The University has invested $130M in a new facility at the 200 Lees campus to expand its research infrastructure and to provide tomorrow’s health-care professionals with modern, nimble spaces where they will receive real-world training. Located beside the Rideau River, the five-story building houses the academic activities of three Schools (Nursing, Nutrition Sciences, and Rehabilitation Sciences), as well as research activities from all five Schools. Classrooms and laboratories are equipped with state-of-the-art technology to immerse students in real-life settings and promote the innovation and essential research needed to improve patient care and the lives of people around the world.

This new building is a testament to the Faculty’s commitment to research and innovation in healthcare through a broad program that includes biomechanics, exercise physiology, rehabilitation sciences, nutrition and food sciences, motor control and neuroscience, and women’s and Indigenous health, to name but a few areas.

Project led by Anna Zumbansen, School of Rehabilitation Sciences

The need for rehabilitation strategies continues to grow, yet most health care systems are facing clinical staffing shortages. Professor Zumbansen’s research program aims to provide innovative solutions to this societal problem. Given the potential health benefits of music making and the large number of musicians and music educators in Canada, the research project examines the possible advantages of music education programs for children and older adults with rehabilitation needs in mental health, voice and speech, cognitive, and motricity domains. Three types of adapted music education programs are studied (singing-based, movement-based or instrument-based) for their effect on enjoyment, social connection, and quality of life, as well as specific measures in each rehabilitation domain. By providing scientific evidence of the benefits of integrating music education programs into health care, this research has the potential of bringing health and social wellness benefits to many individuals and communities in Canada, while lowering the costs and burden on the healthcare system.

Project led by Ryan Graham and Julie Nantel, School of Human Kinetics

Optimizing movement is critical to prevent and treat injuries and disorders that affect mobility and to improve performance and quality of life. The MULTI Complex initiative aims to accelerate discovery in the optimization of human movement and translate findings into meaningful knowledge and technology to improve the lives of Canadians. This research team aims to assess, parameterize, and model the human body inside and out during both static postures and dynamic movements in near real-time using advanced neuromusculoskeletal models and high-performance computing. With their multisectoral team, they address innovative research questions to optimize human neuromuscular control, orthopaedic biomechanics and surgery, as well as occupational health and performance. A key uniqueness of MULTI is the ability to link and store the multiple streams of data for each research participant in database format. This enables big-data growth and leveraging of advances in artificial intelligence for knowledge discovery and technology/software development.

Project led by Matthieu Boisgontier, School of Rehabilitation Sciences

Despite campaigns to entice people to be physically active, levels remain low, and the adverse health consequences including disabilities and chronic diseases are exacerbated by an aging population. Although the automatic attraction to effort minimization has been evidenced in multiple fields, its role in explaining the inability to transform intentions into actions has been overlooked in the context of physical activity. Professor Boisgontier’s research program merges neuroscience, psychology, and health to gain new insights into why most people fail to exercise regularly, by examining the neuropsychological mechanisms underlying the perception of effort and its relationship with a physically active lifestyle. He uses haptic technology and brain stimulation techniques to assess if effort overestimation is associated with increased avoidance of physical activity. He aims to explore the potential for retraining automatic sedentary tendencies and provide novel strategies to address the pandemic of physical inactivity.