Award Information
The PHE Canada Research Council’s Emerging Scholar Award recognizes graduate students’ commitment to the Research Council, as evidenced through experiences and potential in teaching (college/university; K-12), research, and leadership/service. It serves as an opportunity to acknowledge the potential of individual student members as future scholars and promoters of physical and health education within Canada.
Award Guidelines:
One Master's Award and one Doctoral Award may be granted each time a PHE Canada Research Council Forum is hosted.
Eligibility:
The applicant must be the principal researcher and lead author of a submitted scholarly presentation to the current year’s Research Council Forum. The applicant must have been a student at a Canadian university and/or a Canadian at an international university at the time that the research for the submitted scholarly presentation was completed. An applicant is eligible to apply up to 12 months after convocation from their degree program. The applicant must be a Research Council member at the time the application is submitted. Applicants’ original research for a graduate degree should be complete or close to completion.
Submission Requirements:
In addition to presenting at the Research Council Forum, applicants must submit the following documents to be considered for the Research Council Emerging Scholar Award:
- Cover Page with Applicant’s Name, Affiliation, Program of Study, Project Title (1 page single-spaced max).
- Project Description (2 page single-spaced max) .
- Research overview of original research study formatted to a particular citation style (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago etc.)
- Description of the role of the applicant in the research project and their qualifications.
- Provide a statement on IDEA as it relates to the overall project; or Demonstrate how the research project meets the aims of IDEA (if also applying for the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Accessibility award).
- Curriculum Vitae
- Name and Contact information from a Mentor, Advisor or Supervisor who is willing to support the application.
- Completed Self-identification Questionnaire (only if also applying for the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Accessibility award).
Applicants may also choose to submit a fourth one-page document that explains any special circumstances in any of the four categories (e.g., related to a leave of absence, a maternity/parental leave, an inability to attend university full time, etc.).
These documents are due March 14, 2025 following notification of accepted presentations for the Research Council Forum and will only be accepted by email to: [email protected]. An email confirming receipt of the nomination will normally be sent within two business days.
Applications will be reviewed using the rubric on page two of this document by members of the PHE Canada Research Council Executive. Specifically, applications will be evaluated from a developmental perspective and therefore applicants’ programs (i.e., Master’s and Doctoral) will be taken into consideration.
Awards:
Research Council Emerging Scholar Award Winners will receive:
- A plaque of commendation
- A complementary Research Council membership (at time of renewal)
- A complementary Research Council Forum registration
Adjudication:
Click to enlarge/download the following rubric outlining the four categories of assessment:
2025 Emerging Scholar Award Recipients
Emerging Scholar - Master's
The PHE Canada Research Council is pleased to announce that Megan Tomyn is the 2025 recipient of the PHE Canada Research Council Emerging Scholar Master's Award.
Megan Tomyn is a second-year master’s student in the College of Kinesiology at the University of Saskatchewan, supervised by Dr. Lee Schaefer. As a First Nations scholar and researcher, Megan brings lived experience to her work, particularly regarding the underrepresentation of Indigenous athletes in high-level sport. Her research used narrative inquiry, to explore the experiences of Indigenous post-secondary student-athletes, examining how sport, physical activity, and education have shaped their journeys to university and continue to influence their lives as student-athletes. In the fall, Megan will begin her PhD studies at the University of British Columbia – Vancouver under the supervision of Dr. Janice Forsyth, where she will continue her work in socio-cultural studies and Indigenous wellness.
When asked “Why is it important to be connected to the PHE Canada Research Council?”, Megan shared that being connected to the PHE Canada Research Council is important to her because it creates space for conversations, collaboration, and action among others who are passionate about equity in physical and health education. As an Indigenous scholar, it’s vital for her to be part of a network that not only values diverse perspectives but also actively works toward decolonizing practices and supporting marginalized voices in research. These connections help support meaningful change within education and sport systems.
Emerging Scholar - Doctoral
The PHE Canada Research Council is pleased to announce that Dr. Lisa M. Taylor is the 2025 recipient of the PHE Canada Research Council Emerging Scholar Doctoral Award.
Dr. Lisa M. Taylor (she/her) is a contract faculty member in the Faculty of Health, Community, and Education at Mount Royal University (MRU), located on Treaty 7 Territory. She has instructed undergraduate- and graduate-level courses at several Canadian universities and enjoyed nine years as a physical and health education specialist with the Calgary Board of Education. Lisa completed her PhD at the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary in June of 2024. Her interpretive research involved a complexity thinking lens to explore teachers’ experiences of health in relation to the pandemic. Her findings identify the importance of honoring teachers’ struggles, recognizing the complexity teachers experience regarding health specific to context, and the opportunities possible through health promotion and using a systems approach to better support the health of teachers (in-service and pre-service) moving forward. Lisa’s current research projects leverage this work by focusing on how to support post-secondary student wellness in classrooms, which involves living the Okanagan Charter’s calls to action. Alongside teaching and researching, Lisa also enjoys serving her community. Locally, she leads the Health Promotion Committee in the Department of Health and Physical Education and serves as a faculty member representative for the Inclusive Post-Secondary Education Advisory Committee at MRU. Lisa also serves the greater community as journal editor of the Health and Physical Education Council (HPEC) of the Alberta Teachers’ Association and she is currently in her second year as Co-Chair of the PHE Canada Research Council Forum.
When asked “Why is it important to be connected to the PHE Canada Research Council?”, Lisa shared that she is grateful to be part of the Physical and Health Education Canada Research Council (PHECRC) for several reasons. This national community of researchers—many of whom are former K–12 teachers—is composed of passionate, knowledgeable, and collaborative scholars dedicated to improving physical and health education in both K–12 and post-secondary contexts. Discussions with members frequently center on critical topics that Lisa values, such as identity-affirming education, as well as advocating for the vital role of physical and health education programming across educational settings. Her involvement with the PHECRC exposes her to new perspectives, ways of thinking, and work being done across the country; she feels that her academic growth, as well as her own well-being through camaraderie, are supported. Simply put, this is a great group to be part of!
Congratulations to Megan Tomyn and Dr. Lisa M. Taylor!