Meet
the team
Dr. Jane Thornton
Director
Dr. Thornton is a Clinician Scientist and Canada Research Chair specializing in long-term athlete health, female athlete health, and physical activity in the prevention and treatment of chronic disease. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine, with cross appointments in the Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics and School of Kinesiology.
Dr. Thornton completed her medical training at the University of Toronto and her family and sports medicine training at Western. She has completed additional training in Switzerland in preventive medicine with elective sports medicine training in seven different countries. She has treated athletes and active individuals of all ages and abilities.
She is a Member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine (CASEM) and Editor of the British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM). Dr. Thornton represented Canada for over a decade in the sport of elite rowing, becoming both a World Champion (2006) and Olympian (2008), and has been recognized with the 2015 AthletesCan Social Responsibility Award for her contribution to society by sport/volunteer initiatives. Outside of research, Dr. Thornton enjoys learning languages, rowing, running, cross-country skiing, and drawing with her kids.
Stacey Wanlin
Research Manager
Stacey Wanlin joined the Fowler Kennedy Sport Medicine Clinic family in January 2016 as the Research Manager. She relies on her team of experts to develop research questions, methods and analyses as she is not a scientist but loves to formulate the idea into practice. Stacey works with world-renowned faculty, collaborators and industry partners both nationally and internationally by taking the clinical protocol and obtaining ethics approval, facilitate contract negotiations, coordinate training for multi-centre led studies and support staff with day to day logistics of running the study. During the weekend, Stacey enjoys spending time with her husband and 2 children, golf, hot yoga and pool time.
Ashley Ambrose
Research COORDINATOR
Ashley joined the Fowler Kennedy Sport Medicine Research Team in November 2017. Ashley completed her Bachelor of Health Science degree in 2014 and her Master of Science degree in 2017 at Western University. Sports are a huge part of Ashley’s life. She loves combining this passion with her work in the Return to Health and Performance Lab. Ashley works to ensure all study logistics are well organized in order to run as smooth as possible. Outside of the office, Ashley enjoys volleyball, ringette, running and hiking with her husband, daughter and golden retriever.
Kristen Reilly
Research Coordinator
As Research Coordinator, Kristen oversees the day-to-day operations of research within the Return to Health and Performance Lab. She completed a Masters of Public Health (2013) followed by a PhD in Health Promotion (2019), where her research focused on parent-led interventions for childhood obesity. Her education is complemented by several years of experience working as a researcher and knowledge translation specialist in academia and the non-profit sector. Kristen strives to make research more accessible and applicable to knowledge users in real-world settings. Outside of the lab, Kristen works as a yoga instructor and enjoys hiking, camping, and volleyball.
Susana Correa
Research Assistant
Susana is joining the Return to Health and Performance Lab as a Research Assistant. She recently completed her Masters in Neuroscience and a Bachelors in Health Sciences here at Western. Susana is deeply intrigued in research that focuses on human health, physical rehabilitation, and methods for research translation. She is also passionate about contributing to the field of sports medicine and translating scientific findings into tangible benefits for athletes and individuals seeking physical wellness. Outside of the lab she loves to play sports such as skiing and snowboarding during winter and wakeboarding and mountain biking during the summer.
TEam members
Abbie Barron
MSC Candidate
Annie Boyd
Medical Student
Annie is starting her second year of medical school at the Schulich School of Medicine-Windsor campus. She completed both her BSc Hon. and MSc in Neuroscience at the University of Alberta where her thesis focused on physician knowledge and patterns of practice regarding sport-related concussion. Her current research interests include identifying injury risk factors for female athletes and reducing barriers to accessing sports medicine care. When she’s not studying, Annie enjoys dancing, going to the gym, and singing karaoke with her friends.
Ahmed Mahdi
Physician
Dr. Mahdi completed his undergraduate degree in Kinesiology at McMaster University. He completed his medical and family medicine training at Western University. He also completed a sports medicine fellowship at the Fowler Kennedy Sport Medicine Clinic. His academic interests include physical activity and health, medical education, and ultrasound-guided musculoskeletal injections. Ahmed also enjoys soccer, basketball, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Chase Harrison
Medical Student
Chase is entering his second year of medical school at the University College of Dublin in Ireland. Previously, he completed his BSc. in Kinesiology at Western University, while playing on the Varsity Men’s Rugby team throughout his undergraduate degree. Chase is interested in sports medicine. Currently, he is examining the long-term health of elite retired athletes to contribute to the development of future proactive resources and guidelines for improving health outcomes in post-retirement. In his spare time, Chase enjoys playing sports, such as rugby and hockey, reading about history, and travelling/hiking with friends.
