
Dr. Mark Beauchamp
(Principal Investigator)
Professor, School of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia
Mark is a Professor in the School of Kinesiology at The University of British Columbia. He conducts research in the fields of exercise and health psychology, and has a particular interest in (a) understanding barriers to, and facilitators of, physical activity behaviour across the age spectrum, and (b) developing conceptually-sound evidence-based interventions that are cost-effective and sustainable. He grew up in a military family (his father was in the British Army; Brigade of Gurkhas for over 30 years), and worked with military veterans in British Columbia to develop the PASS program, He has conducted several randomized controlled trials (funded by agencies such as the Canadian Institutes of Health Research), with a particular interest in understanding the capacity of social groups to support the health and well-being of various populations.
Email: mark.beauchamp@ubc.ca
Dr. Eli Puterman
(Co-Principal Investigator)
Associate Professor, School of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia
Eli is a Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Physical Activity and Health and a Michael Smith Scholar for Health Research. His research seeks to understand the interplay among stress, aging, and exercise. Eli is currently developing new intervention trials and laboratory-based studies to disentangle the extent to which both acute and long-term exercise can strengthen both psychological and biological stress responses and immune function in children and adults alike. When Eli is not at work, he tries to reduce stress with home renovations, hikes in the area, canoeing in False Creek and walks on the seawall with his family.
Dr. John Ogrodniczuk
(Co-Investigator)
Professor of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, The University of British Columbia
John is a Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the UBC Psychotherapy Program, one of the largest medically-based psychotherapy training programs in North America. His research program focuses on a variety of psychotherapies and patient populations, with a particular focus on personality disorders and men’s mental health. He is Past-President of the North American chapter of the International Society for Psychotherapy Research, and Founder of HeadsUpGuys, a leading global resource for supporting men with depression. John also maintains a private psychotherapy practice. Away from work, John enjoys playing hockey, cooking meat over fire, riding his bike, spending time with his wife, and cheering on his adult kids as they pursue their passions in life.
Dr. Yan Liu
(Co-Investigator)
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Carleton University
Yan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Carleton University. Her research interests not only include theoretical work in psychometrics and statistics (e.g., propensity score matching, mediation and moderation modeling, response time, measurement invariance), but also include the application of advanced statistical methods in physical and mental health fields, especially exercise and health psychology. She has collaborated with researchers from a variety of fields, such as Kinesiology, Occupational Therapy, and Counselling Psychology. She was a co-investigator on a CIHR-funded randomized controlled trial that examined how social connectivity can assist with the physical and mental health of older adults. In her spare time, she likes traveling, swimming, cycling, hiking, and reading science fiction stories.
Dr. Jonathan Little
(Co-Investigator)
Associate Professor, School of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia.
John is an Associate Professor in the School of Health and Exercise Sciences at the University of British Columbia Okanagan in Kelowna, BC, Canada. He focuses his research on optimizing diet and exercise interventions for improving cardiometabolic health and reducing chronic inflammation. Using a molecule-to-human translational approach, he tries to understand what lifestyle interventions work best for specific clinical populations while simultaneously exploring the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the responses to different types of nutritional or exercise strategies. When not doing research, he enjoys being active with his family, playing tennis, and sampling the many terrific wines on offer in the Okanagan Valley.
Dr. Michael Koehle
(Co-Investigator)
Professor, School of Kinesiology and Faculty of Medcine, University of British Columbia
Dr. Koehle is a physician practising academic sport and exercise medicine at the University of British Columbia. He is also a Professor in the School of Kinesiology, and the Director of the Division of Sport and Exercise Medicine in the Faculty of Medicine at UBC. Dr. Koehle is also the Assistant Academic Director of the Office of Education Innovation in the Faculty of Medicine. His research focuses on the interaction between exercise, the environment and health.
Nathan Reis
(Trial Co-ordinator and Researcher)
Post-doctoral Fellow, School of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia
Nathan is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of British Columbia, with his primary role being to coordinate and manage various components of the PASS Trial. Nathan’s primary research interests and background are rooted in psychosocial foundations of sport, with particular expertise in self-compassion, masculinities, and mixed methodologies. Nathan received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, his Master of Science degree in Kinesiology, and his PhD in Kinesiology, all of which at the University of Saskatchewan, while concurrently teaching undergraduate level Kinesiology courses since the completion of his Master’s. One of Nathan’s passions outside of academia is competitive soccer, where he developed many of his friendships and a life-long love of sport during his childhood and years as a varsity/alumni athlete. Currently, Nathan enjoys exploring and taking in all the sites of Vancouver, the city he now calls home, with his 11 year-old daughter, Mya, and his wife, Kayla.
Katrina Waldhauser
(Trial Co-ordinator and Researcher)
Doctoral Student, School of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia
Katrina is a third year PhD student and a recipient of the Canada Graduate Scholarship – Doctoral from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Her research primarily focuses on physical activity, social connection, and well-being among recently transitioned military veterans. Katrina completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology at the University of Calgary and her Master of Arts in Kinesiology at the University of British Columbia. In addition to her academic work, Katrina provides sport psychology support to athletes and teams in her role as a Mental Performance Consultant. She also serves on the managing council of the Canadian Sport Psychology Association as the Student Committee Lead and as a member of the Professional Development Committee. Outside of work, Katrina enjoys walks by the beach, cycling, and exploring the local mountains.
Dr. Vincent Gosselin-Boucher
(Trial Researcher)
Post-doctoral Research Fellow, University of British Columbia
Vincent received his PhD from Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). He’s a current postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of British Columbia. His work includes the development of technology-based evaluation and scientific knowledge translation tools, the use of qualitative methods to describe barriers and facilitators to behaviour change, and the wellbeing of healthcare professionals. Other than endurance sports, he has a passion for archeology and numismatics.
Rupert Whiting
(PASS Trial Military Liaison)
Chapter Lead – Treble Victor
Rupert served in the British Army for nearly ten years before moving into management consultancy. He is the Vancouver Chapter Lead for Treble Victor, a not-for-profit organization that supports Veterans in business and those seeking a fulfilling second career after military service. Rupert is the military liaison for the PASS trial in which he will work as a link between the Canadian Armed Forces and the PASS Trial Research Team. A keen sportsman in the past, Rupert played rugby for many years and enjoys the friendly competitiveness of the play in the PASS program.