CSEP Professional Development Events

Meet the speakers:

Ryan Mc Laughlin, MSc,
VALD

Practical applications of Force plates in performance and health

Ryan Mc Laughlin is a sport scientist, originally from Ireland and now living in Vancouver with vast experience working across team field sport in UK, Ireland & Central Europe. He has an undergraduate degree in Sport Coaching & Performance, a masters degree in Strength & Conditioning and is currently pursuing a PhD in Sport Science.

Currently working with VALD across Canada, Ryan is extremely passionate about contributing and aiding the progression of the industry towards a higher standard of testing and training. Ryan is also an examiner with Setanta College, based in Ireland. Outside of work and academia, you’ll likely find Ryan in a coffee shop with a strong americano!

Theo Versteegh, PhD,
TopSpin Technologies Ltd.

Necks to Impossible: Neuromuscular training to mitigate concussion risk

Dr. Versteegh is a physiotherapist with 25 years of experience working with athletes of all levels, from Olympic, National and professional to recreational weekend warriors. He completed his PhD in 2016 researching the effects of dynamic multi-planar neuromuscular neck training on concussion risk in university football players. This promising line of research has led to the TopSpin360. The first dynamic multi-planar neuromuscular neck training approach that integrates the S.A.I.D. training principle (Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demand) to help mitigate an athlete’s risk of concussion. Several teams across multiple sports have now witnessed ZERO concussion seasons after implementing TopSpin360 training. Dr. Versteegh continues to conduct and support ongoing research in the area of concussion risk mitigation, screening and rehabilitation.

Sara Gilbert BHK, ACSM CEP, CSEP-CEP,
LIVE WELL Exercise Clinic, Fitness Industry Council of Canada

Making Clinical Exercise Mainstream: Practical elements of clinical practice & exploring future business opportunities

Sara Gilbert has spent her 20-year career devoted to how exercise affects our physical and mental health A trained Clinical Exercise Physiologist, Gilbert began her career in cardiac rehabilitation and diabetes management for Fraser Health Authority in BC. There, she saw a need for patients to have clinically-supervised medical fitness programs beyond the hospital walls. In 2011 she launched LIVE WELL Exercise Clinic – a safe, supportive, supervised exercise environment focused on the management and prevention of chronic health conditions. Her clinics create an inclusive culture where everyone is supported in their health journey. In the last ten years, LIVE WELL has grown as a community with franchises in four Canadian provinces, and includes a virtual platform to serve members all across Canada.

Sara joined the Fitness Industry Council of Canada as co-chair for British Columbia in November 2020 to help unite the industry and work closely with the government. She has successfully lobbied for federal funding and grant programs, developing a strong working relationship with both provincial and federal leaders. In August 2021, Gilbert was unanimously elected President of the Fitness Industry Council with a mission to strengthen the industry across the country, and to position Canada as a global leader in the Exercise is Medicine movement. Sara sits on the national board of Prescription to Get Active (RxTGA) alongside notable physicians and academics.

Mary Jung, PhD
University of British Columbia

Exercise Counselling for Individuals living with or at risk of Type 2 Diabetes: Guiding without Shaming

Dr. Mary Jung is an Associate Professor in the School of Health and Exercise Sciences at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus. A major research interest is developing evidence-based diabetes prevention interventions designed for community implementation and sustainability, with a lens towards improving equity, diversity, and inclusivity in all research endeavours. Dr. Jung was named a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar in 2015, and Killam Accelerator Research Fellow in 2023.

Jung leads the Diabetes Prevention Research Group, is the founder of the diabetes prevention program “Small Steps for Big Changes”, and is director of UBC’s Centre for Health Behaviour Change.

Madeleine Gierc, PhD,

Exercise and Depression

Dr. Gierc completed a PhD in Kinesiology from the University of Saskatchewan, followed by a PhD in Clinical Psychology from Queen’s University. She is a Michael Smith postdoctoral fellowship with the Population Physical Activity Lab, UBC. Her research program investigates exercise-based treatments for depression, with a focus on knowledge translation.