Chloe Hewitt
MSc Candidate
Chloe is a first-year student in the Epidemiology and Biostatistics Master’s program. She graduated in 2021 from the University of Victoria with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry for the Medical Sciences and a Minor in Statistics. While at UVic, Chloe competed for the Vikes cross country and track team and was the women’s team captain for her final two years. Her research interests include long-term athlete health and female athlete health under the co-supervision of Dr. Jane Thornton and Dr. Karen Campbell. Chloe enjoys running, cycling, hiking, camping, violin, and baking.
Dominique Bouchard
Resident Physician
Dominique was born in St-Albert, AB but grew up mostly in Northern Ontario (North Bay and Sudbury). Dominique studied at the University of Missouri where she completed a BS in Biology, BA in Psychology, and a Master’s in Health Administration (MHA). Dominique also had the opportunity to compete for the Missouri Tigers Swim and Dive Team. There, she was a 4x NCAA Division I All-American. She was also part of the Canadian National Swim Team and competed at various international competitions, including the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. She went to medical school at NOSM and is currently completing her Family Medicine residency at Health Science North. Dominique helps run the My Active Ingredient Twitter account. Dominique has not yet found a hobby outside of swimming and medicine, but she is working on it!
Emma McGinnis
Medical Student
Emma is currently a first-year medical student at Schulich School of Medicine, at the Windsor Campus. She did her undergraduate degree at Trent University in biomedical sciences, where she wrote her thesis on physical activity and mental health status of university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, her main research interest is to assess and improve physicians’ knowledge/treatment of relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S) and hypothalamic amenorrhea. In her spare time, Emma enjoys running, swimming, weight lifting, volleyball and reading.
Emma Wardhaugh
Medical student
Emma is a second-year medical student at the Schulich School of Medicine at the London campus who is very excited to be part of the R2HP lab! She did her undergrad at Western in Health Studies, where she contributed to research on exercise in pregnancy and the effect of physical activity on the brain. Her research interests include female athlete health, hormone health, and exercise prescription in medicine. Currently, her research looks at assessing family physicians’ knowledge and treatment of Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) and hypothalamic amenorrhea. In her spare time, Emma enjoys weightlifting, cooking, and hiking.” living! Heidi enjoys running, cross-country skiing, hiking, and road biking.
Heidi Ohrling
Medical student
Heidi is a second-year medical student at Western with interests in female athlete health and obstetrics & gynaecology. She is very excited to be working with classmate Stephanie Ryall, Dr. Jane Thornton and the Return to Health and Performance team on a survey study exploring the impacts of contraceptive methods on endurance performance in female athletes. Heidi grew up in Collingwood, Ontario on southern Georgian Bay. She enjoys cross-country skiing, hiking and is currently running cross-country with the Mustangs’ varsity team. She is also passionate about environmental health and sustainable living! Heidi enjoys running, cross-country skiing, hiking, and road biking.
Jacqueline Mulonge Mboko
Volunteer
Jacqueline was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Central Africa. She moved to Canada in March of 2006 with her mother and five siblings as refugees. She started her education in the Congolese system using French as one of its main components. When Jacqueline arrived in London, she entered the Canadian system in the province of Ontario. It was very challenging. Thanks to many volunteers including her church, and friends, she was able to overcome those challenges and adapt to her new environment. She completed her B.A at Western (Brescia University College) in Sociology, in 2016 and now has an interest to studying Medicine. Jacqueline loves to cook, going to the gym, and spending time with family and friends
Jasmin Aggarwal
Medical Student
Jasmin is a competitive cyclist and triathlete from Orillia, ON. She is currently in her third year of medical school at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. She has a keen interest in sports medicine with a personal interest in female athlete health. Jasmin enjoys cycling, running, xc skiing, and hikes with her dog Mocha.
Jenna Schulz
Post-doctoral Research Fellow
Jenna is a graduate of the MPT/PhD program at Western (2022) and former member of the Varsity Cross-Country and Track & Field Teams. She is currently a combined Post-Doctoral Research Fellow and Sport Physiotherapy Fellow at Fowler-Kennedy Sport Medicine Clinic. Her doctoral research focused on inflammation in knee osteoarthritis, and she has expanded her interests into the Women’s Health/Female Athlete realm. Jenna’s physio practice encompasses the areas of sport, orthopaedics and women’s health. Outside the lab, Jenna enjoys running (especially with the other R2HP members), playing sports, travelling, baking and Trivia Thursday’s at Storm Stayed.
