Faculty
Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose
PhD, PT
Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose, PhD, PT, is a Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy, and Canada Research Chair in Physical Activity, Mobility, and Cognitive Health. She is the Research Director of the Vancouver General Hospital Falls Prevention Clinic (www.fallsclinic.ca) and Director of the Aging, Mobility, and Cognitive Health Laboratory (https://cogmob.rehab.med.ubc.ca). Dr. Liu-Ambrose is an associate member of the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health.
Dr. Liu-Ambrose has a leadership role in two major Canadian Institutes of Health Research initiatives in aging – the Canadian Longitudinal Study of Aging (CLSA) and the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA). Recognition of Dr. Liu-Ambrose’s research excellence include her national research chair award (Canada Research Chair), 2 national salary awards (Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada), 1 provincial salary award (Michael Smith Foundation of Canada), and 2 institution research excellent awards (Faculty of Medicine Distinguished Achievement in Clinical Research and Peter Wall Scholar Award). She also received the Royal Society of Canada’s Alice Wilson Award as a postdoctoral fellow.
Dr. Liu-Ambrose is known internationally for her work in randomized controlled trials of exercise with cognitive and mobility outcomes in older adults. Her research findings have been implemented in health authorities, translated into a provincial-wide program, and influenced international practice guidelines to promote healthy aging.
Postdoctoral Fellows
Nárlon Cássio Boa Sorte Silva
PhD
CIHR and MSFHR/PARF Postdoctoral fellow
Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia
Nárlon Cássio Boa Sorte Silva is a postdoctoral research fellow in Dr. Liu-Ambrose’s lab. He received a PhD degree in Kinesiology from Western University in London, Ontario. Originally from Brazil, Narlon received a BSc degree in Physical Education from Nove de Julho University in São Paulo. The overarching goal of Narlon’s research is to investigate the impact of physical exercise on health outcomes in older adults at risk of dementia. In Dr. Liu-Ambrose’s lab, he is investigating whether exercise can prevent or slow down pathological processes affecting the white matter of the brain, in older adults with vascular cognitive impairment. He has established international collaboration in dementia research through the Vascular Cognitive Disorders Professional Interest Area (VPIA) within the Alzheimer’s Association International Society to Advance Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment (ISTAART). His postdoctoral fellowship in Dr. Liu-Ambrose’s lab is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and a joint grant by the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (MSFHR)/Pacific Alzheimer Research Foundation (PARF). Narlon is passionate about research, exercise, poetry, music, and Brazilian food.
Contact: narlon.silva@ubc.ca
Elizabeth Dao
PhD
Previously, Liz completed her BA (Hons) in Psychology at the University of British Columbia. In her undergraduate training, she looked at the role of mind wandering in visual attention using event related potentials (ERPs) with Dr. Todd Handy. After completing her undergraduate degree, Liz worked as a coordinator on several research studies investigating the use of transcranial magnetic stimulation in promoting neuroplasticity and motor recovery after stroke with Dr. Lara Boyd. Currently, Liz is a PhD candidate under the supervision of Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose. Her PhD work focused on the pathophysiology of small vessel ischemic disease and how it may affect cognitive and physical function in older adults. Specifically, Liz utilizes conventional and novel neuroimaging methods to assess the role of demyelination, white matter hyperintensities, and cerebral amyloid deposition in cognitive and physical impairments. In addition, her research investigates the role of lifestyle interventions, such as aerobic exercise, in modifying small vessel ischemic pathology to improve clinical outcomes for older adults with mild cognitive impairment.
Contact: lizdao@hiphealth.ca
Ryan Falck
PhD
Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia
Ryan Stanley Falck is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Physical Therapy. His research investigates how lifestyle can promote healthy cognitive aging in people at risk for cognitive decline. Major research foci include examining how physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep quality share an interactive relationship with cognitive health.
Contact: ryan.falck@hiphealth.ca
Guilherme Moraes Balbim
PhD
Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia
Contact: gui.moraesbalbim@ubc.ca
Jordyn Rice
PhD.
Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia
Jordyn Rice is a post-doctoral fellow supervised by Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose. Jordyn completed both her Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) and PhD degrees at the University of Miami. As a clinician, her primary practice settings were in acute care and inpatient rehabilitation. During her PhD studies, her lab focused on the use of exercise to promote brain health in sedentary aging adults and the utilization of non-invasive brain stimulation to characterize intracortical circuits relevant to synaptic plasticity. Her dissertation work investigated how dual-task walking assessments are related to measures of physical and cognitive reserve, brain maintenance and brain reserve in aging adults. Jordyn’s current research interest is to further understand the interrelationship between physical and cognitive health with the overall goal to find the most efficient strategies to maintain and improve these domains utilizing physical exercise interventions. In her spare time Jordyn enjoys rock climbing, mountain biking, reading, and spending time with her pup Cado.
