UWinnipeg’s Department of Kinesiology and Applied Health brings together academics, research and teaching on the art and science of human movement.
Students choose from five streams of study: Athletic Therapy, Teaching (Physical Education and Health), Exercise Science, Coaching and Kinesiology (General).
Students have access to updated facilities, including the renovated Duckworth Centre and new state-of-the-art Health & RecPlex.
Dr. Melanie Gregg
Professor: Dr. Melanie Gregg
Connecting Mind & Body
Staying active with sport is good for your body, but what does it do for your brain? That’s one question Associate Professor Dr. Melanie Gregg attempts to answer with her research in sport psychology. In one study funded by the Manitoba Health Research Council, Gregg worked with athletes with intellectual disabilities to see how mental skills learned through sport can transfer to other areas in life.
“So,” Gregg explains, “if they learn effectively how to set goals in sport, can they then take that and use it for school, or in their workplace, or even in their everyday lives?”
Gregg’s research touches a variety of areas — everything from how physical activity impacts the mood of people experiencing homelessness to how athletes use mental imagery to motivate themselves. In addition to her research and teaching, the former heptathlete remains active as a track and field coach.
Stephanie Kleysen
Student: Stephanie Kleysen
Sport, Science, Community
Stephanie Kleysen is completing her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology (Exercise Science) with an unexpected career goal; she is working toward entering the same field her mother works in: physiotherapy.
“It was just something I was surrounded by,” Kleysen says, explaining that the family connection and her experience as an athlete led to her career path.
Kleysen chose her major because it combined her passions for sport and science. She recently finished her fifth year in the UWinnipeg Wesmen Women’s Basketball Program and was named Female Athlete of the Year. She says she has deeply appreciated all of the opportunities for growth that student athletes receive.
Kleysen is also proud to have earned the Keith Cooper Volunteer Award for community work such as organizing fundraisers for non-profits at Wesmen games.
Dr. Ashleigh Sprange
Alumna: Dr. Ashleigh Sprange
Building Blocks of Success
Dr. Ashleigh Sprange is in her second and final year of her family medicine residency, still using skills she first learned as a student in the athletic therapy program at UWinnipeg.
“I was seeing patients, I was working with teams,” Sprange says, “I was learning how to look after health care
needs.”
Sprange looks back fondly on her days at UWinnipeg, where she formed close relationships with students and faculty. After graduating in 2005 she worked for several years as an athletic therapist, caring for Canada Games athletes, jockeys, and “everyday” people with various types of injuries. She began medical school at UManitoba in 2010, and says working as a doctor brings her the same kind of satisfaction athletic therapy did, by connecting with people to help them solve problems.
“There are certain days you really feel like you’ve made a difference,” she explains.
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MEDIA CONTACT
Megan Benedictson, Communications Officer, The University of Winnipeg
P: 204.988.7129, E: me.benedictson@uwinnipeg.ca
