Meet Our Team

Nicole is a health behaviour change researcher, with over 30 years of experience in supporting individuals to use physical activity to live well. In MOMENTUM, Nicole is interested in examining the intersection between cancer and the experience of menopause, as well as how to translate the MOMENTUM team’s evidence-based findings to resources that women can use to live well through menopause. 

Meghan is a sport and exercise psychologist with over 20 years of experience studying social relationships in physical activity, with a particular focus on aging, coping with chronic disease, and populations experiencing marginalization and isolation. In MOMENTUM, Meghan is interested in studying the ways that misinformation, lack of information, and social stigma affect seeking and obtaining social support regarding menopause, and the contribution that filling those information gaps has on improving social support for health and physical activity. She is also interested in documenting women’s lived experiences with physical activity through the menopause continuum, and the role of interpersonal relationships and institutional and societal structures on their understanding of their experiences.  

Raylene is a nutrition scientist and Registered Dietitian with over 30 years of experience in designing and testing dietary strategies to prevent and treat chronic disease, particularly obesity and diabetes. In MOMENTUM, Raylene is interested in examining how the gut microbiome changes during menopause, as well as conducting dietary intervention trials to improve gut health in the transition from perimenopause to menopause.  

Tish is a Doctor of Public Health and a sport scientist with 30 plus years of research and coaching women, athletes and youth across the broad domains of health, physical activity and sport. In MOMENTUM, Tish is interested in how reproductive health from a younger age can impact the menopause transition and subsequent old age health. She will use a mixed method approach of life experiences and hormonal biomarkers and app based health metrics.   

As a leadership, mentoring, and teaching scholar, I will systematically observe, describe, analyze, and interpret the way research team members embody leadership and leverage mentorship as this research team grows and develops. The lived experience of junior and senior academics on the MOMENTUM team will be collected and analyzed to understand and develop practical recommendations for future teams of scholars, particularly women working in science striving to mentor junior faculty and make a positive holistic impact both within the team of scholars and in women’s health across multiple communities. As a patient-member (woman experiencing menopause), I am personally interested in improving women’s understanding of and access to practical ways of coping with and thriving during menopause.

Leigh’s research examines the role of movement (physical activity and exercise) for musculoskeletal health across the lifespan using advanced medical imaging modalities. In MOMENTUM, Leigh is interested in examining changes in bone and muscle during menopause and conducting intervention trials to investigate whether strength training can prevent bone loss during the menopausal transition.  

Cindy is a translational researcher with expertise in exercise neuroscience, neuroendocrinology, and aging. Her research focuses on determining why females are more likely than males to develop Alzheimer’s disease and examining how exercise can be utilized as an intervention to promote healthy brain aging. In MOMENTUM, Cindy is interested in examining how different reproductive history variables (e.g., number and health status of previous pregnancies) can alter the trajectory of brain aging across the menopause transition and the potential role physical activity. 

As a dance science researcher, Sarah applies over 20 years of experience as a contemporary dance artist to exploring the lived experiences of participating in community dance as a form of creative movement across the age spectrum. In MOMENTUM, Sarah is interested in developing understanding of the unique and beneficial roles that community dance can play during menopause, and disseminating this understanding to help support women experiencing menopause-associated symptoms as they age. 

Brittany is an integrative exercise physiologist interested in the physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying metabolic adaptations to exercise and causes of exercise intolerance.  Her lab uses a variety of techniques in physiology, molecular biology, protein biochemistry, and histology to study the interplay between various organ systems that regulate metabolic health.  In MOMENTUM, Brittany is interested in understanding how menopause impacts metabolic health, exercise tolerance, and the response to exercise training. 

My role in the project will be as a collaborative team member of the MOMENTUM team bringing expertise in research methodology, rehabilitation (specifically including cervical and vestibular rehabilitation, neuromuscular training, sensorimotor training, sport and patient specific training), co-design with stakeholders, protocols and implementation and epidemiology. I also bring experience leading large cohort studies and randomized controlled trials. I am excited to work with the team to examine the association between previous injury, concussion, symptoms and sensorimotor function during menopause to inform the development and evaluation of menopause specific sensorimotor and neuromuscular training interventions. sensorimotor and neuromuscular function and rehabilitation, concussion and traumatic brain injury, epidemiology and injury prevention across the lifespan. I am also a woman who will soon experience menopause and will also be a patient-member.

Laura’s research delves into the experiences of females with neurodevelopmental conditions during crucial reproductive transitions, such as puberty. She examines how these times may impact an individual's physical and mental health. Within the MOMENTUM project, Dr. St. John endeavors to deepen our understanding of how menopause influences physical activity, health, and overall well-being in women with neurodevelopmental conditions including Autism, ADHD and intellectual disabilities. Drawing upon her own neurodivergent perspective, she aspires to contribute a distinctive viewpoint to the MOMENTUM team, enriching the research landscape with her unique insights and lived experience.  

Hilary is an experienced research coordinator specializing in large-scale initiatives that bridge diverse collaborators, including interdisciplinary researchers, industry partners and lived experiences. She is passionate about facilitating collaboration and leveraging knowledge translation for the development of services, supports and policies that improve overall health and quality of life, and empower marginalized, stigmatized and under researched communities.