The Faculty Council of the University of Toronto Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education has endorsed the establishment of the Mental Health & Physical Activity Research Centre (MPARC) as an Extra-Departmental Unit (Level D). The MPARC EDU was activated on May first, 2019 and will be directed by Professor Catherine Sabiston, Canada Research Chair in Physical Activity & Mental Health.
MPARC is a unique research facility integrating the study of physical activity and mental health. The researchers involved with MPARC are dedicated to developing and evaluating interventions to promote physical activity and mental health among people at risk of inactivity and mental health problems. Examples of populations that MPARC researchers work with include: mental health service users, cancer survivors, youth sport participants and people with spinal cord injuries.
“MPARC is committed to developing and testing intervention programs that will not only work in the lab, but also translate to the real world,” says Sabiston. “Through promoting physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviour, the MPARC research team hopes to reduce mental health challenges and incorporate sustainable long-term physical activity into the lives of people from diverse populations.
“The formal establishment of the research centre provides a foundation for impactful collaborations focused on mental health and physical activity, and gives us a recognized identity as a strong research platform within UofT and the broader community.”
MPARC features accessible cardiovascular and strength training, psychological assessment and data collection tools (on-site and field-based), and advanced software for mixed methods analyses.
MPARC projects range from Active March, a free online service and a research project that helps women diagnosed with cancer find their close-to-perfect exercise partner or small exercise group, to MoveU.HappyU, an individualized six-week program that offers physical activity counselling to undergraduate and graduate students at U of T.
“I would like to congratulate all those involved with this initiative and extend my best wishes for productive and impactful collaborations,” said Ira Jacobs, professor and dean at KPE, adding that scholars from several division of U of T have already indicated their interest in collaborating within the framework of the EDU.