Faculty of Arts & Science
Kinesiology & Physical Education

Carly Adams
Associate Professor

Dr. Adams’ research interests include 20^th century Canadian sport, recreation and leisure with a particular focus on regional, local, and oral histories, women’s sport and governance. Her ongoing research projects explore Lethbridge’s Sporting Heritage from 1860-present (with Dr. Robert Kossuth) and the history of women’s hockey in Alberta. Her current funded research project with Dr. Hart Cantelon, explores issues of community revitalization, rural survival, and the migration of female athletes in Southern Alberta through a case study of the Warner Hockey School in Warner, Alberta. Dr. Adams is currently accepting graduate students.

Dr. Adams’ regular course offerings include Humanities Dimensions of Physical Activity Involvement (2130), Gender and Physical Activity (4720), The Modern Olympic Movement (3850), and Canadian Sport History (4400). Dr. Adams is available to supervise both independent and applied studies courses.

Dr. Adams currently coordinates the Individualized Multidisciplinary Major in the MA graduate programme (with concentrations in Anthropology, Kinesiology, Sociology, and Women and Gender Studies).

Please view Dr. Adams’ Directory Profile for more information. 

Jochen Bocksnick
Associate Professor

Dr. Bocksnick refers to his research as the study of his future – physical activity involvement and aging.  He is interested in older adults’ motivation to initiate and maintain a physically active lifestyle. His interests also include pedagogical considerations when designing structured exercise programs for older adults.

Dr. Bocksnick’s regular course offerings include Research Methodologies and Physical Activity Involvement (2200), Physical Activity and Aging (4500), and Sport Psychology (3680).  He has supervised independent and applied studies courses and is available to do so in the future.

Dr. Bocksnick is the initiator of the Fitball Exercise Program for Older Adults. It is a unique exercise program which has become an integral part of campus life since its’ founding in 1998. Learn more about the program here.

Please view Dr. Bocksnick’s Directory Profile for more information. 

Sean Brayton
Assistant Professor

Dr. Brayton’s research interests include representations of race and ethnicity with a particular emphasis on irony, parody and satire in popular film and television. He is currently focusing on the racialized depictions of labour in Hollywood films, children’s cartoons and “reality” television. Dr. Brayton is currently accepting graduate students.

Dr. Brayton’s regular course offerings include Sociological Dimensions of Physical Activity Involvement (2150), Social Constructions of the Body (3100), Culture of Physical Activity (3640), and Ethnicity and Physical Activity (4725). Dr. Brayton is available to supervise independent studies courses.

Please view Dr. Brayton’s Directory Profile for more information. 

Lesley Brown
Professor and Associate Vice-President Research

Dr. Brown's research program addresses the problems of balance and falling in the elderly and in people with movement difficulties such as Parkinson's disease. Her work explores how issues such as fear of falling affect walking and the ability to prevent a falling episode. Her current work is addressing the effects of music as a novel therapeutic intervention for walking difficulties in people with Parkinson's disease. Dr. Brown runs the Balance Research Lab, and is currently accepting graduate students.

In the past Dr. Brown's regular course offerings have included Functional Human Anatomy (2600), Motor Control (3690) and the Kinesiology Senior Seminar (4900). She is not currently teaching courses due to her role as a senior administrator.

Dr. Brown is the Associate Vice-President Research. 

Please view Dr. Brown’s Directory Profile for more information. 

Jennifer Copeland
Associate Professor

Dr. Copeland’s research is focused on understanding the relationships between physical activity and aging. She studies this from two perspectives: how physical activity affects the aging process and also how aging influences physical activity behaviours. Dr. Copeland runs the Active Healthy Aging Lab, and is currently accepting graduate students.

Dr. Copeland’s regular course offerings include Human Physiology (2610), Exercise Physiology (3610), Fitness and Lifestyle Assessment (4610), and Physical Activity and Health (4200). Dr. Copeland is available to supervise both independent and applied studies courses.

Dr. Copeland is a national instructor and examiner for the 2 levels of certification through the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology: Certified Personal Trainer and Certified Exercise Physiologist.

Please view Dr. Copeland’s Directory Profile for more information. 

Jon Doan
Assistant Professor

Dr. Doan’s research combines mechanical and biological engineering with kinesiology and neuroscience to focus on measuring and interpreting the interaction of human perceptions and actions at work and at play.  His current research explores two main topics: 1) perceptual basis of occupational over-loading and soft tissue injury, and 2) exercise therapy and biomedical devices for neurorehabilitation amongst people living with Parkinson's disease. Dr. Doan's research combines field work with experimental studies in the Engineering and Human Performance Laboratory.  Dr. Doan is currently accepting graduate students.

Dr. Doan’s regular course offerings include Research Methodologies in Physical Activity Involvement (2200), Physical Basis of Ergonomics (2750), and Biomechanics (3650).  Dr. Doan is available to supervise both independent and applied studies courses. 

 Please view Dr. Doan’s Directory Profile for more information. 

Claudia Gonzalez
Assistant Professor

Dr. Gonzalez’ investigates how the brain processes and integrates sensory and motor information. In particular how vision and hapsis (touch) guide our arm and hand movements for reaching and grasping.

She is also interested in understanding the interactions of the motor system with cognitive processes such as language, memory, and spatial abilities. She uses human psychophysics, behavioural measures including eye and hand kinematics and cerebral blood flow to infer brain function. Her research includes healthy and neurological populations. Dr. Gonzalez is currently accepting honours’ and graduate students as well as postdoctoral fellows.

