About Us

Dr. Jonathan Low

Dr. Jonathan Low is a postdoctoral researcher in the Health and Wellness Lab. With a PhD in Exercise Metabolism, Jonathan combines a robust academic background with a passion for translating research into real-world applications. Currently, he is working on the EXCEL project which is a Canada-wide trial aimed at implementing an exercise intervention in those living with and beyond cancer.

Jonathan’s research focuses on clinical exercise metabolism, implementation science, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and innovative technology. He explores how exercise can improve metabolic health and quality of life in individuals with chronic conditions. Committed to advancing exercise science, Jonathan integrates technologies that enhance patient engagement and adherence. Taking a ‘bench to park bench’ approach, his work bridges the gap between laboratory findings and practical solutions, ultimately improving health outcomes for diverse populations.

Outside of research, Jonathan is dedicated to raising the next generation of scientists (aka, his 3 children)! Together with his wife, they love to bike, run, swim, hike, and play!

Dr. Wendy Verity

Dr. Wendy Verity is a postdoctoral researcher in the HWL whose research work centers on partnering with underserved communities to measure, understand, and reduce equity-related gaps in clinical exercise programming and opportunities for physical activity within communities. Within the HWL, Wendy works on the EXCEL study, examining its implementation using mixed-methods approaches. Beyond asking whether EXCEL was effective, she investigates who the program reached, what supported participation, and how to increasingly promote access and sustainability. Her research findings help advocate for policies and practices that expand equitable opportunities for exercise and physical activity in clinical and community settings.

Outside of research, Wendy can be found battling the weeds in her garden or roping in various family members and friends for a game of beach volleyball or other outdoor adventures. She is deeply involved in her community, serving in youth sport and within the local faith community. Fun fact: Wendy has self-declared her homemade waffles to be the best in western Canada.

Dr. Sarah Stephen

Dr. Sarah Stephen is a postdoctoral researcher with the Momentum Project, a large cohort study exploring the experiences of women through menopause and the factors that support health, well-being, and quality of life during this important life stage. With a PhD in Sport and Exercise Psychology, Sarah specializes in quantitative research and has a particular passion for understanding how social relationships influence physical activity, confidence, and well-being.

Sarah’s research focuses on the role of interpersonal relationships, examining how support from others can shape experiences and outcomes. Through her work with the Momentum Project, she is helping to build a deeper understanding of the physical, psychological, and social factors that influence women’s health during menopause.

Originally from Scotland, Sarah now brings a bit of Scottish determination (and a love of unpredictable weather) to her work in Canada. When she’s not analysing data or thinking about research, you’ll likely find her running, cycling, hiking, or enjoying just about any excuse to be outdoors.

Jenna Sim

Jenna Sim (she/her) is a 2^nd year PhD student new to the Health and Wellness Lab. Jenna’s doctoral research focuses on evaluating the implementation and effectiveness of the Transplant Wellness Program (TWP). Specifically, Jenna is evaluating the delivery of the health behaviour change components of the TWP and its’ relationship with participants’ long-term physical activity behaviours. She is also passionate about health equity, implementation, and knowledge translation and is excited to work in these areas throughout her degree. 

Outside of research, Jenna enjoys discussing anything Taylor Swift related, cross-country skiing, mountain biking, climbing, running, and hiking!

Heejae Lee

Heejae is a 2^nd year PhD student whose research focuses on understanding how exercise strengthens our immune system. Integrating these insights with an innovative immune cell-based therapy for acute myeloid leukemia, in which healthy donor immune cells are infused into patients for treatment, Heejae is investigating whether the effectiveness of the therapy can be enhanced by exercising the healthy donors prior to extracting their immune cells. Heejae is also a clinical exercise physiologist who is deeply committed to supporting the health and well-being of individuals living with and beyond cancer through personalized exercise programs.

In the summer, you can find Heejae running along the bow river on weekend mornings. In the winter, his favourite activity is winter hiking.

Julie Walton

Julie Walton is a PhD student and clinical exercise physiologist in the Health and Wellness Lab. Her doctoral research focuses on exercise and women’s health across the cancer continuum, with a particular interest in cancer treatment-induced menopause among younger women living with and beyond cancer. Julie aims to better understand how menopausal symptoms influence physical activity and how exercise can support symptom management, health, and quality of life during and after cancer treatment.

Julie brings more than 15 years of experience in clinical exercise physiology, sport science, exercise oncology, and high-performance sport. She is deeply passionate about women’s health and exploring how exercise can support women through different life stages and health experiences. She is especially interested in translating research into practical exercise approaches that support women’s well-being and ability to remain active.

Outside the lab, Julie enjoys running, strength training, hiking, skiing, and spending time in the mountains. Julie especially loves spending time with her husband and two boys and can often be found at a hockey rink, on the sidelines of a soccer field, or planning their next family adventure. Also high on her list: a hammock and a good book.

