by McMaster's Department of Pediatrics. Dr. Joyce Obeid was a member of the planning committee and Dr. Brian Timmons chaired the event. Nicole Proudfoot won the award for outstanding oral presentation for her talk on the HOPP study entitled Impact of physical activity on arterial stiffness in early childhood. CHEMP also made the following poster presentations:
- Gabriela Leites: Physiological strain index in boys and men during exercise in the heat
- Yasmeen Mezil: Bone and exercise outcomes in healthy children and children with chronic inflammatory disease
- Hilary Caldwell and Natascja Di Cristofaro had posters on the HOPP study:
- Relationship between parent‐reported quality of life, objectively‐measured physical activity and body mass index among preschoolers (Caldwell)
- Outdoor play and its association with meeting Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines during the early years (Di Cristofaro)
Congratulations to all!
CHEMP at Child Health Research Day. From L-R: Natascja Di Cristofaro, Gabriela Leites, Hilary Caldwell, Nicole Proudfoot, Yasmeen Mezil, and Dr. Brian Timmons
Sara King-Dowling wins Student Research Award
May 9, 2016
Sara King-Dowling was awarded the Marco Cabrera Student Research Award from the North American Society for Pediatric Exercise Medicine (NASPEM). Sara's application was entitled "The impact of motor proficiency on physical activity in children with a chronic disease." This work will be done with The CHAMPION Study. Congratulations, Sara!
New Issue of Preschooler Focus released: Physical activity and the young mind.
April 26, 2016
View our latest issue of the Preschooler Focus to find out how active play helps more than just the heart - it helps kids learn too!
Want to stay up-to-date with our newsletter? Sign up to receive an email copy of the Preschooler Focus as soon as a new edition is released.
Funding received from Canada Foundation for Innovation to help measure physical activity in children
April 21, 2016
Dr. Brian Timmons and CHEMP have been awarded $80,000 from the John R. Evans Leaders Fund from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). The fund will allow us to purchase accelerometers (physical activity monitors) to look at the links between physical activity and health in children, including those with chronic health conditions. Read more about it in the McMaster Daily News - Research examines link between physically active children and healthy adulthood.
CHEMP wins Art of Research Contest
April 13, 2016
Dr. Brian Timmons' entry in the McMaster Art of Research contest won 1st place under the 'Research in Action' category. Our entry was entitled "The Making of a Champion." The picture and its description can be found below. There were lot of other great entries - check them out too!
The Making of a Champion
At the Child Health & Exercise Medicine Program, our research is about the physical activity-to-health connection where children live, where they learn, and where they play. This image captures the determination of a 12-year-old cyclist, performing a test of endurance on a cycle ergometer. We are continuously measuring the oxygen and carbon dioxide content of every breath he takes via the mouthpiece while power output of the ergometer is progressively increased. This allows us to determine how well his lungs take in oxygen, how his heart delivers oxygen to the exercising muscles, and how well his muscles use this oxygen to produce energy. Our research program uses this test to understand a wide spectrum of conditions from disease-related exercise intolerance to physiological function of elite athletes. Whether for the business of child play or the making of a champion, this test of endurance is a powerful indicator of health.
Dr. Timmons' entry on display for the awards ceremony.
Successful Golden Horseshoe Pediatric Exercise Group meeting at SickKids Hospital
April 6, 2016
CHEMP attended the Golden Horseshoe Pediatric Exercise Group meeting at SickKids Hospital. The theme for this year's meeting was Exercise as Medicine in Pediatric Disease. We would like to thank the hosts, in particular Jane Schneiderman, Rachel Walker, Donna Wilkes, and Samantha Stephens, for putting on a great and informative event. CHEMP contributed to the meeting by making the following presentations:
- Dr. Joyce Obeid: Physical Activity Assessment in Children with Chronic Disease: Moving Beyond Minutes
- Nicole Proudfoot: Impact of physical activity on vascular health in the early years
- Sara King-Dowling: Examining the relationship between motors skills, physical activity and fitness in the early years
- Lisa Chu: Metabolic flexibility in children with obesity: Exercise as a screen test and treatment
Madeline McDonald participates in Pediatric Undergrad Research Day
April 6, 2016
Undergraduate student Madeline McDonald presented findings from her thesis project at the Department of Pediatrics Undergraduate Research Day. Madeline's thesis project is called: Factors associated with improving fitness in an Exercise Medicine Clinic for children with a chronic medical condition. Madeline also presented at the National Undergraduate Research Conference in Kinesiology and Physical Education hosted by the University of Toronto.
We have a logo!
March 31, 2016
The Child Health and Exercise Medicine Program is excited to show off our new logo!
Dr. Alan Batterham and colleagues visit CHEMP
March 30, 2016
Dr. Alan Batterham, Katy Weston, and Matt Weston from Teesside University in the UK visited CHEMP during their trip to Canada. We enjoyed taking them on a tour of our facility and sharing our research with them.
