June 3, 2022

The Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP) and the University of New Brunswick and Université de Moncton are pleased to announce the return of CSEP’s in-person annual conference! There is a great line-up of Symposia to look forward to and we’ve interviewed each presenter to give you a preview of what to expect and how attending will benefit you.

In this feature we talk to Kristine Godziuk, a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Faculty of Agricultural at the University of Alberta. Kristine is presenting theSymposium 25: Challenging norms and enhancing inclusion in resistance exercise environments and applications” at CSEP 2022. Kristine’s co-presenters include Jennifer Jakobi, Joanne Parsons, and Kayla Duna.

What are you most looking forward to about an in-person conference this year?

I can’t wait to meet and share ideas and discussions in-person with exercise colleagues. I have really missed this, especially being an early career researcher/trainee. While online conferences provide advantages of no travel time or costs, I found it challenging to make new connections in the online format.

I am also excited to visit the beautiful east coast – I’ve never been to this area of Canada before.

What can CSEP certified members learn from attending the symposium you’re chairing that they can apply to their practice?

This session is going to be excellent. From my view it’s a must attend for certified members! CSEP exercise professionals are frontline influencers for resistance exercise uptake and application for all Canadians. This type of exercise has been undervalued in many clinical populations and settings, or connected with pervasive gender stereotyping and biases that can hinder wide uptake. Join us for innovative discussions and unique perspectives regarding who resistance exercise is appropriate for and what it looks like! This session will stimulate ideas for practice change that can be immediately applied.

What do you think makes this topic and the content unique to the CSEP conference?

We are fortunate to have many women in Canada doing unique research work in this area – already a bias-disruption! Dr. Parsons’ research on gender issues in resistance exercise has recently gained international attention, supporting the timeliness and relevance of this knowledge translation discussion at CSEP 2022. The depth of expertise and specialty areas of the panel is also unique, reflecting the wide practice of CSEP members (i.e. sport to chronic disease, youth to older populations, community and clinical settings). This topic has relevant components no matter what area you practice in.

What advice or recommendations would you offer any early career researchers / young investigators or students who have an interest in this field?

I would encourage them to attend and/or connect with the presenters to join the discussion and foster future ideas. We need to engage a diverse community (including the public, exercise and healthcare professionals, researchers, and more) to ensure resistance exercise is a valued, inclusive, and accessible exercise modality for anyone and everyone!

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