People

Directors

Dr. Shane Sweet, Director 

The overarching goal of Dr. Shane Sweet’s program of research is to enhance the lives of adults, whether healthy or living with chronic conditions/disease (e.g., adults with cardiovascular disease, spinal cord injury), by understanding and promoting physical activity and well-being and engaging community members. His program of research is therefore guided by three pillars: 

1. Understand:  The purpose of this pillar is to understand physical activity participation and well-being by applying, testing and integrating theory, developing conceptual models and tracking changes over time. Research within this pillar is categorized by two streams: physical activity and well-being.  
2. Promote: In this pillar, Dr. Sweet looks to increase physical activity and related constructs and enhance well-being through the two streams: persuasive messaging and intensive interventions. 
3. Engage: The objective of this pillar is to incorporate the community in research, co-construct research with community, inform key end-users of the results and evaluate knowledge translation initiatives. As a result, consumer engagement and knowledge translation research are the two streams imbedded within this pillar. Most of  Dr. Sweet's research projects apply the integrated knowledge translation (IKT) guiding principles. 

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For more information on Dr. Sweet’s peer mentorship research in spinal cord injury please visit www.mcgill.ca/scipm. You can also view this video where Dr. Sweet discusses his research on well-being and specifically on spinal cord injury peer mentorship for McGill University’s Institute of Human Development and Well-Being’s video series entitled: Well-Being: What a Concept!

Dr. Lindsay Duncan, Director 

Dr. Duncan’s research is focused on investigating strategies to support the initiation and maintenance of physical activity and health behaviour change; particularly among those who face disproportionate risks from unhealthy behaviours (e.g., cancer survivors), or those who face disproportionate challenges to engaging in health behaviour (e.g., medically-underserved populations or the elderly). Dr. Duncan’s research focuses primarily on the promotion of exercise and physical activity; however, she has a keen interest in a wide variety of health behaviours including but not limited to:

• Healthy eating
• Smoking cessation
• Prevention of alcohol, tobacco, and drug use.
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Currently, Dr. Duncan is working on developing interventions to motivate and support physical activity participation women who are undergoing treatment for cancer. She also is collaborating on a series of projects in the evolving area of “serious games” (i.e., videogames intended for use in education or health) with the goal of developing innovative evidence-based educational materials and targeted videogame interventions for risk reduction and prevention in youth and young adults. Dr. Duncan believes strongly in taking a theory-based approach to health-behaviour research as well as partnering with community-based organizations to develop practically-relevant and sustainable interventions. Dr. Duncan maintains a network of multi-disciplinary research partners and is excited to expand her collaborative network. 

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Students

Bradley Crocker, Master's Student 

Research Interests: Psychosocial determinants and discursive constructions of health and health-related behaviours, particularly in collegiate athletes and adolescents.

About me: As a varsity swimmer of five years, I’ve experienced first hand the demanding lifestyle student-athletes manage of balancing complex social, athletic, and academic roles. I’ve also witnessed how this lifestyle can shape student-athletes’ perceptions of what constitutes acceptable health-related behaviours, and some of the outcomes these behaviours lead to regarding mental and physical health. I was drawn to the TIE lab to partake in qualitative research as a means to better understand how student-athletes conceptualize health, and to potentially help inform interventions or the creation of new resources leading to the improved well-being of this population and others. 

Laura Hallward, M.A. '18, PhD Student 

Research Interests: Promoting physical activity among cancer survivors, particularly breast cancer and prostate cancer; preventing doping (or the use of performance-enhancing substances) among adolescent athletes 

About me: I have always led an active lifestyle either playing sports or engaging in different forms of exercise. With my interest in health and fitness, I joined the TIE lab during my undergraduate degree to help promote a healthy and active lifestyle among different populations. I also enjoying spending time exploring Montreal, from going for a run on the mountain to trying out new restaurants around the city.

Shannon Herrick, M.A. '18, PhD Student ​

Research Interests: The intersection of sexual orientation, gender identity, and physical activity participation. More specifically, looking at how unique minority experiences within the LBGTQ+ community affect physical activity engagement.

About me: As an athlete, physical activity has always played a significant role in my life. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, physical activity settings and practices have not always been the most inclusive. This inspired me to found Queerobics Montreal, a community organization and non-profit focused on creating safer spaces for physical activity engagement, and workshops for body positivity. Queerobics operates as my passion project, as well as ongoing inspiration for my master’s research.

