Principal Investigator

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Dr. dawn mackey

Associate Professor & Graduate Program Chair, Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University

Associate Member, Department of Gerontology, Simon Fraser University

Core Member, Centre for Aging SMART at Vancouver Coastal Health

Scholar, Michael Smith Health Research BC

Phone: (778) 782-9330
Fax: (778) 782-3040
Email: dmackey@sfu.ca

The goal of my research is to positively impact health, wellbeing, and quality of life for older adults.

Dr. Dawn Mackey is passionate about helping older adults to maintain mobility and independence. In her Aging and Population Health Lab (APHL) at Simon Fraser University, Dr. Mackey and her team are focused on designing, evaluating, and implementing effective strategies to support older adult mobility and health behavior change. Her current areas of concentration are physical activity, falls and injuries, and fatigability.

Dr. Mackey’s research with older adults spans community to long-term care settings. Her work is applied in nature and solutions focused. Her research is embedded in a knowledge exchange framework that supports translation of insights into actions. As such, she engages with stakeholders to design, conduct, and disseminate research to ensure impact.

Dr. Mackey received her BSc Honours and MSc in Kinesiology from Simon Fraser University. She received her PhD in Epidemiology from the University of California, Berkeley, and she continued her training in Epidemiology through a post-doctoral fellowship at the San Francisco Coordinating Centre at the University of California, San Francisco. Now as a faculty member, she is committed to providing outstanding mentorship to her trainees.

Dr. Mackey’s research incorporates methods and techniques from epidemiology, biostatistics, knowledge translation, and implementation science. These include clinical trials, feasibility and proof-of-concept studies, longitudinal cohort studies, causal inference, laboratory experiments, qualitative inquiries, knowledge synthesis, meta-analysis, and formative evaluation.

AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION

Older adult mobility
Physical activity
Lifestyle behaviour change
Fall and injury prevention
Fatigability
Physical function

Life-space
Long-term care
Intervention and observational studies
Core outcome sets
Knowledge translation
Implementation science

Trainees

Dr. samantha gray

Post-doctoral Fellow (samantha_gray@sfu.ca)

Samantha is a post-doctoral fellow in the Aging and Population Health Lab (APHL) at SFU. Her research is driven by an enduring respect for older adults and a commitment to improve their health. Thus, her recently completed doctoral studies (Experimental Medicine, UBC, 2022) focused on how to implement and adapt an older adult health promotion program (Choose to Move) for scale-up across BC, before and during COVID-19. Samantha is currently working on how to adapt Choose to Move to reach more diverse populations of older adults, such as those marginalized by ethnicity, sex, and gender. Samantha draws on a background of implementation science, kinesiology, dance, psychology of behaviour change, and knowledge translation to support the research goals of the APHL. Outside of academia, Samantha is a movement artist. She trains and creates across disciplines of contemporary dance, hand-balancing, and pole and aerial arts; she has performed works on film, in theatres, studios, and outdoor settings.

peter young

PhD Student (peter_young_2@sfu.ca)

Peter is an PhD student in the Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology at SFU. Before starting his research in the APHL, Peter completed his BHK at UBC-O. His research aims to standardize the selection of outcome measures for future clinical trials of physical activity with older adults. Peter's passion for enhancing the efficiency of physical activity with older adults is driven by years of hands-on experience as a personal trainer. During this time, he observed how exercise and physical activity could foster prolonged well-being and quality of life throughout the later years. Peter has committed to trade in the dumbbells for notebooks to impact as many lives as possible. Outside of research, Peter thrives in the outdoors, taking in all the wonders that Vancouver offers.  

Sarra Pirmohamed

MSc Student, Accelerated (sarra_pirmohamed@sfu.ca)

Sarra is a BSc student pursuing a major in Biomedical Physiology at SFU. She joined the APHL in May 2023 as a Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA) recipient and is assisting with the adaptation of Choose to Move for older men. Sarra currently volunteers at an assisted living facility and previously worked as a personal trainer, primarily with older adults. Sarra has a passion for healthy living stemming from an upbringing filled with team sports, some of which she continues to play today. She hopes to translate this passion into working with older adults in the physical activity and health promotion fields. Previously, Sarra has worked with the BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit (BCIRPU) as a volunteer for the SHRed Concussions Study, as well as completing a case study on Vision Zero Surrey, and presenting at the Summer Student Research Program through the BC Childrens Hospital Research Institute (BCCHR). Outside of research, she enjoys exploring restaurants and lakes in the lower mainland, as well as spending time with family, friends, and dogs.

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Trainee level (email)

Bio

Patient Partners

Bob Strain

Patient Partner

Bob is a retired educator and lifelong learner. He has been a Patient Voices Network (PVN) member for the last twelve years.  Bob has been a soccer afficionado since birth, and is a daily walker, even if an umbrella or ski coat are needed. Formerly Bob was a violinist and a member of live concerts, plays, and the CBC. In the sublime July weather, Bob can be found picking dozens of ice-cream buckets of blueberries.

Christine wallsworth

Patient Partner

Christine has volunteered in the health care system since 2012 as a Patient & Family Partner (PFP) with both VCH/UBC and Providence through both the Patient Voices Network (PVN) and Community Engagement Advisory Committee (CEAN).  She joined these volunteer opportunities as she is passionate about people having their voice heard within the BC healthcare system.  Christine is also an advocate for improving research by participating and contributing her personal experience to relevant research areas.   

Christine is excited to be a part of the APHL and hopes that her input and collaboration as a part of the physical activity research team will lead to relevant health outcomes for older adults.

When she is not travelling or volunteering, she enjoys keeping active, reading, and doing arts and crafts.  Christine also enjoying getting together with family and friends over good food and drink.