Contact: Jordyn.rice@ubc.ca
PhD Trainees
Rebeca Hernández Gamboa
M.Sc.
Rebeca is a licensed psychologist and current doctoral student under the supervision of Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose. She received her MSc on Human Movement Sciences at the University of Costa Rica, specializing on lifestyle factors that influence cognitive ageing. Her research has been mainly focused on the effect of resistance training on cognitive function, and the relationship between changes on physical and cognitive outcomes during ageing. Rebeca’s doctoral studies will explore sex differences in exercise efficacy in improving cognitive function in older adults with mild cognitive impairment.
Contact: rebecahg@student.ubc.ca
Matthew Noseworthy
B.Sc.
Matthew is a PhD student in the Neuroscience program under the supervision of Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose. Previously, he completed a BSc in Biochemistry (Honours and Co-op) and ran with the varsity cross-country running and track team at the University of Victoria. During his Honours and Co-op terms, Matt performed research in Dr. Brian Christie’s molecular neurobiology lab, Dr. Brad Nelson’s cancer immunotherapy lab, Dr. Katherine Elvira’s microfluidics lab, and Drs. Sandra Hundza and Marc Klimstra’s motion and mobility research lab. Broadly, Matt is interested in lifestyle and integrative approaches to cognitive and physical health and performance. His MSc project will assess the effect of exercise in a natural, outdoor environment versus a built, indoor environment on cognitive health in community-dwelling, older adults. Outside of the lab, Matt will be training and competing with UBC’s cross-country running team.
Contact: mattnose@student.ubc.ca
Ryan Stein
M.Sc.
Ryan Stein is a PhD Student in the Rehabilitation Sciences program and is under the supervision of Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose. He completed his BSc in Kinesiology at the University of Victoria under the supervision of Dr. Brian Christie in the UVic Concussion Lab.
Contact: rstein03@student.ubc.ca
Vrinda Dimri
M.Sc.
Vrinda is a PhD student in the Rehabilitation Sciences program under the supervision of Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose. She completed a MSc. Research in Psychology from Tilburg University, Netherlands. Prior to this, Vrinda had completed her MSc. In Clinical Psychology from University of Groningen, Netherlands. She is interested in exploring the role of individual differences in physical activity participation and its subsequent impact on cognitive functioning. Outside of the lab, Vrinda enjoys working out, playing racquet sports and traveling!
Contact: vdimri@student.ubc.ca
MSc Trainees
Jammy Zou
B.Sc.
Jammy is a MSc student in the Rehabilitation Sciences program under the supervision of Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose. He previously completed a BSc in Kinesiology at McGill University and participated in Exercise Psychology research investigating the effects of peer-models on exercise self-efficacy. One of his favourite courses during his undergraduate degree was musculoskeletal and visceral anatomy because it gave him the opportunity to appreciate the complexity of the human body. Outside of the lab, he enjoys any type outdoor activity especially when the activity involves being surrounded by nature. Although he prefers the snow over rain, he is happy to have left the cold winters in Montreal.
Contact: jmzou@student.ubc.ca
Victoria Cirone
B.Sc.
Victoria Cirone is a MSc student in the Neuroscience Program under the supervision of Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose. She completed a BSc in Kinesiology at McMaster University. Her undergraduate thesis was under Dr. Jennifer Heisz’s supervision looking into the effects of exercise intensity on inhibitory control in an ADHD population. Victoria wanted to research the effects of exercise on brain health through the aging process after working in a long-term care home. In her spare time she loves reading, running, and trying new coffee shops!
Contact: vcirone@student.ubc.ca
Vicky Gu
B.Sc.
Vicky completed her Bachelor of Science degree at the University of British Columbia in Cognitive Systems, brain and cognition stream. She is currently a MSc Student in the Neuroscience program under the supervision of Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose. Her undergraduate research focused on brain imaging techniques (e.g., rs-fMRI) and the resultant brain functional connectome. She is interested in investigating brain aging and aging-related neurodegenerative disorders (e.g., AD, MCI) through the brain imaging approach. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking and baking. She loves the summer in Vancouver.
Contact: guyi730@student.ubc.ca
Ryu Lien
B.Sc.
Ryu Lien is a MSc student in the Rehabilitation Sciences program under the supervision of Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose. He previously completed a BSc in Kinesiology at the University of Western Ontario, where he worked with Dr. Lindsay Nagamatsu in the Exercise, Mobility, and Brain Health Lab. Ryu’s research aims to measure the effects of resistance training on white matter structural connectivity in older adults at-risk for cognitive decline using neuroimaging tools. In his spare time, he enjoys weightlifting, running, and pour-over coffee!