Fadee Abboud

Fadee is a first-year MSc student whose research focuses on developing and refining the Cancer Rehabilitation Exercise Screening Tool (CREST). This innovative tool is designed to assess the readiness of cancer patients for exercise interventions during their rehabilitation journey. By identifying key factors such as physical capacity and potential risks, Fadee’s work aims to optimize exercise programs tailored to individuals recovering from cancer. Through his research, Fadee hopes to bridge the gap between clinical care and effective rehabilitation strategies, ensuring that exercise becomes a safe and integral part of the recovery process for cancer survivors. His dedication to improving the quality of life for those affected by cancer drives both his academic work and his passion for making a tangible impact in the field of cancer rehabilitation.

Tanya Williamson

Bachelor of Kinesiology (Bkin), Clinical Exercise Physiologist (CSEP-CEP)

Tanya Williamson is a Clinical Exercise Physiologist (CEP) and project coordinator who started with the Health and Wellness Lab in September 2010. Her role within the lab is as the project coordinator for the Alberta Cancer Exercise (ACE) study, a program that offers free exercise classes to cancer survivors to enhance their quality of life. Some fun facts about Tanya: She is the proud mom of two kids, Ella and Owen; she has travelled and seen more of Australia than her Australian husband; and she is also the funniest lab member (self-proclaimed)! Tanya's other passions outside of leading exercise oncology classes include playing field hockey, hiking, snow shoeing, skiing, and golfing with her friends and family. She especially loves games nights and lip sync battles with her fellow lab members. Lastly, Tanya loves spending time in the mountains or on a lake and loves watching and playing most sports - give her a ball to chase and she's happy.

Jessica Danyluk

Master of Kinesiology (MKin), Clinical Exercise Physiologist (CSEP-CEP)

Jessica is a Clinical Exercise Physiologist (CEP) who started with the Health and Wellness Lab in the summer of 2011. Currently her main role is with the TrueNTH Lifestyle Management project, providing exercise and wellness resources through an online portal to men with prostate cancer, as well as ACE-Neuro, a unique exercise study for individuals with a brain cancer diagnosis. Jess absolutely loves the challenge of working in such a busy lab with amazing lab mates, but her favourite part is the interaction with the participants. They have taught her so much about life, perspective, compassion, motivation, relationships, and opened her heart in a special and unique way. Life outside of the lab for Jessica includes her husband Ben and their 3 young children, Gabriel, Lena, and Indiana, as well as their dog Murphy. They enjoy activities together like biking, walks along the river, skiing, lying in the hammock, eating ice cream, and are hoping to get a campervan so they can do some family road trips exploring Canada.

Rachel Barlow

Master of Kinesiology (MKin), Clinical Exercise Physiologist (CSEP-CEP)

Rachel is a Clinical Exercise Physiologist who works with the Health and Wellness Lab as an ACE instructor, supporting individuals living with and beyond cancer. In her role, she leads exercise classes within the ACE program and works closely with participants in both the baseline and maintenance phases. Rachel is also involved in welcoming new participants to the program, assisting with referrals and helping guide individuals through the process of getting started with ACE.

Rachel is very passionate about helping people integrate physical activity, movement, and exercise into their everyday lives. She believes that exercise can play a powerful role in improving health, confidence, and quality of life, and she enjoys supporting participants as they discover what movement means to them.

Outside of the lab, Rachel has a lifelong love of sport. She began playing soccer at four years old and went on to play for six years with the University of Calgary Dinos Women’s Soccer Team. Besides soccer, Rachel loves nothing more than spending a day in the mountains hiking with her friends.

A fun fact about Rachel is that when she was 16 years old, she biked over 600 km across Alberta, starting from the B.C. border and ending at the Saskatchewan border, to raise money for the Alberta Children’s Hospital, raising over $12,000 for children’s cancer research.

Nathan Drysdale

Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology (BSc Kin), Registered Kinesiologist (R.Kin)

Nathan joined the Health and Wellness Lab (HWL) in May 2026. He graduated from the University of Alberta (U of A) in 2023, where he also completed a professional practicum with the Cancer Rehabilitation Clinic at the U of A, supporting participants in the Alberta Cancer Exercise (ACE) program's Edmonton hub.

Nathan's passion lies in exercise programming and interventions for clinical and older adult populations. In his daily work, he helps run exercise classes for both ACE Baseline and ACE Maintenance programs, and guides new participants with their initial intake via referrals, helping them smoothly transition into the Baseline program. He also works hard behind the scenes to manage the continuing care needs of all participants in the ACE Maintenance program. He is driven by the belief that everyone benefits from bringing movement into their daily routine, and finds inspiration in the positive spirit, motivation, and wonderful energy shown by the participants he works with.