Jillian Carter
Medical student
Jillian is a first-year medical student at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry who is very excited to be joining the Return to Health and Performance Lab this year. She obtained her BScH at Queen’s University in Life Sciences in 2020. She is very interested in physical activity and its role in medicine. She hopes to take the knowledge she gains while working in the Return to Health and Performance Lab and implement it in her future practice. Jillian enjoys being active, reading and baking.
Kelli Tyndall
msc candidate
Kelli is a recent graduate of the University of Guelph BSc Human Kinetics program and she is excited to begin her graduate studies at Western University working under the supervision of Dr. Jane Thornton. Her main research interests are female athlete health and exercise prescriptions as a treatment/preventative measure for chronic disease. Kelli is a very active individual and enjoys all sports and physical activities, with her favourites being gymnastics and weightlifting. She has a strong passion for using exercise as medicine and hopes to improve the health and well-being of individuals worldwide. Kelli enjoys hiking, exercise, cooking, baking, and spending time with friends and family!
Lawson Seddon
Medical Student
Lawson is in his first year of medical studies at The University of Melbourne. Prior to this he completed his BSc. and MSc. in kinesiology at Western University where he was also a player for the Mustangs Football team. Lawson has a special interest in athlete health focused on prevention and recovery from injury, as well as science communication and youth education. Lawson enjoys photography, cooking, and rollerblading.
Meaghan Wunder
Medical Student
Meaghan completed her Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Waterloo in Kinesiology with a minor in medical physiology. She is currently a medical student at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. Meaghan is interested in sports medicine and rehabilitation, and optimizing health through physical activity. Meaghan enjoys rowing, running, cycling, swimming, yoga, reading (especially historical fiction!) and baking!
Mo Malik
Medical Student
Mo is completing his medical degree at Schulich School of Medicine and is interested in a career in cardiac surgery. After losing 130 lbs himself as a young adult, he hopes to aid those also struggling with diet and physical activity. He has a passion for understanding the upstream causes of cardiac disease and hopes to improve the delivery of preventative and definitive cardiac care. Mo enjoys powerlifting, travelling, sports, and food.
Nada Mazahir
Nursing student
Nada is a volunteer at the R2HP lab and helps run the My Active Ingredient Twitter account.. She first joined in the Fall of 2020 as a work study student to dip her feet into the world of research and liked it so much that she continued as a volunteer. She recently graduated with a Bachelors in Science (BSc) and a Bachelors in Science in Nursing (BScN) and is now looking into Master’s programs to continue her newfound passion for research! In her spare time, she enjoys learning new languages and currently, attempting Korean!
Naomi Abayomi
medical Student
Naomi is a third year medical student at the University of Ottawa. She completed her undergraduate degree at Western University in Medical Biophysics in 2020. She is interested in accessible access to physical activity and implementing exercise prescription in undergraduate medical education. She joined the R2HP lab last year and helps curate and review resources for our My Active Ingredient website. She is excited to work with colleagues who share a similar passion for physical activity and its benefits. She enjoys biking, weightlifting and playing sports with friends.
Olivia Gosh-Swaby
phd student
Olivia Ghosh-Swaby is a 2021 Vanier Canada Graduate Scholar and currently completing her Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry (SSMD). Her research interests include the impact of diet and metabolism on memory in obesity and whether exercise and anti-diabetic therapies can boost neural stem cell growth and improve cognition in diabetes. Outside of academia, she is an athlete on the WesternU Women’s Football Team as well as manages and operates the Ontario Women’s Intercollegiate Football Association.
Omolara Lewechi -Uke
phd student
Omolara is from South-Western Nigeria. She is a first year PhD student at Western University in the Faculty of Family Medicine. She earned a degree in Medicine and Surgery in 2008. She found Family Medicine interesting as a specialty that would enable her to care for all categories of patients. This informed her pursuance of postgraduate residency training in Family Medicine, which she completed in 2019. She also has a keen interest in research which made her decide to pursue a Master’s degree in Epidemiology and Medical Statistics in the last year of her residency. Her research interests include women’s health and well-being, sexual health, and cardiovascular health. She has done work (quantitative and qualitative) on sexual function in women as well as cardiovascular risk assessment in postmenopausal women. Presently, she also works as a Family Physician with a tertiary hospital (Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, Nigeria). She is involved in clinical service delivery, research and training of residents in Family Medicine. She loves to sing or take walks for leisure.
