Dr. Kathleen Martin Ginis

Principal Investigator

B.Sc. [Psychology] (University of Toronto)
Ph.D. [Kinesiology] (University of Waterloo)
Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Professor, School of Health and Exercise Sciences, University of British Columbia 
Director, Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management
Fellow, Royal Society of Canada
Fellow, Canadian Academy of Health Sciences
Fellow, Canadian Society for Psychomotor Learning & Sport Psychology
International Fellow, National Academy of Kinesiology

 

 

Research Interests

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Dr. Kathleen Martin Ginis’s research program focuses on understanding and changing physical activity behaviour. She has a particular interest in physical activity among people with spinal cord injury and other types of physical disabilities. Dr. Martin Ginis often collaborates with multi-disciplinary teams to study various health-related outcomes associated with physical activity participation (e.g., weight loss, cardiovascular disease risk, pain).

Dr. Martin Ginis has a profound commitment to knowledge translation, specifically the development and implementation of evidence-based best practices to improve health and well-being among people with disabilities. Examples of best practices developed by her team, include the formulation of the first evidence-based physical activity guidelines for people with spinal cord injury; implementation of a nationwide service to provide telephone-based physical activity counselling to adults with physical disabilities; and creation of an online physical activity resource centre to serve the international spinal cord injury communities.

Currently recruiting for:

Fear of falling and exercise self-efficacy in people with neurological disabilities who can walk: relationships between physical functioning and psychological outcomes

The SCI Action Canada Lab, under the guidance of Dr. Kathleen Martin Ginis, invites adults with spinal cord injury (SCI) whose primary mode of mobility is walking, to participate in a series of tests related to: balance, sit to stand Read More...

Recent collaborations

Dr. Martin Ginis collaborates with numerous ICORD researchers, including Dr. Kip Kramer and Dr. Chris West on the EPIC-SCI pragmatic randomized controlled trial.

Major Findings

  • 50% of people with SCI do not participate in any leisure time physical activity whatsoever.
  • For adults with SCI, physical activity must be performed at a moderate intensity or higher in order to achieve significant health or fitness benefits.
  • Two 20-minute bouts of aerobic exercise per week, and strength-training twice per week, results in significant fitness improvements among adults with SCI.
  • Telephone-based physical activity counselling that includes action planning, can nearly double the amount of physical activity performed by people with SCI.
  • Peer-delivered physical activity interventions are just as effective as professional-delivered physical activity interventions.
  • Among people with physical disabilities, the subjective experience of participation includes perceptions of autonomy, belongingness, challenge, engagement, mastery, and meaning.
  • Google Scholar most cited works.

Techniques Employed in the Lab

  • Integrated Knowledge Translation
  • Community-engaged research methods
  • Physical activity measurement
  • Psychosocial assessments
  • Fitness assessments
  • Telephone-based and online survey methods
  • Behaviour change counselling
  • Systematic reviews, meta-analysis
  • Advanced multivariate modelling

Affiliations with Organizations

  • Director, SCI Action Canada
  • Member, International Spinal Cord Society (ISCoS)
  • Member, Canadian Society for Psychomotor Learning and Sport Psychology (SCAPPS)
  • Member, North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA)
  • International Fellow, National Academy of Kinesiology

Awards

  • Royal Society of Canada, Fellow (2024)
  • Gail Beach Scholar Lectureship (University of Miami, Miami Cure for Paralysis, 2023)
  • Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS) Fellow (2022)
  • University of British Columbia Distinguished University Scholar (renewed 2022-2027)
  • SSHRC Impact Awards: Connection Award National Finalist (Top 3) (SSHRC, 2020)
  • John Gibbons Counsell Award for contributions to advancing the cause of people with SCI (Spinal Cord Injury Ontario, 2015)
  • Ontario Medal for Good Citizenship for exceptional long-term efforts and contributions to the well-being of the community (2015)
  • Poster Award (Research) (National Spinal Cord Injury Conference, 2012)
  • International Fellow (National Academy of Kinesiology, 2011)
  • The President’s Award for Excellence in Graduate Supervision (McMaster University, 2010)

Current Lab Members

Undergraduate Students Masters Students Ph.D. Students Postdoctoral Fellows Research Staff
Nyah Kooner Kierstyn Palmer Robert Buren Dr. Cameron Gee Adrienne Sinden
Haley Berrisford Nathan Adams Dr. Sarah Lawrason Aleksandra Jevdjevic
Dr. Matteo Ponzano

Trainee Awards

Year Name Award
2025 Nathan Adams Faculty of Health and Social Development 3MT Winner
2022 Dr. Sarah Lawrason Outstanding Student Paper Award, North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity

Recent publications

  • Voss, C, Bremer, E, Sharma, R, Martin Ginis, KA, Arbour-Nicitopoulos, KP. 2025. Validity of the Fitbit wearable activity monitor to estimate step counts in free-living conditions in ambulatory children and youth living with disability.. Disabil Rehabil. doi: 10.1080/09638288.2025.2479655.
  • O'Rourke, RH, Arbour-Nicitopoulos, KP, Voss, C, Martin Ginis, KA, Brown, DMY. 2024. Differential Associations Between Device-Assessed and Parent-Reported Physical Activity With Indicators of Mental Health in Children and Youth With Disabilities.. Pediatr Exerc Sci. doi: 10.1123/pes.2023-0178.
  • Adams, NT et al.. 2024. A Scoping Review of Acute Sedentary Behaviour Studies of People with Spinal Cord Injury.. Int J Environ Res Public Health. doi: 10.3390/ijerph21101380.
  • Sweet, SN et al.. 2024. The spinal cord injury (SCI) peer support evaluation tool: the development of a tool to assess outcomes of peer support programs within SCI community-based organizations.. Spinal Cord. doi: 10.1038/s41393-024-01033-1.
  • Lawrason, SVC et al.. 2024. Using mixed methods and partnership to develop a program evaluation toolkit for organizations that provide physical activity programs for persons with disabilities.. Res Involv Engagem. doi: 10.1186/s40900-024-00618-7.
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