School of Exercise Flexes Academic Muscle

Two members of the University of Victoria’s School of Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education are the recipients of awards of excellence. Dr. Ryan Rhodes, an associate professor in the school, has received an Early Career Distinguished Scholar Award this month from the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity for his outstanding achievement as a leading scholar in the early stage of his career. His research program focuses on motivation and physical activity, and one of his current projects is exploring health behaviours of couples who have become new parents. “Interestingly, there has been much more research on childhood health and obesity lately, with far less emphasis on parental health,” says Rhodes. “We want to take a good look at the onset of parenthood and its impacts on exercise and dietary needs.”
    Rhodes’s doctoral student, Rachel Dean, has also enjoyed some recent acclaim. Dean has been awarded an Institute of Aging Age Plus Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research in acknowledgement of her research and an article on aging. The study addresses why older adults are engaging in weight training and explores the factors that influence strength training participation among individuals 55 years and older.

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