Outside of the lab, Nathan keeps plenty busy. You can usually find him tending the net as an ice hockey goaltender, cycling his way around the city, spinning his favorite vinyl, or catching up on reality TV with his girlfriend. And yes, despite living in Calgary, he remains a HUGE Edmonton Oilers fan!

Dr. Aude-Marie Foucaut Beaucage

Dr. Aude-Marie Foucaut Beaucage is a Research Associate and Certified Exercise Physiologist (CEP) at the Health and Wellness Lab, appointed as Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Calgary. She holds a PhD in Kinesiology and Public Health, focused on implementing Exercise Oncology within France's care pathways. Her research draws on both observational and interventional clinical studies, combining quantitative and qualitative methods. Most of the exercise programs developed during her research have become part of routine clinical care in France.

Her role within the lab is to support program implementation by streamlining processes and facilitating the inclusion of the ever-growing number of participants. She also teaches exercise oncology classes. She is involved in several research projects conducted in the Lab, including protocol development, grant submissions, ethical procedures, and data analysis.

She is also a researcher at the Education and Health Promotion Laboratory at Université Sorbonne Paris Nord in France where she held a Tenured Associate Professor position in Kinesiology for nine years. She currently supervises three PhD students and develops European research.

Outside of work, she enjoys biking — including a 70 km round-trip commute — gravel biking, and playing bike polo!

Julianna Dreger

Clinical Exercise Physiologist (CSEP-CEP)

Julianna Dreger started with the Health and Wellness Lab in 2020 and her role is the research coordinator for Project EXCEL (Exercise for Cancer to Enhance Living Well). EXCEL increases access to exercise oncology programs for rural and remote cancer individuals living with and beyond cancer, across Canada. Julianna's other interests and passions include travelling, time in the mountains, being active, and gardening.

Key research interests: Exercise oncology; Health promotion; Exercise physiology

Neil Lemay

Masters in Kinesiology (MKin), Clinical Exercise Physiologist (CSEP-CEP)

Neil is a Clinical Exercise Physiologist who started working with the Health and Wellness Lab (HWL) through teaching community Alberta Cancer and Exercise (ACE) classes around Calgary in January 2024.

Neil is dedicated to work with individuals to meet their needs and goals, where his focus is exercise oncology and chronic disease management, and is passionate about assisting people take control over their health, through the benefits of physical activity and exercise.

Neil is from Grande Prairie but has been living in Calgary for the last 5 years. Neil is passionate about the outdoors, spending his free time out in the mountains hiking, biking or rock climbing. He also enjoys to coach cross-country skiing during the winter, building people's confidence to be outdoors and stay active all year round.  

Dr. Julia Daun

Julia Daun was a PhD student with the Health and Wellness Lab and has been with the HWL since April 2014. What she hopes to achieve through her research is to bring movement to all individuals affected by cancer, specifically in the clinical setting; contribute to the incredible work our entire lab is doing in order to inform better medical practices, advance the healthcare ecosystem, and most importantly, enhance patient experiences. Julia's current research project is The Feasibility of Exercise in the Care Pathway for Surgical Head and Neck Cancer Patients. 

Julia enjoys travel and has been to all 7 continents and >40 countries, as well as speaks five languages!

Dr. Chad Wagoner

Chad Wagoner is a Clinical Exercise Physiologist (CEP) with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and has a PhD in Human Movement Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His doctoral research focused on physiological mechanisms of improvement after community-based exercise as well as underlying mechanisms of cancer-related fatigue for women with early breast cancer. His current research centers around development and evaluation of implementation efforts of community-based exercise oncology programs for those in rural/remote and underserved communities in addition to examining the role of CEPs within clinical cancer care to better connect those living with cancer to appropriate exercise oncology resources. 

Key Research Interests: Community-based exercise; Implementation; Physical activity; Clinical exercise physiology; Behaviour change support. 

Emma McLaughlin

Emma McLaughlin (she/her) is an MD/PhD student at the University of Calgary. She completed her PhD in Spring 2026 and began medical school in Summer 2026. Emma joined the Health and Wellness Lab in 2019, where her research focused on pediatric exercise oncology, knowledge translation, and implementation science. Her work included evaluating the dissemination and implementation of the international Pediatric Oncology Exercise Guidelines (iPOEG Toolkit) and co-coordinating the IMPACT trial, a 12-week physical activity intervention for children and adolescents recieving cancer treatment. Emma's goal is to improve supportive care and health outcomes for children and adolescents affected by cancer through research and clinical practice. 

Emma's favourite ways to be active include: playing golf, pickleball, running, pilates, spin classes, and going on walks!

Key research interests: Children, adolescents, and young adults affected by cancer; knowledge translation; movement.