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

Nominated Principal Applicant & Co-Director of Research

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

Director of Operations

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

Director of Engagement

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

Co-Director of Research

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

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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Ellen Wade

Marketing and Media

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.

Calli Naish

Research Coordinator

Calli is a research coordinator with the Infant, Child, and Youth Health (INCH) Lab at Brock University. She has an MA in communications from the University of Calgary, through which she focused on the interplay between marketing and health on social media platforms. Beyond this, Calli is an experienced science communicator, working with science organizations like The Gairdner Foundation, Beakerhead, and Telus Spark to engage diverse audiences with science content. She is passionate about the development of evidence-based health and science knowledge dissemination, qualitative health and science research, and digital communication and marketing, and vocal about the importance of finding innovative ways to share science stories.

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Tracey Naldjieff

Finance Coordinator

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