Princess Ulona
Msc candidate
Princess is a Master’s of Science student in Western University’s Faculty of Health and Rehabilitation Science (HRS). She graduated from University of Toronto with a Bachelors of Kinesiology where she was an undergraduate researcher in the Exercise Oncology Lab (EOL) and has since worked with athletes and older populations as an Active Therapist. Her research interests in HRS focuses on preventative medicine research in older active populations to encourage physical activity and reduce the incidence of injury. Princess hopes to develop injury prevention interventions for older athletes that can be implemented in clinical settings by healthcare professionals and improve both their physical and mental health, and quality of life. Outside of that, she enjoys strength training, reading and digital art.
Richard Magony
PhD student
Richard earned his B.Sc. (2018) and M.Sc. (2020) at the University of Toronto. His master’s thesis research investigated using stem cells to heal large, infected fractures in animals. He is interested in sports medicine. He is exploring physical activity and sport engagement for patients with knee osteoarthritis or at risk of post-traumatic knee osteoarthritis. He hopes to discover patient profiles that will help predict patients’ physical activity responsiveness and risk for post-traumatic osteoarthritis. He is a competitive endurance athlete and has travelled internationally to race with Triathlon Canada. He also enjoys rowing, hockey, skiing, rollerblading, and kayaking at his cottage.
Stephanie Ryall
Medical Student
Stephanie is entering her second year of medical school at Western. She is working on a project with Heidi Ohrling that explores the contraception selection process for female endurance athletes and how different contraceptives impact female athlete health and performance. She is very excited to be working on this project as it combines two of her main interests: sports medicine and women’s health! Stephanie enjoys running, trivia, and learning to play piano and ukulele.
Zoë Piquette
Medical Student
Zoë is currently studying medicine at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. Previously, Zoë completed her BHSc. with a specialization in biomedical sciences at McMaster University. Her previous research work focused on antibiotic development in the field of medicinal chemistry. Zoë played hockey growing up and now enjoys weightlifting and running.
Alumni
Adam Hashi
MPH Student
Adam is a Master of Public Health Candidate currently working on conducting a national environmental scan of researchers studying physical activity implementation across Canada. He completed his Bachelor of Science at the University of Western Ontario in 2020 and is keenly interested in epidemiology, global health and public health. His interests in global health have led him to pursue numerous health related volunteer activities across Canada and in East Africa. In his free time, Adam enjoys hiking, reading, and playing soccer.
Brook Hadwen
msc candidate
Brook is a Master’s of Science Candidate in the Epidemiology and Biostatistics Department at Western University. While her thesis work has primarily explored rheumatoid arthritis, she is also interested in physical activity epidemiology and has collaborated with members of the Return to Health and Performance Lab during her graduate studies. She has a Bachelor of Medical Sciences degree with an Honours Specialization in Epidemiology and Biostatistics, and a Minor in Microbiology and Immunology from Western University. Brook is very passionate about physical activity and was a dancer until the age of 22. During her undergraduate degree Brook continued to dance and was vice president of UWO Dance Force for three years. She hopes to have a career that researches and promotes the importance of physical activity for population health. You can read about her research here.
Casey Rosen
Resident Physician
Casey is a second year Family Medicine resident at the St. Joseph’s Family Medical Centre at the Schulich School of Medicine. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Biology and Physiology at Western University while serving as assistant captain for the Women’s Varsity Ice Hockey Team. Casey completed her medical degree at the University of Toronto. Casey is excited to continue to support female athlete health in both her practice and research! Casey enjoys hockey, skiing, biking and reading. Casey was the recipient of the 2022 Research Award for Family Medicine Residents and you can read more about her research here.
Eesha Bhagirath
MPH Student
Eesha joined the Fowler Kennedy Sports Medicine organization in May 2023 to work as a practicum student for the summer. She is a recent graduate from the University of Windsor with a Bachelor of Behaviour, Cognition and Neuroscience, as well as a current Master of Public Health candidate at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. She is working closely with Dr. Jane Thornton to complete a National Environmental Scan on physical activity implementation. Her interest in pursuing a career in healthcare in the future along with her passion for health promotion, the Fowler Kennedy Sports Medicine practicum project was a perfect fit for Eesha.
Feben Alemu
MSc
Feben completed her MSc in epidemiology. She obtained her undergraduate degree in Human Biology from the University of Toronto. Prior to coming to Western University, she worked as a research assistant at the University Health Network, where she supported research activities in the Department of Otolaryngology. Feben is fascinated by statistics and research methods. Her research interests include marginalized populations, social determinants of health and health services research. Feben enjoys baking, digital art, reading, and listening to podcasts.