Zhiyang (George) Shi, M.A. '19, PhD Candidate 

Research Interests: Using a peer-led self management program for increasing the participation of physical activity and quality of life among adults with physical impairments.

About me: I completed my undergraduate major in Sports Rehabilitation at Tianjin Medical University (China). Throughout my undergraduate degree, I became strongly interested in encouraging people living with mobility impairments to partake in physical activities and exercise. I am very enthusiastic about promoting people’s health and their quality of life. In my spare time, I enjoy playing basketball and swimming. These activities make me energetic and confident every day.

Tayah Liska, Master's Student

Research Interest: How engagement, and adherence to, physical activity effects the quality of life amongst people living with chronic diseases or injuries.

About Me: As an athletic individual and sports enthusiast, I’ve have always had great interest in physical activity, exercise, sport, and health promotion. This interest led me to studying kinesiology, completing a Bachelor of Science in Human Kinetics with Honours this past year at St. Francis Xavier University. As much as I am passionate about exercise and sports, I have developed a great interest in research. Having learned about the TIE Lab’s focus on physical activity interventions, adaptive physical activity, and health behaviour theory, I felt as though this research environment would allow me to growth my interest further. As a first year master’s student in the TIE Lab, I am very excited to further explore my research interest, gain insight to new areas of research, and learn more about physical activity interventions!

Olivia Pastore, PhD Candidate

Research Interests: Understanding the psychological processes and self-care strategies among peer mentors with spinal cord injury (SCI); using a self-compassion intervention to reduce compassion fatigue and enhance well-being among peer mentors with SCI; exercise promotion for insufficiently active adults

About me: As an athlete and avid exerciser, I have always been interested in understanding the psychological processes behind engaging in, and maintaining physical activity behaviour. Being in the field of exercise psychology, I have been able to fulfill my passion for helping individuals to become more active through my research. Alongside this research interest, I have also always been so passionate about helping others increase their well-being and quality of life, specifically through being self-compassionate. I strongly believe that self-compassion is an important psychological resource that can be useful to anyone. What excites me the most about my research is the practical component and the opportunity to work with these individuals first-hand in a community setting. To me, there is nothing more rewarding than seeing your research make a positive impact. It is a huge honour for me to be able to work in the TIE lab with such an amazing team and I'm so excited for what we will all accomplish!

Nour Saadawi, Master's Student

My research interests entering the TIE lab are centered around the exploration of behavioural and psychosocial theories behind physical activity motivation, adherence and inclusiveness. Especially among individuals with disability, chronic disease or whose lifestyles require change.

Leading an active lifestyle has always been something I am passionate about, whether it is playing competitive basketball or going out for a run. This has led me to study Exercise Science at Concordia University and to become a certified Kinesiologist. My interest in research grew when I started my hands on work with patients with different needs and backgrounds and it focused my attention to the need for exercise motivation and adherence. Other than the world of exercise, I enjoy playing the piano, reading and being out in nature. I am very excited to enter my first graduate year at the TIE lab and be part of such a great team!

Meaghan Osborne, Master's Student

Research Interests: Physical activity participation for inactive adults; theoretical determinants of physical activity initiation and maintenance; self-determination theory; how to best incorporate exercise prescription into medical education and practice.

About me: Physical activity has always been a part of who I am. I grew up with active parents and enjoyed many forms of sport and exercise. As a young adult, physical activity has helped me maintain my mental and physical health and cope with challenges. I am an advocate for physical activity as both a mental health and preventative health tool and have always tried to motivate my friends and family to participate in physical activity. This is what originally led me to the TIE lab where I have worked and volunteered since 2018. I completed my honours in Kinesiology in 2021 where I explored theoretical determinants of physical activity maintenance in a cardiac rehabilitation setting. I look forward to new learning opportunities in the TIE lab as a Master’s student.

Dr. Jordan Herbison, Post-Doctoral Fellow

Research Interests: Exploring and examining how group processes shape people’s quality experiences in groups big and small.

