The CO-PLAY Team

Co-Directors

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Dr. Matthew Kwan

Canada Research Chair (Tier II) Youth Mental Health and Performance
Associate Professor Brock University

Dr. Matthew Kwan is Associate Professor in the Department of Child and Youth Studies at Brock University, and a holder of a Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Youth Mental Health and Performance. He is Co-Director of the INfant Child and youth health (INCH) lab, the CO-PLAY Network, and is Adjunct Professor in the Departments of Family Medicine and Kinesiology at McMaster University. Dr. Kwan has formal training in Kinesiology with a specific focus in health and exercise psychology, but his current research interests reflect a broader interdisciplinary science comprising behavioural medicine, health and exercise psychology, and population health.

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Jennifer Konopaki

Senior Vice President, Strategy & Business Development, WinSport

From a young age, Jennifer recognized the transformative power of sports, igniting a lifelong commitment to sport excellence. Bold and dynamic, she excels as a leader, adept at cultivating growth in individuals, businesses, and communities alike. With a keen focus on people and community, Jennifer radiates enthusiasm and vision. Presently, she holds the position of Senior Vice President of Strategy & Business Development at WinSport, where she continues to harness the power of sports for the betterment of all.

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Kabir Hosein

Director Strategic Initiatives, Sport for Life

Kabir Hosein is the Director of Strategic Initiatives at Sport for Life. A father of four very active kids and from the Caribbean, Kabir was a leader in the Athletics Association and Olympic movement in Trinidad and Tobago. Kabir takes time to build relationships and co-create initiatives that reflect his values of “physical activity and sport for everyone can create a sense of belonging.

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Dr. Gavin McCormack

Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary

Dr. Gavin McCormack is a Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary. He completed his postdoctoral training in Population and Public Health at the University of Calgary, holds a PhD in Public Health from the University of Western Australia, and earned his MSc in Sports Science from Edith Cowan University and BSc in Human Movement from the University of Western Australia. Dr. McCormack's academic portfolio includes adjunct appointments in the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, and the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Calgary, as well as an Adjunct Researcher position in the Faculty of Sport Sciences at Waseda University, Japan. His expertise spans multiple disciplines, including public health, epidemiology, health promotion, exercise science, and urban and environmental design. As the lead of the Built Environment and Healthy Living Lab, Dr. McCormack conducts research using both quantitative and qualitative approaches to explore how urban design influences health. His work focuses on physical activity, active living, health-related fitness, sedentary behaviour, injury prevention, and cardiometabolic health across various populations, including children, adults, and equity-deserving groups. Since 2014, Dr. McCormack has served as an Associate Scientific Editor for Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada, a journal of the Public Health Agency of Canada. He is also a member of the editorial board for the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.

Executive Committee

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Dr. Tanvir Chowdhurry

University of Calgary

Dr. Turin Tanvir Chowdhury is a Health Services Researcher with a focus on Immigrant and Refugee Health. He trained and worked as a physician in Bangladesh. He received his Masters in 2005 from Karolinska Institute, Sweden and his PhD in 2008 from Shiga Medical University, Japan. After finishing a Postdoctoral Fellowship from Japan Science of Promotion of Sciences (JSPS), he moved to University of Calgary in 2010 to pursue a Postdoctoral Fellowship from The Interdisciplinary Chronic Disease Collaboration (ICDC). He has also acquired fellowship awards from the Canadian Health Research Institute (CIHR) and the Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA). He joined the University of Calgary as faculty member in September 2012 as an Assistant Professor supported by the Roy and Vi Baay Chair. Then he moved to the Department of Family Medicine in July 2014. Dr. Turin's primary research interest is improving access to primary care by the vulnerable population of the society, including new immigrants and refugees. Dr. Turin draws upon the background as a clinician with a diverse set of research methodological experience and has been involved in research collaborations both nationally and internationally.

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Dr. Sujane Kandasamy

McMaster University

Dr. Sujane Kandasamy is a health research methodologist, mixed methods and knowledge mobilization researcher, and intersectional environmentalist. She conducts research that is community-centered, builds on the principles of co-design, and brings together multi-sectoral partners and leaders. Her work centers on improving health of people and the planet.

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Todd Kitzler

Inter-cultural Association of Greater Victoria

Associate Director of Adult Learning at Inter-Cultural Association of Victoria.

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Dr. Jean Buckler

University of Victoria

Dr. Buckler is an Associate Professor at the University of Victoria. Her research focuses on improving the opportunities children of all ages receive to move towards or stay on a positive physical literacy trajectory, and to engage in health promoting physical activity. In particular she is interested in how to reduce physical activity drop out in adolescence.