Jane Yuan
MSc
Jane completed her undergraduate in Kinesiology at Queen’s, and she recently completed her Master’s in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Western. Her research will explores the association between social determinants of health and physical activity to understand which determinants are the strongest predictors of physical activity. She hopes her research can contribute in a meaningful way and bring awareness to how physical activity may not be equally accessible to all. During her free time, Jane enjoys going to the gym and eating lots of yummy food!
Kelly Mok
BMSc
Kelly obtained her BMSc from Western University with an Honours Specialization in Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Her undergraduate thesis explored the health outcomes of elite female athletes compared to the general population. She is interested in the planning and evaluation of built environments that can support physical, mental, and social health and well-being. Kelly enjoys cycling, hiking, and cooking.
Laura Parkinson
MSC Candidate
Laura is a first-year student in the Masters of Integrative Biosciences in Kinesiology program at Western University. She graduated in 2021 from Boston University where she completed a Bachelor of Science in Health Science with a minor in Human Physiology. At Boston University, Laura competed on the track and field and cross-country teams. It was here where she experienced many injuries and health-related setbacks that inspired her to become a part of the current research on health and performance taking place at Western. Laura has future aspirations to pursue a Master’s of Physiotherapy following the competition of her program. Laura enjoys running, going on walks, reading, and the Bachelor franchise.
Malak Ali
MPH Student
Malak completed an Honours Specialization in Health Sciences at Western University and is currently a Master of Public Health Candidate at The Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. Aside from school, Malak is a photographer and videographer. She hopes to combine storytelling, entrepreneurship, and innovation to make a meaningful difference. Before her integration into her master’s, Malak planned and implemented a program for youth facing food insecurity in London Ontario. The program continues to make a difference in the community. She is excited to work alongside her colleagues on the My Active Ingredient Website as she shares a strong passion for physical activity. Malak is proud of her cultural background and in the future would like to reduce barriers to immigrants’ health. Malak enjoys being active outside, listening to music and unleashing her creativity.
Mackenzie Deleary
mph candidate
Mackenzie completed her undergraduate degree in Health Sciences at Western University and will be returning to the university to begin her first year of the Masters of Public Health program. Mackenzie currently competes on the Western Mustangs women’s field lacrosse team, having recently captured bronze at the OUA Championships. Outside of academics, she has volunteered and worked with Indigenous Sports & Wellness Ontario (ISWO) and the Indigenous Student Center at UWO to create and facilitate sporting events for indigenous youth to compete at local, provincial and national levels of competition. Mackenzie enjoys running, cooking, and creating digital content. You can read about her work here.
Megan Leroux
Research Assistant
Megan joined the Fowler Kennedy Sports Medicine Clinic team in October 2021 as a Research Assistant. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology (2018) and her Master of Science in Kinesiology in Integrative Biosciences (2020) at Western University. She has a keen interest in sports medicine, and rehabilitation from athletic injuries. In her free time, Megan enjoys running, playing tennis, and spending time with her family.
Rory Vaughan
Resident Physician
Rory graduated from University College Cork (UCC), Ireland, School of Medicine, in 2018. He completed his Masters in Public Health at UCC, and is interested in upstream solutions to chronic diseases. He recently immigrated to London to be with his family, and has recently begun a Family Medicine Residency here at Western. His research interests include: physical activity as medicine, child and adolescent mental health and addiction medicine. Rory enjoys rock climbing, hiking, mountain biking, and cycling.
Sydney Neufeld
Undergraduate Student
Sydney Neufeld graduated from Western University in Spring 2019 on the Dean’s List with an Honours Bachelor of Science in Biology. During her undergraduate degree she completed a thesis examining cardiac performance in Atlantic salmon, under the supervision of Dr. Bryan Neff. Her research interests include laboratory research, marine biology, and health promotion. Sydney plans to enter Western’s accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program in Fall 2021. Sydney enjoys yoga, gardening, reading, and cycling.
Thiago Vivacqua
international Fellow
Thiago completed his Bachelor of Medicine (2009) at Souza Marques Medical School (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil); Orthopedic residency program at the Miguel Couto Level 1 Trauma Center, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2009-2012); a Master of Science in Sciences to Musculoskeletal Tissue at the National Institute of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Brazil (2017); and a Specialization in Knee Surgery (Knee Arthroplasty and Sport Medicine) at the National Institute of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2014). Dr Thiago worked as an assistant Physician at the Judo Federation of the State of Rio de Janeiro (2018,2019). Recently, Thiago completed 2 years as a Clinical and Research fellow at Fowler Kennedy Sports Medicine Clinic (2020-2022). Outside of academics, Thiago enjoys contact sports, surf and family times.
Local Collaborators
Click the names below to learn more about the great work our collaborators do.