About me: I am a first-generation university grad who came to psychology through my sport participation. Personally, I found that learning how to mentally prepare for sport was key to my performance, which inspired me to purse graduate studies in sport and exercise psychology. During my master’s research, I collaborated with Drs. Luc Martin (M.Sc. supervisor, Queen’s University) and Mustafa Sarkar (Nottingham-Trent University) explored undrafted National Hockey League players’ experiences overcoming adversity. My doctoral research, co-supervised by Drs. Luc Martin (Queen’s University) and Mark Bruner (Nipissing University), used ecological sampling methods to further our understanding of the social identity approach and identity leadership in youth sport environments. As a post-doctoral fellow, I aim to use my expertise in group dynamics and ecological sampling methods in two areas: 1) To help develop guiding resources for establishing quality powerchair sport programs in Canada, and; 2) To better understand the risk and protective factors contributing spinal cord injury (SCI) peer mentors’ well-being in SCI peer mentorship programs. Outside of academia, my favourite ways to find balance are by spending quality time with family and friends on the St. Lawrence River or Lake Ontario, over good food and drink, or playing some kind of game/sport.

Research Assistant

Jacques Comeau, Research Assistant

Having completed an MA thesis on the topic of mentoring, spent 10 years working as a peer mentor for people with a spinal injury, and been involved in research in that area for the last several years, joining the TIE LAB team is an ideal next stage for me. I've been a C5 quadraplegic since the age of 20, so I have a good understanding of the life of a person living with a spinal injury. I'm looking forward to working with an exciting group of students on Dr. Sweet's team as a Research Assistant.

Alumni

Emilie Michalovic, PhD '21

Supervisor: Dr. Shane Sweet

Dissertation title: Participation in daily and social activities in individuals living with COPD: The role of peer support and physical activity

Pierre Lepage, Research Assistant

Supervisor: Dr. Shane Sweet

Research Interests: Adapted physical activity and the impact of peer-mentorship in physical activity interventions.

Natasha Kaushik, M.A. '20

Supervisor: Dr. Shane Sweet

Thesis title: Exploring the physical activity experiences of women with a physical disability in India

Dr. Nianhong Li, visiting professor '20

Research Interests: Sports psychology, Exercise and health psychology, particularly in the field of physical activity and psychological health promotion research among the adolescent, the elderly and the drug withdrawal population.

François Jarry, M.A. '19

Supervisor: Dr. Shane Sweet

Thesis title: The effect of model similarity on exercise self-efficacy among adults recovering from a stroke

Meredith Rocchi, Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Meredith Rocchi started her postdoc at the TIE lab in August 2016 and completed it in December 2019. She actively engaged in multiple research projects in the lab and provided fellow students with mentorship. Now, Meredith is an assistant professor at the University of Ottawa. 

Samantha Taran, M.Sc. '15, PhD Candidate '18

Supervisor: Dr. Shane Sweet

Research Interests: Understanding what psychological and physiological factors contribute to sedentary behavior in order to develop an evidence-based intervention to reduce sedentary behavior in the aging population; health promotion in older adults; quality of life in older adults.

Jeff Caron, Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Jeff Caron was a postdoctoral fellow in the TIE lab from 2016 to 2018. During that time he worked with both Dr. Sweet and Dr. Duncan. In Dr. Sweet’s lab, the main project that Jeff worked on was funded by the Canadian Disability Participation Project. Specifically, he and the team developed of a measure of experiential aspects of participation (MeEAP). While in Dr. Duncan’s lab, Jeff was the Project Director for an International Olympic Committee-funded grant that examined the effects of a videogame intervention to prevent doping and the use of supplements in sport. Jeff is now an Assistant Professor in the School of Kinesiology and Physical Activity Sciences at Université de Montréal.

Keryn Chemtob, M.A. '17 

Supervisor: Dr. Shane Sweet

Thesis title: Using tele-health to enhance leisure time physical activity and motivation in adults with spinal cord injury: A pilot randomised control trial

Eric Hutt, M.A. '17 

Supervisor: Dr. Lindsay Duncan

Thesis title: Factors Associated with Physical Activity in Primary Spousal Caregivers of Men with Cancer

Martina Marien, M.A. '16 

Supervisor: Dr. Lindsay Duncan

Thesis title: Using a Think-Aloud Protocol to Explore Affective Experiences during Exercise in an Insufficiently Physically Active Population

Jamie Rebner, M.A. '16

Supervisor: Dr. Lindsay Duncan

Thesis title: Talking Your Way to Record Times: Instructional vs. Motivational Self-Talk and 10 km Time Trial Performance

Chelsey Saunders, M.A. '16 

Supervisor: Dr. Shane Sweet

Thesis title: Physical Activity and Well-being Post-Cardiac Rehabilitation: Adopting the Empirical Model of Well-being