Contact: rlien@student.ubc.ca
Christine Seo
B.Sc.
Christine completed her Bachelor of Science in Behavioural Neuroscience at the University of British Columbia. She is currently a MSc student in the Neuroscience program at UBC under the supervision of Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose. Her undergraduate research investigated near-infrared light and its potential for improving cognitive performance in healthy undergraduate students. She is interested in studying interventions that can promote healthy aging, especially in terms of slowing cognitive decline and dementia prevention, as well as factors that may influence their effectiveness. She has previously served as a volunteer, work learn student assistant, full-time research assistant in the lab and, most recently, as the clinic coordinator of the Falls Prevention Clinic. In her spare time, Christine loves exploring cities and traveling to new places.
Contact: cysseo@student.ubc.ca
Daniel Elesin
B.Kin.
Daniel Elesin is a MSc student in the Rehabilitation Sciences program under the supervision of Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose. He completed a Bachelor of Kinesiology at the University of British Columbia. As an aspiring physician, he hopes to incorporate knowledge from his Kinesiology degree into innovative clinical research that can improve an individual’s physical and cognitive well-being. In his spare time, he loves exercising, listening to music, and trying new foods.
Contact: delesin1@student.ubc.ca
Research Coordinators
Sarah Crummey
B.A.
Sarah completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Sociology at Syracuse University, where she competed on the varsity rowing team. In 2021, she completed her Honours degree at the University of Auckland where she conducted research on auditory processing and cognition in older adults. She is interested in research that combines her passions for movement and psychology. Sarah loves the outdoors and enjoys running, biking and hiking in her spare time, as well as reading, baking and yoga.
Contact: sarah.crummey@ubc.ca
Sofia Grant
B.Sc.
Sofia completed her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology at the University of Calgary with a major in Exercise and Health Physiology. She is currently completing her Master of Occupational Therapy at UBC. In her spare time, Sofia enjoys reading, a good happy hour, live music, spin classes, and spending time with her family and friends.
Contact: Sofia.grant@ubc.ca
Nathan Wei
B.Sc.
Nathan completed his Bachelor of Science in Cellular, Anatomical, and Physiological Sciences at the University of British Columbia. He is interested in medicine and health care research. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with friends and family, listening to music, and being active, and is an avid football and F1 fan.
Contact: Nathan.wei@ubc.ca
Research Recruitment Coordinator
Sarah Heath
B.Kin.
Sarah completed her Bachelor of Kinesiology specializing in Exercise Science with a minor in Psychology at the University of the Fraser Valley. Her dance background and experience with scoliosis inspired her passion for sports injury and physiotherapy. Sarah’s goal is to help encourage others to maintain their physical, emotional and cognitive well-being. After traveling to Fiji in 2019, this sparked her desire to make sports programming, physiotherapy and nutrition education more accessible, especially in developing countries. Her passions include dance, snowboarding, yoga and traveling.
Contact: Sarah.heath@ubc.ca
Research Assistants
Sioban McCormick
B.Kin.
In addition, she served as a student athletic trainer for both men’s and women’s varsity rugby teams. Combining her love of active rehab with her keen interest in research methods, she is interested in how group movement and mindfulness impacts cognitive function in trauma survivors. In her spare time she enjoys running, skiing and mountain biking.
Silas Yip
B.Sc.
Tina Law
B.Sc.
Leah Wong
B.Sc.
Alonso Gainza
B.A.
Daria Tai
B.Sc.
Alexis Bullock
B.Sc., M.Sc.
Undergraduates
Vivien Liang
Kaitlyn Cheung
Kat Loutet
Ariane Huang
Jasmeen Jalil
Masih Golbidi
Alumni
Masters Students
Ryan Stein, MSc
Madison Kaisers, MSc
Kim Bennett, MSc
Tracy Dignum, PT, M.Ed
Walid Al Keridy, MD
Elizabeth Dao, B.A.
Lauren Marcotte, B.Sc.
Liang Hsu, B.Sc.
Lindsay Nagamatsu, B.A.
PhD Students
Rachel Crockett, PhD
Ryan Falck, PhD
Lisanne ten Brinke, PhD
Elizabeth Dao, PhD
Liang Hsu, PhD
Lindsay Nagamatsu, PhD
Niousha Bolandzadeh, PhD
Jennifer Davis, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellows
Research Associates
John Best, PhD
Jennifer C Davis, PhD