CHEMP Presents at Ontario Exercise Physiology Conference
Feb 27, 2016
The Ontario Exercise Physiology (OEP) Conference was hosted by Brock University and took place in Innisfil. Members of CHEMP made the following presentations:
- Nicole Proudfoot was a finalist for the OEP student award for her presentation Impact of physical activity on longitudinal changes in pulse wave velocity during the early years
- Sara King-Dowling's presentation was entitled The impact of developmental coordination disorder on physical activity and fitness in early childhood
- Yasmeen Mezil gave two presentations: The systemic and local effects of exercise on the muscle-bone unit in vitro: A proposal and The effects of plyometric and high-intensity interval exercise on bone turnover in young men: a comparison study
- Dr. Brian Timmons gave a keynote presentation: Research from the playground to petri dish: What I think I know now...
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| Above, OEP student award finalists with Dr. Timmons. Right, OEP attendees from McMaster. |
Dr. Timmons delivers talk at Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance of Canada
Feb 25, 2016
Dr. Brian Timmons presented at the Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance of Canada (CDPAC) conference in Toronto. His presentation was called Physical Activity of Children in the Canadian Context: Issues and Controversies. You can view the slides from the presentation here.
PhD in Child Health & Exercise Medicine
Feb 22, 2016
CHEMP has an opening for a PhD student to join our program. If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity, please contact Dr. Brian Timmons at timmonbw@mcmaster.ca.
CHEMP is Building Healthy Communities
Feb 11, 2016
CHEMP participated in the McMaster Health Fair, which was part of the Big Ideas Better Cities initiative. The theme of this session was Building Healthy Communities.
CHEMP team at the Big Cities Better Ideas Health Fair. From L-R: Natascja Di Cristofaro, Nicole Proudfoot, Joyce Obeid, Hilary Caldwell
Dr. Brian Timmons awarded a Canada Research Chair
Feb 9, 2016
Congratulations to Dr. Brian Timmons, CHEMP's Research Director, on being awarded a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Child Health and Exercise Medicine. Read more about Dr. Timmons and McMaster's other new Canada Research Chairs here.
Foundations for an Active Future: New Preschooler Focus released!
Jan 22, 2016
View our latest issue of the Preschooler Focus to learn how and why your child should develop Physical Literacy. View on your screen or print off a pdf!
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Taking a Risk with Play: New Preschooler Focus released!
Oct 30, 2015
View our latest issue of the Preschooler Focus to learn how you can support your child's development by giving them the freedom to explore, take risks, and be active.
Want to stay up-to-date with our newsletter? Sign up to receive an email copy of the Preschooler Focus as soon as a new edition is released.
Congratulations to Dr. Kim Volterman!
Oct 21, 2015
CHEMP Graduate Student Kim Volterman successfully defended her PhD thesis entitled "The regulation of whole body protein metabolism following exercise in children." Kim also completed her MSc with CHEMP and is now moving onto a post-doctoral position at the University of Toronto. Congratulations, Kim!
Congratulations to Dr. Thanh Nguyen!
Sept 15, 2015
CHEMP Graduate Student Thanh Nguyen successfully defended her PhD thesis entitled "Effects of the systemic environment in health and disease on skeletal muscle development." Thanh also completed her MSc with CHEMP and has been with us for 7 years. Thanh is now enrolled in the Physician Assistant program at McMaster. Congratulations, Thanh!
Successful Pediatric Work Physiology Congress
Sept 13, 2015
Last week CHEMP attended the 29th edition of the Pediatric Work Physiology Congress in Utrecht, the Netherlands. We would like to thank our hosts, Drs. Tim Takeen and Marco van Brussel, for putting on such a great event. The presentations made by CHEMP (and awards won!) are below:
- Dr. Brian Timmons gave a Keynote Presentation called Stable isotopes in pediatric exercise medicine.
- Joyce Obeid won the top student poster award for her presentation Weekday and weekend physical activity in youth with Inflammatory Bowel Disease compared with age- and sex-matched healthy controls.
- Lisa Chu won 2nd place for her oral presentation entitled Exogenous carbohydrate oxidation during exercise in overweight children with and without impaired glucose tolerance.
- Former CHEMP trainee Maple Liu won the 2nd place poster award for Impact of adolescent activity and adiposity development on young adult bone health.
Congratulations to all!
Axioms & Advocacy: A blog about child health and exercise medicine
Sept 5, 2015
CHEMP is excited to announce that we have launched a new blog: Axioms & Advocacy. The blog will cover topics on child health, fitness and physical activity, nutrition, and healthy active living during the growing years. You can follow our blog and share across all social media platforms.
Congratulations to Dr. Joyce Obeid
July 31, 2015
CHEMP Graduate Student Joyce Obeid successfully defended her PhD thesis entitled "Circulating progenitor and endothelial cells in healthy children and children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis: role of fitness, physical activity, and acute exercise." Joyce has been with CHEMP since her final undergraduate year and will continue to contribute to the lab as a Post Doctoral Fellow on the CHAMPION Study. Congratulations, Joyce!
Joyce Obeid, center, with current and former colleagues in the Child Health & Exercise Medicine Program following her PhD defence.