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Dr. David Yi

McMaster University

Assistant Professor; Associate Director, Physical Activity Centre of Excellence (PACE).

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Mariane Parent

Réseau Accès Participation

Mariane Parent is a specialist in leisure, physical activity, and sports. She brings 20 years of experience in educational program management, sports and recreation teaching, and event coordination. She holds a master's degree in adult education and thrives on supporting communities to improve physical literacy in children. Committed to developing the skills of those around her, she constantly strives to help her team reach its full potential. A former figure and synchronized skating athlete, she will be happy to share her story with you and explain why she is afraid of balloons.

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Dr. Haorui Wu

Dalhousie University

Dr. Wu is the Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Resilience and Associate Professor at the School of Social Work. With an interdisciplinary background (architecture, landscape architecture, regional and community planning, and social work), his community-based interdisciplinary research and emerging practice have nuancedly explored disaster-driven redevelopment of human and non-human settlements through the lens of environmental justice and social justice in the global context of climate change, disaster, and willful acts of violence. His innovative socio-ecological protection strategies aim to stimulate the transdisciplinary application of engineering, social, cultural, ecological, economic, and political dimensions into the empowerment of grassroots-led community development initiatives that contribute to the enhancement of inhabitants and co-inhabitants’ health and well-being, advancing resilience and sustainability at individual, family, and community levels, and promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion in community development.

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Lani Poce

Immigrant Services Association Nova Scotia

Community Connection Coordinator with Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia.

CO-PLAY Staff

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Dr. Kimberley Curtin

Project Manager & Research Associate

Kimberley is the project manager and research associate for CO-PLAY. Her background is in Behavioual Medicine, sport and exercise psychology, healthy policy, health equity, and chronic disease prevention.

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Sarah Wellman-Earl

Research Coordinator

Sarah is a Research Coordinator with the INCH Lab, where she has been a valued team member since 2014. She began her work on a longitudinal cohort study exploring how poor motor coordination affects physical activity and fitness in young children. As the lab’s research expanded, Sarah contributed to a range of community-based projects involving diverse populations, including youth and young adults. Her work has incorporated emerging methodologies, such as ecological momentary assessment (EMA), and more recently, has focused on promoting physical literacy among newcomer communities. In addition to her work at INCH, Sarah has a strong interest in family-centred healthcare, particularly the experiences of families raising a child with a disability. She holds a Master’s degree in Human Kinetics from the University of Ottawa and an undergraduate degree from the University of Toronto.

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Rebecca Clark

Research Coordinator

Rebecca is a Research Coordinator at the Department of Family Medicine at McMaster University. She actively works with multiple projects including smaller pilot projects, an ongoing practice-based research and learning network and larger community-based studies and initiatives. While her research interests can change, she is particularly interested in team-based care in primary care and in the community. Outside of work, Rebecca enjoys spending time with her family and staying active.

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Gina Vetro

Casual Staff

Community Research Coordinator - Praxus Health & CCIS.

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Calli Naish

Research Coordinator

Calli is a research associate with the CO-PLAY Network.

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Tracey Naldjieff

Finance Coordinator

Tracey is the finance coordinator for the CO-PLAY Network.

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Ellen Wade

Casual Staff

Ellen holds a BA (Hons.) degree from Brock University and an ALA-accredited Master of Library and Information Science degree from Western University. Her work with the CO-PLAY Network focuses on facilitating research methodology and mixed media creation and design. Outside of work, Ellen prioritizes both physical and mental well-being through activities such as dance, aerial fitness, horseback riding, golf, and skiing. She also enjoys reading, traveling, and attending live concerts and musicals.

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Jeff Graham

Casual Staff

CO-PLAY Trainees

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Taylor Rowe

PhD Candidate

Taylor Rowe is a PhD student in the Applied Health Sciences program at Brock University and a Research Assistant in the INCH Lab. She previously completed her master’s degree in Child and Youth Studies at Brock. As an immigrant from Barbados, Taylor brings a personal lens to her research on equity in physical activity. Her work explores the psychological and emotional experiences of physical activity among newcomer girls in Canada, with a focus on understanding how feelings of discomfort, self-consciousness, and emotional tension can influence their participation. She is especially interested in identifying the psychosocial determinants that influence whether girls feel safe, confident, and supported in movement spaces.

