Contributing to our Health -- A Series About StFX Research Making A Difference In Our Communities
StFX is a leader in health innovation and entrepreneurship in Nova Scotia. In this ongoing series, we proudly shine a spotlight on our health research leaders, research and community health partnerships and their impact. For more on the Contributing to our Health series, click the link below.
Contributing to our Health series
“Growing up, both my parents lived with diabetes. My mother has had type 1 diabetes for nearly 55 years and has always practiced physical activity to help minimize co-morbidities associated with her disease. Therefore, from an early age, I understood both the unique challenges that living with a chronic disease represent as well as the benefits that an active lifestyle can bring…What motivates me to keep doing this research is knowing that I can continue to help people to adopt a more active and less sedentary lifestyle, and then I can watch their psychologic and physiologic health improve substantially.” ~ Dr. Ryan E.R. Reid
Dr. Ryan E.R. Reid joined the StFX faculty in 2020, where he is an assistant professor in the Human Kinetics Department and is cross appointed to the Computer Science Department. He teaches courses in applied human anatomy and physiology, physical activity and the population, and clinical exercise physiology. His research focuses on improving movement behaviours to help combat effects of chronic disease. Dr. Reid is working to develop clinical methodology and computer software to integrate commercial activity monitors into the clinical environment.
Could you tell me about your research program?
The long-term goal of my research program is to improve the use of movement behaviours (i.e., physical activity, sedentary time, and sleep) in primary health care to combat the negative health effects of chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity. The Canadian Society of Exercise Physiology outlines 24-hour movement guidelines for optimal health that are underutilized in the clinical environment. One reason for this is the lack of an objective measurement tool for clinicians to use. Commercial activity monitors, like Fitbit and Apple Watch, may be a way for clinicians to gain access to this information, but the health care system is not ready for the inclusion of these devices. In my research, I am developing clinical methodology and computer software to integrate commercial activity monitors into the clinical environment. Currently, I am still in the early stages of my research program. I started the Wearable Movement Sensors lab in January 2020. To advance my work on clinical methodology, I have supervised 10 undergraduate research projects in the Human Kinetics and Health departments focusing on the perceived barriers and facilitators of integrating activity monitors and movement information into health care visits. My lab has investigated this from multiple viewpoints including patients, medical students, nurses, nurse practitioners, and physicians. During this time, I have also supervised three MSc students in computer science who have worked on the computer software necessary to integrate these tools into a clinical setting.
What drew you to health research?
Growing up, both my parents lived with diabetes. My mother has had type 1 diabetes for nearly 55 years and has always practiced physical activity to help minimize co-morbidities associated with her disease. Therefore, from an early age, I understood both the unique challenges that living with a chronic disease represent as well as the benefits that an active lifestyle can bring. These experiences led me towards a Bachelor of Science in kinesiology. What motivates me to keep doing this research is knowing that I can continue to help people to adopt a more active and less sedentary lifestyle, and then I can watch their psychologic and physiologic health improve substantially. Knowing that I play a small part in that brings me a lot of joy. What excites me about the future of this area of research is the promise of more advanced wearable health monitors. In the past 20 years, there has been an exponential improvement in computing technology that has allowed us to go from pedometers to small wrist worn monitors that can track sleep, sedentary time, physical activity, heart rate, arrythmias, pulse oximetry (important in understanding sleep apnea) and link these health variables to your own mobile device. I am very excited to see what the future of personal health monitoring will bring.
What impact do you hope it will have?
The pandemic, lockdowns, and a move to virtual care highlighted both peoples’ need for movement, but also the healthcare system’s ability to transition to new technologies. I hope my research program will be instrumental in helping clinicians use physical activity, sedentary time, and sleep prescription to improve the quality of life, reduce co-morbidities related to chronic disease, and lessen the reliance on pharmaceutical treatments for all Canadians.
Could you tell me a bit about yourself and any awards/accomplishments?
To date, I have published 37 manuscripts in peer-reviewed scientific journals. These articles have been cited over 500 times by other researchers. I have amassed over $400,000 in research funding from national, provincial, and local funding bodies. I was the recipient of doctoral training awards (including the Bloomberg-Manulife Fellowship for the Promotion of Active Health in the Field of Kinesiology, Fonds de Recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS), McGill University - Graduate Mobility Award for Research Abroad), postdoctoral training awards (Fondation CHU Sainte-Justine, Fonds de Recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS)), and presentation awards (Award of Excellence for a Presentation at a Scientific Conference from the Réseau de Recherché en Santé Cardiométabolique (CMDO) and CHU Sainte-Justine). I have presented my research at international, national, and provincial scientific conferences.
How did you become a researcher?
In the final year of my BSc, I began an honours research project looking at the movement behaviours of people before and after bariatric surgery. People that undergo bariatric surgery represent a unique group who typically live with many health challenges associated with obesity. In this work I was able to see the psychologic, physiologic, and sociologic benefits of weight loss and regular physical activity. This work was so interesting to me, that when given the opportunity to stay at McGill University and continue working with this population I jumped at the chance. During my PhD, I looked at the movement behaviours of people 10 years after bariatric surgery to see how this affected their weight and other health metrics. From there I moved to a postdoctoral fellowship at Université de Montréal and the St. Justine University Hospital Centre where I examined the movement habits of children to help predict obesity later in life. After this fellowship I began my work at StFX.
What excites you or what do you enjoy about being a researcher at StFX?
My favourite thing about being a researcher at StFX is working with students. Teaching a new research student about my research area always brings a renewed excitement for me. Moreover, students bring their own lived experiences to my research program, helping it grow and develop well beyond my initial plans. I also enjoy being able to bring my research to the local community. Coming from a major urban center (Montréal, Qc), it has been my experience that in a rural setting it is critical to engage the community as often as possible. Community members are helpful in tailoring existing research plans to best suit the local environment and to shed light onto the needs of individuals locally. I also greatly appreciate the collaborations afforded to me by StFX. As StFX is a relatively small university, I have found it both important and natural to form interdisciplinary collaborations throughout campus. Before coming to StFX I had an interest in technology but focused my research on intervention. Since coming to StFX, I have made strong collaborative partners in computer science, have become cross appointed there, and have considerably expanded my research aspirations knowing that this collaboration exists.
What’s something surprising about yourself that people wouldn’t know?
I like to think of myself as an open book. Living in a small rural community and being engaged in community fitness programs like Fit4Men (StFX-led walking program for men in Antigonish), people get to know a lot about me. To those who only know me by my research, they may not know that I play a funky bass, I have three cats, and I love being in nature.