Dr. Gonzalez’ course offerings include Introduction to Movement Disorders (2670), and Research Seminar in Kinesiology: A multidisciplinary approach, from movement to cognition (3850). Dr. Gonzalez is available to supervise independent and applied studies courses.

Dr. Gonzalez is a Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in sensorimotor control. She is an associate member of the Department of Neuroscience.

Please view Dr. Gonzalez’s Directory Profile for more information.

Tom Hazell
Assistant Professor

Dr. Hazell’s primary research involves the potential acute and chronic health benefits of different exercise modalities such as high-intensity interval training and whole-body vibration exercise.  He is particularly interested in the metabolic effects of manipulating interval bout duration and recovery length as well as the effect interval training has on appetite and satiety.  Further research interests involve the effect of vitamin D on skeletal muscle function.  Dr. Hazell runs the Exercise Nutrition and Health Research Laboratory and is currently accepting graduate students.

Dr. Hazell's regular course offerings include Human Physiology (2610), Exercise Nutrition (3500), Exercise Physiology (3610), and Advanced Exercise Physiology (4615).  Dr. Hazell is available to supervise both independent and applied studies courses.

Please view Dr. Hazell’s Directory Profile for more information. 

Michelle Helstein
Associate Professor and Department Co-Chair

Dr. Helstein’s research interests lie within cultural studies, poststructural, and feminist theories as they intersect with the popular culture of sport, exercise, and the body. She is particularly interested in questions of representation and the production and consumption of cultural identities. Her current research explores the consequences of neoliberalism on ostensibly public sector representations within Canadian sport and health discourses. Dr. Helstein is currently accepting graduate students.

Dr. Helstein’s regular course offerings include Sociological Dimensions of Physical Activity Involvement (2150), Culture of Physical Activity (3640), Media and Physical Activity (3645), and Applied Ethics in Sport and Physical Activity (4640). Dr. Helstein is available to supervise both independent and applied studies courses.

Dr. Helstein is Co-Chair of the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education (along with Ilsa Wong).

Please view Dr. Helstein’s Directory Profile for more information. 

Robert Kossuth
Assistant Professor

The history of sport, recreation and leisure practices in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century Canada is Dr. Kossuth’s primary research area. Specifically, his research focuses on local and regional histories and how physical culture provides an avenue to explore questions related to masculinity (gender), social class and race in nascent prairie communities. Dr. Kossuth is currently accepting graduate students.

Dr. Kossuth’s regular course offerings include Humanities Dimensions of Physical Activity Involvement (2130), History of Physical Activity (3400), Philosophy of Physical Activity (3740), and Canadian Sport History (4400). Dr. Kossuth is available to supervise both independent and applied studies courses.

Please view Dr. Kossuth’s Directory Profile for more information. 

Mike Mahon
Professor and University President

Dr. Mahon is the President of the University of Lethbridge.  

Please visit the Office of the President for more information. 

Luc Martin
Assistant Professor

Dr. Martin’s research interests lie within group dynamics principles and how they impact psychological outcomes in the context of physical activity. He is particularly interested in areas such as cohesion, team building, leadership, conflict, and cliques. His current research explores (1) the impact of team cohesion on child sport participants with regard to their overall sport experiences as well as participation and adherence rates, (2) how the nature of cliques and their presence impacts sport teams, and (3) the social identity theory in the context of sport. Dr. Martin runs the Group Dynamics in Sport and Exercise Psychology (GDSEP) Lab and is currently accepting graduate students.

Dr. Martin’s regular course offerings include Psychological Dimensions of Physical Activity Involvement (2140), Sport Psychology (3680), Exercise Psychology (3780), and Advanced Applied Sport Psychology (4680).  Dr. Martin is available to supervise both independent and applied studies courses.

Please view Dr. Martin’s Directory Profile for more information. 

Brenda Nixon
Administrative Assistant

Brenda Nixon provides administrative support to department faculty members and our students. If you have a question, she very likely has the answer (or knows how to get it)! 

Please view Brenda Nixon’s Directory Profile for more information. 

Gongbing Shan
Professor

Dr. Shan’s research lab hosts a wide range of high-impact, interdisciplinary research projects, which cross nine distinct fields: Medicine, Sports, Engineering, Health, Music, Art, Ergonomics, Education and Psychology. He is the founder of a state-of-the-art Biomechanics Lab at the University of Lethbridge, which is equipped with a high-speed 3D motion capture system, wireless EMG, force platforms & bicycle pedal force sensors along with other equipment personally developed by Dr. Shan. So far, the research projects done in the Biomechanics Lab have won 4 prestigious international awards with students’ participation.

Dr. Shan’s regular course offerings include Research Methodologies and Physical Activity Involvement (2200), Biomechanics (3650), Biomechanical Instrumentation and Data Analysis (4660), and Biomechanics Modeling (4665). He has also taught within the Liberal Education Program (LBED 1001, LBED 1002) and lectures regularly in Imaging Science and Technologies in Today’s World (PHYS 2850). Dr. Shan is available to supervise applied studies courses.

Please view Dr. Shan’s Directory Profile or Personal Website for more information. 

Stephane Simard 
Academic Assistant (Instructor)

Stephane Simard’s regular course offerings include Biophysical Foundations of Human Movement (2110), Scientific Basis of Strength Training (2115), Functional Human Anatomy (2600), and Advanced Resistance Training for Health and Performance (PHAC 3445). Mr. Simard is available to supervise both independent and applied studies courses. 

Please view Stephane Simard’s Directory Profile for more information.