University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository Research Centres, Institutes, Projects and Units Human Performance Laboratory 2014 Annual Report 2014 Roger Jackson Centre for Health and Wellness Research http://hdl.handle.net/1880/110408 report Downloaded from PRISM: https://prism.ucalgary.ca 2014 Annual Report Roger Jackson Centre for Health and Wellness Research Human Performance Laboratory Sport Medicine Centre There are many ways in which the success of a research group can be measured. Monetary measures, such as the number and value of grants and contracts obtained by its members, certainly tell a part of the story. The number of publications demonstrates quite clearly how prolific a group is. The quality of those publications can be quantita- tively summarized by the all-important H-index. But what is the goal of any research group at an institution of learn- ing? Yes, we wish to perform useful and worthy research. But should we not also be striving to train the very best young bright minds to be the next generation of excellent researchers? If that is our goal, then how do we measure success? Certainly all the items listed above point to the success of the trainees. We are very proud of our trainees and the work they produce, but like proud parents, we always think the best of our own. As an objec- tive measure of their success, there may be no better metric than the number of awards they win at the national and international level. In the last year, our trainees have won some of the most prestigious and highly sought after awards available in their fields of study. A selec- tion of these awards is given below: 1 - Banting Scholarship 1 - Vanier Scholarship 3 - Killam Doctoral Awards 1 - Killam Postdoctoral Award 1 - MitoCanada Inaugural Doctoral Scholarship 2 - Canadian Society for Biomechanics Young Investigator winners 1 - European College of Sport Science Young Investigator winner Our trainees have steadily become more successful. There are likely many reasons for their dominance in some of the national and in- ternational competitions. First and foremost, it is a testament to the high quality of trainees that we have been fortunate enough to attract, and it is also, in large part, due to the dedication of the supervisors within the RJC. The one factor, that cannot be discounted however, is the continued financial assistance we receive through our many benefactors, donors, and granting agencies. Without the generous support from them, and the help and support from the University of Calgary and the Faculty of Kinesiology, none of this would be possible. We are grateful to all of you. Walter Herzog Director Annual Report 2014 1 In Memoriam Cy Frank, our long-term colleague and friend, died unexpectedly on March 5th, 2015. He played a crucial role as the scientific director of the Sports Medicine Clinic in the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Calgary, and for 11 years, was the co-director of the Roger Jackson Centre for Health and Wellness Research. Many beautiful and fitting tributes have been written, celebrating the man Cy Frank was. And despite having known him from my very arrival in Calgary in 1985, and having worked side by side for many years, I realized how little I knew about the man who influenced my career, maybe more than any other single person at the University of Calgary. Although I cannot rival what other much more eloquent writers have already said, I can give my personal view, which may differ somewhat from how others have seen the clinician, mentor, teacher and scientist. Shortly after meeting Cy in 1985, I asked him what he would like to achieve in his career, and he said: “When I am 65, I want to look back at my life, and I want to have made an impact on society.” I was humbled by the ambitious goal of a young and aspiring scientist, and worried what might happen if things did not turn out the way he hoped. Of course, by many accounts, Cy achieved what he set out to do, although he would have argued that he only achieved and implemented a tiny piece of the dreams he had. In one of those long philosophical discussions, he confided that the thing he really would like to understand is how cells communicate. He talked about a group, called the “Crackpots”, who would get together and dream up experi- ments that were just ahead of the times. I asked him on occasion how the cell “experiments” were going, but there was never the time to follow that dream, as pragmatic and patient-oriented problems, and ideas of reforming the way science should be incorporated into health care decisions and policy, took so much energy and left so little time. He always put the needs of others ahead of his own. Prior to accepting the job as CEO and director at AIHS, Cy and I were at an international conference in Switzerland. Over a dram of Laphroig, he confided in