Many companies believe that the more efficient way of thinking “lean” will improve quality by eliminating waste, reducing lead time and reducing their overall costs. However, the benefits and downfalls of a lean process of manufacturing have been debated extensively. Many researchers have noted a positive improvement in productivity, quality, and efficiency which contribute positively […]

The goal of this project is to decrease the risk of work-related accidents associated with construction and mining vehicles. The reasons for these accidents are partly due to the dimensions of the vehicle, which prohibit the driver from seeing certain areas of the surrounding environment, creating blind spots. These blind spots make it impossible to […]

Surgical education has changed dramatically over the last 15 years as traditional “time served” approaches have given way to objective assessments of efficiency. These assessments are very resource intensive and require a greater level of training for the educators and evaluators. Furthermore they often do not provide timely, meaningful feedback to the trainees. To overcome […]

Falls are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the elderly, and are the sixth leading cause of death. Often these falls result from a loss of balance due to decreased postural control; however, age related reductions in cardiovascular control during postural changes may produce light headedness and fainting (syncope) leading to fall proneness. […]

The gNutrition for Youh initiative is a recent and unique partnership sponsored by Thrifty Foods, and delivered through 18 municipal recreation centres, with Springwell Nutrition Group, and evaluated by the University of Victoria. In 2008]09, over 1,300 participants attended education seminars. More than 225 also attended grocery stores tours. Process evaluation data suggested that the […]

Traditionally, a firefighter’s primary responsibility is to fight fires; however, only a small percentage of time is actually spent on this task. Moreover, in urban centres such as Toronto, most emergency calls are non-fire related, including emergency medical responses and automotive accidents on major highways. As a result, firefighters are required to wear either partial […]

Stroke    Canada's leading cause of chronic disability   often induces a condition of significantly reduced speeds of motion. Timely movements are, however, vital to prevent falls, perform daily activities, and be able to return to work. Therefore, our objective is to characterize `stroke-related slowing' and to suggest novel therapies. Balance characteristics during perturbed standing will be […]

A novel electrode was developed to measure pelvic  floor muscle activity in women. The novel design addresses several limitations of current technology, which uses large electrodes mounted on vaginal probes. These probes use inappropriate electrode configurations, have large electrodes susceptible to noise from nearby muscles (i.e. crosstalk), and noise from motion of the electrode relative […]

    Many people with physical disabilities depend on forearm crutches to help them walk. Although forearm crutches are helpful, many people experience overuse injuries as a result of using the forearm crutch. Injuries to the wrists, elbows and shoulders are commonly experienced with long-term use of the forearm crutch. The research project will examine […]

The purpose of the project is to perform a biomechanical evaluation of the bags, and lifting techniques that are preformed by paramedics on a daily basis. The intern will spend 1.5 months in Eastern Ontario, with approximately 2 weeks in the area surrounding Kingston interacting with and observing lifting techniques and conditions under which paramedics […]

Participants diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) from lower income backgrounds will receive personalized health coaching to support engagement in vigorous regular exercise and healthy eating aimed at regulating blood glucose and reducing risks of costly diabetes-related complications. The health coaching makes use of a Blackberry smart phone preinstalled with health behaviour promoting – […]

  Metabolic syndrome is a clustering of risk factors that increases the risk of developing heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Exercise improves these risk factors, but it is difficult to get people to engage in lifestyle changes. We will test the effectiveness of prescribed exercise to improve fitness and cardiovascular risk factors in a […]