York U experts on sports psychology and injury recovery available as Invictus Games begin
TORONTO, September 22, 2017 – York University, one of the host venues of Invictus Games 2017 that get underway this weekend at the York Lions Stadium, has a number of Faculty of Health experts who are available to speak about sports-related topics including injuries and their physical, social and psychological impacts.
Joe Baker, Professor, School of Kinesiology and Health Science in the Lifespan Health and Performance Laboratory at York University. He is available to comment on cognition in sport and sports psychology. His research examines the acquisition and maintenance of skill performance across the lifespan, particularly how models of athletic performance can help understand the limits of human potential. He has worked extensively with both able-bodied athletes and athletes with a disability and is a world-leading authority on athlete development.
Parissa Safai, Associate Professor, School of Kinesiology and Health Science, Faculty of Health, is available to comment on the socio-cultural study of risk and risk-taking in sport. Her research focuses on cultures of risk, pain and injury, as well as the social determinants of athletes’ health, and the social organization of sport medicine in Canada. She can provide insight on the lived experiences of high performance athletes around pain and injury and how the material conditions of high performance athletes’ lives impact their health and well-being.
Gerald Young, Professor in the Department of Psychology, Glendon Campus, York University, has done research and published widely in the area of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and psychological injury. He is president of the Association for Scientific Advancement in Psychological Injury and Law (www.asapil.net), dedicated to promoting scientific understanding of psychological injury, particularly as it relates to legal issues. He is also editor-in-chief of the association’s journal Psychological Injury and Law.
Lauren Sergio, Associate Professor in the School of Kinesiology and Health Science, Faculty of Health, is available to speak to the impact of concussions in athletes and recovery time. She can speak about brain control of eye-hand/foot coordination and how this may vary in female and male athletes.
Frances Flint, Associate Professor in the School of Kinesiology and Health Science, Faculty of Health, is available to comment on musculoskeletal injury, the psychology of the injured athlete, the psychological aspects of performance, sports trauma and medicine. She conducts research in the area of psychology of injury and has presented at seminars and conferences around the world. She has expertise in sports medicine and sport psychology, in developing integrated rehabilitation programs for injured athletes.
York University is known for championing new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-discipline programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. York students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world’s most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. York U is an internationally recognized research university –our 11 faculties and 26 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide. Located in Toronto, York is the third largest university in Canada, with a strong community of 53,000 students, 7,000 faculty and administrative staff, and more than 295,000 alumni. York U’s fully bilingual Glendon campus is home to Southern Ontario’s Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education.
Media Contacts: Anjum Nayyar, York University Media Relations, 416 736 2100 ext. 44543 anayyar@yorku.ca