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Ava Hsieh

MA Candidate

Ava is a Master’s student in the Child and Youth Studies program at Brock University, where she also completed her undergraduate degree in the same field. During her undergraduate thesis, supervised by Dr. Kwan, Ava investigated the relationship between adolescence and organized sport participation on mental health and well-being in emerging adulthood. Her research interests center on understanding how young people engage in physical activity and how their participation supports and shapes healthy development. This interest is largely drawn from her experience working with children as a gymnastics instructor. Promoting accessible and enjoyable opportunities for children to be active and thrive is one of Ava’s strongest motivations, and she hopes her research will further this goal.

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Ann-Marie McNutt

MSc Candidate

Ann-Marie is a Master of Science candidate in the Department of Applied Health Sciences at Brock University. She completed her undergraduate studies at Brock, earning an Honours Bachelor of Public Health degree. Her research interests center on physical activity, physical fitness, and child development. As an undergraduate student, Ann-Marie pursued these interests through her honours thesis, which examined how developmental coordination disorder influences physical fitness trajectories in young children. Building on this foundation, Ann-Marie is eager further to integrate these research interests into her graduate work. Beyond her academic pursuits, Ann-Marie is passionate about being actively engaged within her community. She volunteers with Positive Living Niagara, Niagara North Family Health Team, Kids Help Phone, the BFIT fitness center and serves on the Social Science Research Ethics Board at Brock University. She is also a competitive equestrian who dedicates her free time to caring for and riding her horses: Cooper, Abbey, Sage, and Bentley.

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Ryan Chen

MSc Candidate

Ryan Chen is a second year MSc student studying under the guidance of Dr. Harris at the University of Waterloo. His research aims to understand how effort related processes impact physical activity decision making.

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Alex Leslie

Thesis Candidate

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Carah Porter

PhD Candidate

Carah Porter is a doctoral student in the Kinesiology department at Kansas State University. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Ohio Northern University and a master’s degree in psychology from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Carah’s research centers around understanding how post-intentional processes, specifically physical activity identity, are associated with the adoption and maintenance of physical activity behavior. In her free time, she enjoys cycling or hiking with her two golden retrievers.

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Jayden Miller

MSc Candidate

Jayden Miller is a Master’s student in Applied Health Sciences at Brock University, where her research focuses on physical activity promotion, inclusive health, and built environments. She completed her Honours B.A.Sc. in Arts & Science and Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour at McMaster University, graduating summa cum laude. Alongside her academic work, Jayden is a certified personal trainer and group fitness coach, passionate about creating supportive, inclusive spaces for movement. Her broader goal is to bridge research and practice to foster healthier, more connected communities .

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Malak Shaath

MSc Candidate

Malak is an MSc candidate in the Applied Health Sciences department at Brock University. She completed her undergraduate degree at Brock University, where she attained an Honours Bachelor of Child Health with a minor in English Language and Literature. Malak has always been fascinated by the way children practice their cognitive abilities and emotional regulation in different contexts. She is interested in a variety of topics that pertain to children’s mental health, attachment, learning, and development. During her bachelor’s degree, Malak worked on a rapid review that explored the impact of developmental coordination disorder on positive mental health factors (such as self-confidence and self-esteem) in children. Over the years, she has been involved in a variety of child-centred programs within her community, including Brock’s Children’s Movement Program, Reading Rocks, and Let’s READ. Malak is currently involved in work with the Learning Disabilities Association of the Niagara Region as a program facilitator, and is a member of the Social Sciences Research Ethics Board at Brock University. She is interested in research ideologies that value the voice of participants, the uniqueness of individual experiences, and interdisciplinary approaches to data collection and synthesization. When Malak isn’t immersed in the world of academia, she keeps herself afloat by going on long walks and treating herself from local cafes.

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Sophia Alongi

Thesis Candidate

Sophia Alongi is currently in her fifth year of studying psychology, with a deep passion for developmental psychology in children. She has always been fascinated by how early life experiences shape who people become, and that curiosity has grown into a strong academic and personal commitment to understanding childhood development in all its complexity. At present, she is in the process of reworking her thesis in child development, a journey that has proven both challenging and rewarding. Her research is motivated by a desire to contribute to meaningful change, particularly in the ways children and families are supported through more compassionate and equitable systems. In addition to her focus on developmental psychology, Sophia is deeply interested in issues surrounding the mistreatment of minorities in child protection agencies, the importance of harm reduction, and the integration of trauma-informed approaches in both research and practice. She believes psychology has a responsibility not only to understand people but also to advocate for them, especially those who are often unheard or underserved. Outside of academics, music plays an important role in her life, with Lady Gaga being her all-time favorite artist. Ultimately, Sophia aspires to pursue a career that combines research, advocacy, and direct impact, working toward a future where all children, regardless of background, are supported in safe, inclusive, and nurturing environments.