Research Council Executive Members

Before taking on her current role of assistant professor at the Werklund School of Education, Dr. Astrid Kendrick was a K-12 classroom teacher for nineteen years specializing in Physical Education and English/Language Arts. Dr. Kendrick has two main research areas: firstly, on compassion fatigue, burnout, and emotional labour in Alberta educational workers, and secondly, on building the instructional capacity of preservice teachers in online and virtual learning environments. She is the primary investigator on a SSHRC-funded Partnership Development Grant with the Alberta Teachers Association, ASEBP, and Northwest Territories Teachers Association; a co-investigator on a health promotion grant through Alberta Education; and a co-investigator on an SSHRC Insight grant into improving teacher integration of Indigenous knowledge.

She is committed to improving the health and wellness of children through establishing partnerships with local school districts and Alberta Health Services. For the past several years, she has served on on the Board of Directors for PHE Canada and is the Chair-Elect for the PHE Canada Research Council. She is also on the advisory committee for Take Me Outside, an organization dedicated to learning from the natural environment. Dr. Kendrick is the developer of the HEARTcare Educators website.

She was the recipient of the 2020 Online Teaching Award from the Werklund School of Education as well as an Emerging Scholar Award from The Learner research network in 2019.

Nathan is an Associate Professor at Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario. His research and teaching are centered around physical literacy, physical activity, and PE pedagogy. Dr. Hall is highly interested in the content delivered in PE programs and the benefits of introducing children to a wide variety of activities that can promote physical health and well-being across the lifespan. Consequently, a central focus of his present research and teaching is the incorporation of alternative environment activities (AEAs) in PE programs. Other current research interests include assessment of physical literacy, and supporting the development of physical literacy in childhood. Nathan is presently the Chief Editor for the Revue phénEPS / PHEnex Journal.

Steve McGinley is a full-time lecturer and PhD. Candidate in the Faculty of Education, Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, Health, Outdoor and Physical Education (HOPE) program area at the University of British Columbia.  He currently teaches secondary and elementary method courses and Teacher Inquiry in the Teacher Education Program and engages all learners and creates and sustains conditions for professional collaboration across education, sport, recreation and health. He also contributes to teaching in the HOPE Ed. Masters Cohort. 

Steve’s current research and passion lie in investigating the collaboration, relationships, leadership, and network alliances at the multisectoral stakeholder-level necessary to advance the future of physical activity and physical literacy in school contexts.  Most recently, Steve supported the development, implementation and evaluation of the School Physical Activity and Physical Literacy (SPA-PL) prototype project aimed to build the capacity of BC educators to support and deliver physical activity and physical literacy opportunities in the school setting. 

Ivy Osei is a PhD student in Kinesiology at the University of British Columbia and an Asante woman of the Akan people of Ghana. Her work explores how Indigenous physical cultures can create meaningful opportunities for learning, physical activity, connection, and well-being. Her research on Indigenous games examines how games carry knowledge across generations and how communities can sustain movement traditions without separating play from the people, relationships, and authority that give them meaning. Through her research, teaching, and community engagement, Ivy brings a decolonial and African perspectives to conversations about inclusive physical education, culturally responsive practice, and healthy, active communities.