me that AIHS was trying to recruit him, but I should not worry. The job was a 2 Roger Jackson Centre dead end, would be frustrating, and would be a ton of work with predictably little progress in a system with lots of inertia and stakeholders from all factions of life. Within two weeks of that conversation, he informed me that he had accepted the job. I just shook my head to which he responded (sheepishly) that somebody had to do it. I once asked a (woman) friend of mine what made Cy so successful. Why would people go out of their way to contribute to his cause? And why was he better than anybody I have ever known at converting the doubters and skeptics of his goals. Her answer was simple: “He smiles at you with this helpless look, and you just want to help that poor boy”. There was a certain helplessness in his understated and gentle approach, but his patience and calm demeanor, even in the most heated discussions, typically won the day. What an approach! Cy was the first to provide me with a lab, when my faculty could not. He convinced me in the early 1990s to do more applied musculoskeletal research, focus on joint injuries and diseases, and to apply for funding from MRC and the Arthritis Society. This new avenue changed my outlook on research and helped me build the group and environment I now enjoy. He even let me drive his car once, the 1970 Chevelle 396 SS, on a fall Saturday when I was in real trouble, as my arranged car had fallen through. Months later, his wife told me that he never let anybody drive that car, not even her. But for a friend in dire straits, Cy leant me his most loved possession. We all miss Cy; what I will miss most is the guidance he provided and the calm wisdom he possessed. The certainty of his goals and ambitions was refreshing. However, what I admired most was his ability to avoid the limelight, steer others to the forefront, and let them take the credit that he deserved. He would insist, even in this situation, that not too much fuss be made. So, he would not want me to dedicate this annual report to him, but rather deflect attention. With this in mind, I dedicate this annual report to two young people, kids really, who did not live long enough to pursue a career and achieve their dreams, Charlotte and Jonas, who I barely knew, but who, through magical circumstances, touched my life profoundly. Walter Herzog Director Annual Report 2014 3 Highlights Honor Carolyn Emery - Inducted into the Royal Society of Canada College of New Scholars. Honor Cy Frank - Named a Member of the Order of Canada. Honor Guillaume Millet - Elected Vice-Chair Research, Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology. Honor Dale Butterwick - Inducted into the Dinos Hall of Fame in the Builder category. Appointed Carolyn Emery - Chair Pediatric Rehabilitation (2014-2019) Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation. Appointed Salvatore Federico - Secretary of the Canadian Society for Biomechanics. Appointed Salvatore Federico - Associate Director (Undergraduate Studies), Centre for Bioengineering Research and Education, January-June 2014. Appointed Willem Meeuwisse - Member, Injury Surveillance Research Team, International Olympic Committee, Sochi, 2014. Appointed Janet Ronsky - AITF iCORE Strategic Chair in Advanced Diagnostics and Devices. Appointed Tannin Schmidt - Tier II Canada Research Chair, Biomaterials – Biomedical Engineering, Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada, 2014-2019. Appointed Joan Vickers - Visiting Professor, Institute for Performance Research, Manchester Metropolitan University, Cheshire, Crewe, UK, 2014-2017. Award Lauren Capozzi - Bultz Best Oral Presentation, Canadian Association of Psychosocial Oncology Conference, Winnipeg, Canada. Award Lauren Capozzi - Best Poster Presentation (Group L), Leaders in Medicine Symposium, University of Calgary. Award Lauren Capozzi - Izaak Walton Killam Pre-doctoral Scholarship Award. Award Kelsey Collins - Izaak Walton Killam Pre-doctoral Scholarship Award. Award Nicole Culos-Reed - Calgary Award of Excellence in Education, City of Calgary. Award Colleen Cuthbert - Izaak Walton Killam Pre-doctoral Scholarship Award. 4 Roger Jackson Centre Highlights Award Tish Doyle-Baker - Dr. E. Bako Award - outstanding contributions to the Health and Fitness Program and Provincial Fitness Unit of Alberta. Award Brent Edwards - Clinical Biomechanics Award, American Society of Biomechanics, Boston, USA. Award Brent Edwards - Harold M. Frost Young Investigator Award, American Society of Bone and Mineral Research, Sun Valley, USA. Award Carolyn Emery - Killam Emerging Research Leader Award. Award Carolyn Emery - USA Hockey Excellence in Safety Award. Award Hendrik Enders - Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship, Doctoral. Award Maria Engel - Alberta BME Conference Clearest Message Poster Award, Banff, Canada.