New Publication on Physical Activity Measurement in Preschoolers
July 21, 2015
A paper with data from the HOPP Study has been accepted for publication in Pediatric Exercise Science. The paper is called "Comparing the Actical and ActiGraph Approach to Measuring Young Children's Physical Activity Levels and Sedentary Time"- Read it here.
Dr. Timmons Interviewed about ParticipACTION Report Card
June 9, 2015
The 2015 ParticipACTION Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth gave Canadian kids a D- for overall activity and recommended they be given more freedom for unstructured outdoor play. The report received a lot of media coverage, with some interviews featuring CHEMP's Research Director, Dr. Brian Timmons. Dr. Timmons was a member of the committee that evaluated the evidence for the report card. His interviews can be found below:
- McMaster Daily News article: Wild at heart: McMaster expert says kids need more unstructured outdoor play
- Interview on the Scott Thompson Show (AM900 CHML)
- Watch the CHCH news segment
Learn more about the 2015 Report Card
The 2015 ParticipACTION Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth has just been released!
June 9, 2015
The grade for "Overall Physical Activity" for Canadian children remains unchanged at D-. The Report Card also highlights the need to allow children to engage in unstructured, outdoor play. This includes "risky play" like climbing trees and exploring the woods and neighbourhood - the types of activities that most Canadian parents engaged in when they were kids. Read more about The 2015 ParticipACTION Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth.
New Publication
June 4, 2015
Maple Liu's paper from her Master's work with CHEMP has been accepted for publication with Pediatric Exercise Science. The paper is on exercise, inflammation, and oxidative stress and called "The Effect of Acute Exercise on Neutrophil ROS Production and Inflammatory Markers in Healthy Pre-Pubertal and Adult Males" - Read it here.
Congratulations to Linda Gillis
May 28, 2015
CHEMP Graduate Student Linda Gillis successfully defended her PhD thesis entitled "Synergistic effect of milk and exercise in childhood obesity: protein metabolism, cardiovascular health and inflammation." Some information about Linda's work can be found here. Congratulations, Linda!
Successful Golden Horseshoe Pediatric Exercise Group meeting!
April 17, 2015
This past week Brock University hosted the Golden Horseshoe Pediatric Exercise Group meeting. This year's meeting featured many internationally renowned scientists who delivered fantastic talks on a variety of topics in pediatric exercise science. Thanks to the Centre for Lifespan Development Research for hosting such a great event!
New Preschooler Focus released - "Be a Physical Activity Role Model"
April 13, 2015
Check out our latest edition of Preschooler Focus to learn how being a physical activity role model can influence your child's activity. Be sure to have a look at our past issues for other great information on physical activity and development in early childhood.
Upcoming event: Golden Horseshoe Pediatric Exercise Group meeting
April 9, 2015
On April 14, Brock University will host the annual Golden Horseshoe Pediatric Exercise Group meeting. This meeting brings together researchers and practitioners who study health and exercise in children. The topic for this year's meeting is: Exercise and the healthy child: is there anything more we need to know? The line-up of speakers for the event includes many internationally renowned scientists, and can be viewed here.
Nutrition for Young Athletes
March 19, 2015
Children need proper nutrition to compete in sports and maintain growth. Check out our new bulletin: Nutrition for Young Athletes for the latest information on hydration, protein, and carbohydrate requirements for children in sports.
#BrainWeek: Healthy Active Living for Youth with Cerebral Palsy
March 17, 2015
In collaboration with scientists at CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research and the Stay-FIT Program of Research, we are looking at physical activity and health in youth with cerebral palsy. Learn about what we found so far!
Launching the LIFE and Health Study
March 17, 2015
The LIFE and Health Study is looking at motor skills and physical activity in young children with congenital heart defects. This is a multi-centre project between the Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group (HALO) at Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute (CHEO-RI) and McMaster University.
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March is Kidney Month! Should kids with chronic kidney disease exercise?
March 14, 2015
For Kidney Month, we are highlighting our recent study that looked at the effects of exercise on inflammation in kids with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We found that when kids with CKD exercise, markers of inflammation change in a way that may have benefits. Importantly, we found that exercise did not make inflammation worse. We hope to do a bigger study to see if regular exercise can help improve inflammation in children with CKD. Read more!
Preschooler Focus and HOPP study featured on CBC Parents
February 19, 2015
One of our Preschooler Focus newsletters, "How Young is Too Young?" was picked up by CBC Parents. The article is on sport participation in the early years, click here to check it out! And remember to have a look at our other issues of the Preschooler Focus for more great information.
New Preschooler Focus released - "Go Outside and Play!"
February 12, 2015
Just in time for Family Day! Check out our latest edition of Preschooler Focus to learn why outdoor active play is important and tips for winter play with your little one. Be sure to have a look at our past issues for other great information on physical activity and development in early childhood.
Linda Gillis Finalist in McMaster's 3MT Competition
February 12, 2015
Congratulations to CHEMP Doctoral Student Linda Gillis for making it into the finals of the 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) competition at McMaster. Linda's presentation was "Pediatric obesity treatment: Beyond calories in and out." For the 3MT, graduate students showcase their research using easy-to-understand language and highlight its importance to society.