Meet the Team
Current Members at the Child Health and Physical Activity Laboratory
Faculty, Lab Director
Dr. Trish Tucker
Dr. Trish Tucker is a Professor in the School of Occupational Therapy and the Director of the Child Health & Physical Activity Lab at Western University. Dr. Tucker’s expertise are in the broad areas of health promotion, physical activity, and childhood obesity prevention. Her primary area of...
Post-Doctoral Associate, Adjunct Professor
Dr. Brianne Bruijns
Dr. Brianne Bruijns serves as a Post-Doctoral Associate in the Child Health and Physical Activity Lab and is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Occupational Therapy. She completed her MSc ('18) and PhD ('21) degrees in the field of Health Promotion at Western University, and...
Post-Doctoral Associate
Dr. Sophie Phillips
Dr. Sophie Phillips is a Post-Doctoral Associate in the Child Health & Physical Activity Lab at Western University. Sophie received her PhD in Public Health in 2022 from Durham University, UK. Sophie’s PhD research was funded by the National Institute for Health Research School...
Adjunct Professor
Dr. Leigh Vanderloo
Having received her PhD in Health Promotion from the University of Western Ontario in 2016, Dr. Vanderloo’s area of research focuses on the objective measurement of young children’s physical activity levels and sedentary time. Her research interests also extend to the...
Post-Doctoral Associate, Adjunct Professor
Dr. Matthew Bourke
Dr. Matthew Bourke is a Research Fellow at the University of Queensland, Australia, and an Adjunct Professor in the School of Occupational Therapy, Western University. Matthew was a Post-Doctoral Research Associate in the Child Health and Physical Activity Lab between 2022-2023, where...
MScOT/PhD Candidate
Leah Taylor
Leah is completing a combined MScOT/PhD degree (Health Promotion stream) through the School of Occupational Therapy. Leah's background includes a BHSc (honours Health Promotion) at Western University graduating in 2016, and a MSc in Geography from Western University...
PhD Candidate
Emma Ostermeier
Emma is a PhD Candidate in Health Promotion at Western University. Recently, she completed her Master’s in Geography at Western exploring children’s perceptions of, and access to, a free physical activity intervention for elementary school children. She also received an undergraduate...
Combined MPT/PhD Student
Aidan Loh
Aidan is a first-year combined MPT/PhD student. Aidan completed an independent study with the lab investigating the fundamental movement skills of children via the TGMD-3. Additionally, he manages the KT initiatives (e.g., creating infographics, social media posts, and...
PhD Student
Myranda Hawthorne
Myranda is a PhD candidate in the Health and Rehabilitation Sciences program, specializing in Health Promotion at Western University. She recently completed her Master’s in Health: Science, Technology and Policy at Carleton University, exploring gender differences in...
PhD Student
Bayley Inniss
Bayley is completing her PhD in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences in the Health Promotion stream. Her background includes an HBA in Psychology and Gerontology and an MPH, both from Lakehead University. Bayley’s MPH research focused on strategies to reduce bacterial wound...
Master's Student
Kyra Hollins
Kyra is a Master’s student in the Health Promotion stream of the Health and Rehabilitation Sciences program as Western University. Prior to attending Western University, Kyra completed a Bachelor of Kinesiology (Honours) at Brock University in 2024, as well as a Health...
Research Volunteer
Sheri Kim
Sheri graduated from Western University with a Bachelor of Medical Sciences (BMSc) Honours degree. She has dedicated her undergraduate years exploring various healthcare settings including emergency medicine and chronic care to develop a holistic comprehension of health’s impact...
Research Volunteer
Tyler Koo
Tyler is a second year undergraduate student working towards an honours specialization in Physiology and Pharmacology. He is interested in the implementation of physical activity in early childhood settings to promote healthy habits and support the overall well being...
Research Volunteer
Melissa Gorman
Melissa is a third-year undergraduate student in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Western Ontario pursuing an Honours Specialization in Health Sciences with Biology and a Minor in Medical Sciences. As an individual who grew up with a physically active lifestyle...
Research Volunteer
Angelina Davidson
Angelina is a fourth-year undergraduate student in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Western University working towards an Honors Specialization in Clinical Kinesiology. As a lifelong athlete with a passion for physical activity Angelina is intrigued by the potential of early...
Research Volunteer
Sherif Suleymanof
Sherif is a fourth-year undergraduate student in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Western University, pursuing an honours specialization in Kinesiology. As an aspiring pediatric occupational therapist, Sherif is dedicated to understanding the impact of physical activity on children's...
Research Volunteer
Arnav Saini
Arnav is a third-year student at the University of Western Ontario, pursuing an Honors Specialization in Biology. With a lifelong dedication to sports, Arnav has developed a keen interest in the relationship between physical activity and mental health. He is focused on exploring...
Research Volunteer
Gayuni Krishnasamy
Gayuni is an undergraduate student completing her final year in the Honours Specialization in Health Sciences at Western University. With a keen interest in child and adolescent development, she is dedicated to exploring the complex interplay of physiological, mental and...
Research Volunteer
Anthea Li
Anthea is a fourth-year undergraduate student at Western University completing a double major in IMS and Pharmacology. Through her experiences growing up as an athlete, she was interested in exploring the link between early childhood physical activity interventions and holistic...
Research Volunteer
Esther Low
Esther is a 4th year Western student pursuing an Honours Specialization in Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences. Passionate about working with children, Esther has gained experience as a youth skating coach, childcare educator, and tutor for students with learning...
Research Volunteer
Serena Gould
Serena is a third-year student at Western University pursuing an Honours Specialization in Psychology. Passionate about working with children, Serena has gained experience directing tennis camps and as a humanitarian aid volunteer, working with orphanages and...
Research Volunteer
Grace Gall
Grace is a fourth-year undergraduate student in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Western University, pursuing an Honours Specialization in Kinesiology. She has developed her passion for promoting physical activity for childhood development through her experiences as a swim team coach...
Research Volunteer
Faith Virgina Vito
Faith Vito is a second-year kinesiology student at Western University, with a deep passion for child health and sports. Her extensive background in athletics, having played and captained three different sports teams throughout her youth, provides her with a unique perspective on physical...
Research Volunteer
Nina Nesansala Rajapakse
Nina is a first-year medical student at the Schulich School of Medicine. Prior to attending Western University, she completed undergraduate degrees in biochemistry and nursing at McMaster University. Nina works as a Registered Nurse in the emergency department at...