Dr Hussien is a dedicated social worker, life coach, and educator with a passion for empowering immigrant and refugee women. She is the Founder and President of Women Empowerment of Canada for Newcomers (WECanN), a nonprofit organization focused on advancing women’s mental health, resilience, and successful integration into Canadian society.
Dr. Hussien serves as an Associate Professor at Alexandria University in Egypt and an Adjunct Professor at Western University in Canada, where she combines academic scholarship with a strong commitment to community impact. Her work is guided by the principle of “Beyond Competence: Advancing Cultural Humility in Clinical and Organizational Practice”, reflecting her belief in the ongoing journey of learning, respect, and inclusive service delivery. She is honoured to serve in these roles, where she blends research, practice, and advocacy to uplift and empower newcomer women and their families.
Dr. Regnault is a Professor in Obstetrics and Gynaecology and the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at Western University. He is currently the Co-President of DOHaD Canada. His research activities are focused on the origins of adult metabolic disease starting within the uterine environment. Using cell based and animal/human model systems with technologies such as PET/CT and MRI, he investigates how stressors such as hypoxia, oxidative stress, infection and poor maternal diet during fetal life, impact the placenta, fetal blood vessels, and fetal organs including the heart, liver and muscle development and function. These studies aim to address what reprogramming events these life stressors initiate in the womb and the implications of these outcomes for the onset and severity of childhood and adult diseases, such as insulin resistance, obesity, cardiovascular disease and hypertension.
Dr. Mottola is a Distinguished University Professor with a Joint Position in the School of Kinesiology, Faculty of Health Sciences and the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology in the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry at Western University. She is the Director of the Exercise and Pregnancy Laboratory; Chair of the Maternal, Fetal & Newborn Health Division of the Children’s Health Research Institute; and a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM); Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology. She is the Founding Chair of the ACSM Pregnancy and Postpartum Special Interest Group. She is an embryologist and exercise physiologist who has conducted research on the effects of maternal exercise on both the mother and the developing fetus. She was co-lead author on the 2019 Canadian Guideline for Physical Activity throughout Pregnancy and helped develop the Get Active Questionnaire for Pregnancy and the companion document for Health Care Providers. Dr. Mottola assisted in developing the 2025 Canadian Guideline for Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour and Sleep throughout the First Year Postpartum and the companion Get Active Questionnaire for Postpartum. She has published over 150 peer-reviewed papers and given over 190 invited talks in the area of exercise during pregnancy or postpartum. Her current research focuses on the impact of a healthy lifestyle during pregnancy and postpartum on chronic disease risks such as obesity and diabetes for both mother and baby with specific emphasis on high-risk groups.
Dr. Linda May is a professor at East Carolina University (ECU) in Greenville, North Carolina in the Department of Kinesiology for Health and Human Performance as well as an adjunct faculty member in Obstetrics and Gynecology for the Brody School of Medicine. She is the Director of the Human Performance Lab. As the Chair and Co-founder of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Pregnancy and Postpartum Special Interest Group and co-chair of the Physical Activity in Pregnancy and Postpartum Special Interest Group for the European Congress of Sports Science, she actively promotes exercise during and after pregnancy for improved maternal and child health.
Dr. May conducts research relating to the influence of different types of exercise throughout pregnancy on maternal, placental, and child cell and whole-body health outcomes before and after birth. Her research is presented in worldwide media outlets, including the New York Times, Good Morning America, Tehran Times, podcasts, and webinars. Dr. May’s lab was ranked #7 worldwide; she has published 6 book chapters, and 100+ peer-reviewed articles in the field of exercise during pregnancy. Dr. May has received funds from the American Heart Association, NIH, BlueCross BlueShield and runs a grant-funded lab. She is a member of the American Heart Association, ACSM, CSEP (Canadian Society of Exercise Physiologists), European Congress of Sports Science, International Society of Physical Activity, and the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. Dr. May recently won the prestigious ECU 2025 Trendsetter Research award.
Dr. Szumilewicz is an Associate Professor at the Gdansk University of Physical Education and Sport (GUPES), in Poland. She conducts experimental research on the effects of physical activity in pregnant women on the course of pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum period, as well as on child development. She developed the evidence-based training and educational programs "FemFit Mama" and "HIIT Mama" aimed at pregnant and postpartum women. She also implemented the international educational project NEPPE (The New Era of Pregnancy and Postpartum Exercise), involving representatives from 41 countries (2021-2025). She is the co-chair of the “Physical Activity in Pregnancy and Postpartum” Special Interest Group (SIG) for the European Congress of Sports Science and the chair of the International Efforts Sub-committee for the SIG on Pregnancy and Postpartum at the American College of Sports Medicine.
Dr. Szumilewicz has also been conducting research on the professional competencies of exercise professionals and has participated in many national and international projects related to health-enhancing physical activity. She is a member of the presidium of the Council for Education and Improvement of Physical Culture Staff at the Polish Ministry of Sports and Tourism. For many years she has also been associated with EuropeActive (EA), representing the fitness sector in the European market and she is the Deputy Director for the EA Professional Standards Committee.
She is the author of several dozen scientific and popular science publications, educational standards, and a speaker at numerous national and international scientific conferences, seminars, and popular science webinars.
Professor Barakat is a distinguished scholar at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain, whose primary teaching and research focus is on the scientific understanding of the influence of physical exercise during pregnancy on maternal, fetal, and childbirth outcomes. This research is conducted through the collaborative efforts of a multidisciplinary team, particularly involving experts in Physical Activity-Sports Sciences and Obstetrics-Gynecology.
Under Professor Barakat's leadership, the research group has established and sustained a novel line of inquiry and academic instruction dedicated to understanding the effects of physical exercise on maternal-fetal wellbeing. This innovative research is supported by agreements between the Technical University of Madrid and public hospitals in Madrid and Barcelona, which facilitate ongoing scientific collaboration.
Professor Barakat's team maintains active collaborations with prominent research groups globally, notably in Canada. A testament to this international collaboration is Professor Barakat's contribution to the 2019 Canadian Guidelines for Physical Activity throughout Pregnancy.
Recently, Professor Barakat has spearheaded the development of the first Spanish Clinical Practice Guide on physical activity during pregnancy, published by the Spanish Ministry of Health. This guide represents a significant milestone in providing evidence-based recommendations for physical activity during pregnancy in Spain.
Dr. Van Lieshout is the Canada Research Chair in Perinatal Mental Health, the Albert Einstein/Irving Zucker Chair in Neuroscience, and a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster University. He is a perinatal psychiatrist clinician-scientist whose research interests lie in how intrauterine and early postnatal environments affect brain development in ways that might increase the risk of psychopathology later in life, and how to intervene with pregnant people and birthing parents to help mitigate these risks.
Dr. John Krzeczkowski is an Assistant Professor of Child Health at Brock University. His research program is inspired by his grandmother, who was a public health nurse for 25 years and devoted her career to supporting the health of mothers/birthing parents and young families. Inspired by her legacy of compassion and dedication to families, John’s research program aims to investigate how interventions that support families (particularly families facing parental mental health problems, poverty, and food insecurity) can improve child neurodevelopment.
Dr. Tremblay is a Senior Scientist with the Healthy Active Living and Obesity (HALO) Research Group at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute and Professor of Pediatrics in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, President of the Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance, Founder of the Sedentary Behaviour Research Network, President of Outdoor Play Canada, and Adjunct/Visiting/Honorary Professor at six other universities on four continents. Dr. Tremblay has published >650 scientific papers and book chapters in the areas of childhood obesity, physical activity measurement, exercise physiology, sedentary physiology, outdoor play and health surveillance. Dr. Tremblay’s most productive work has resulted from his 37-year marriage to his wife Helen, yielding four wonderful children.
Dr. Sophie Phillips is a Post-Doctoral Associate in the Child Health & Physical Activity Lab at Western University. Sophie received her PhD in Public Health in 2022 from Durham University, UK. Sophie’s PhD research was funded by the National Institute for Health Research School for Public Health Research (NIHR SPHR) and focused on assessing options for the measurement of 24-hour movement behaviour of preschool-aged children. Prior to this, Sophie completed her MSc in Health Psychology (Staffordshire University, UK) and BSc in Psychology (University of Liverpool, UK). Sophie joined the lab from the Play in Education, Development and Learning (PEDAL) research centre at The University of Cambridge, UK. Sophie's research interests and expertise centre on improving child health and development from the earliest years through healthy movement behaviours. She has a specific interest in examining the 24-hour movement behaviour paradigm, including measurement of these behaviours, associations with health and development outcomes, and interventions to improve these behaviours.
Dr. Maeghan James is a postdoctoral fellow with the Healthy Active Living and Obesity (HALO) Research Group at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) Research Institute. Her research centers on promoting health and development in the early years, with a strong emphasis on children with disabilities. Maeghan leads community-based studies aimed at advancing equity through inclusive, movement-rich environments. She contributed to Canada’s first Physical Activity Report Card for Children and Youth with Disabilities and published the first study in Canada exploring movement behaviours in preschool-aged children with disabilities. She also leads the SPROUT Study, examining how nature-based childcare supports movement behaviours, health, and development for children of all abilities.
Dr. Hilary Caldwell is a physical activity and child health researcher with training and expertise in health promotion, pediatric exercise science, and physical literacy. She completed her MSc and PhD degrees with the Child Health & Exercise Medicine Program at McMaster University, including a doctoral Health System Impact Fellowship with City of Hamilton Public Health Services. Hilary is currently a Health System Impact Post-Doctoral Fellow with the Healthy Populations Institute at Dalhousie University and embedded within the Nova Scotia Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.
Dr. Brianne Bruijns serves as a Post-Doctoral Associate in the Child Health and Physical Activity Lab and is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Occupational Therapy at Western University. She completed her MSc and PhD degrees in the field of Health Promotion at Western University and completed her undergraduate degree in Physical Education at Brock University. Her doctoral research focused on developing and pilot testing an e-Learning course in physical activity and sedentary behaviour for pre-service early childhood educators. As a CIHR Health System Impact Fellow, Brianne leads research studies related to movement behaviours in the early years at Western, while also serving as the Report Card Project Manager at ParticipACTION.
Dr. Margie Davenport is a Professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport and Recreation and holds the Christenson Professorship in Active Healthy Living. She leads the Program for Pregnancy and Postpartum Health (www.exerciseandpregnancy.ca ), and just received the Drinkwater Leadership Award in Women’s Health, Sport, & Physical Activity from the American College of Sports Medicine. Dr. Davenport has published more than 175 manuscripts related to physical activity and sport during preconception, pregnancy and the postpartum period. Over the last decade she has worked with a number of National/International organizations including FIFA, the World Health Organization, International Olympic Committee, Sport Canada, the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, and the American College of Sports Medicine to support physical activity during and following pregnancy. Dr. Davenport was the Chair of the 2019 Canadian Guideline for Physical Activity throughout Pregnancy, and the 2025 Canadian Guideline for Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour and Sleep throughout the First Year Postpartum. This work led to the development of the Get Active Questionnaire for Pregnancy, Get Active Questionnaire for Postpartum and the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology/American College of Sports Medicine Pre & Postnatal Exercise Specialization.
