Contacts

The Recovery and Performance Laboratory (RaP Lab)
Room 400, L.A. Miller Centre, 100 Forest Rd.
St. John's, NL Canada
A1A 1E5

e-mail: recovery.performance@med.mun.ca
phone: (709) 777-2082

Our people

Principal Investigator:
Dr. Michelle Ploughman

Co-director:
Laboratory Manager:
Marie Curtis, B.A., CSMLS Certified Medical Laboratory Assistant
Research Assistant: 
Caitlin Newell, B.S.
Post-doctoral Fellow:
Dr. Katie Wadden
Project: Neuroprotective effects of upper extremity skilled learning in people with multiple sclerosis
Graduate Students
Arthur R. de A. Chaves
Doctoral Candidate (Neuroscience)
Project: Effects of Exercise on Corticospinal Excitability
Augustine Joshua Devasahayam
Doctoral Candidate (Clinical Epidemiology) and Physiotherapist
Project: A novel exercise initiative to restore walking ability among people with Multiple Sclerosis having higher levels of disability.
Liam Kelly BKin (hon), MSc.
Doctoral Candidate (Clinical Epidemiology) and Exercise Physiologist
Project: The cardio metabolic effects of exercise in stroke and MS
Megan Kirkland, BKin Hon. MSc. Med. (Clinical Epidemiology)
MD-PhD Candidate (Clinical Epidemiology)
Project: Identification, measurement and intervention to understand and improve sensorimotor
integration in people with multiple sclerosis
Wendy Lasisi, MSc.
Doctoral Candidate (Neuroscience)
Halting Disease Progression in Multiple Sclerosis: Using Exercise to Foster Brain Repair
Hailey Wiseman
Masters of Medicine (Neuroscience) candidate
Project: Using measures of brain excitability to map Multiple Sclerosis - related to motor, sensory and cognitive impairment
Mallory Peacock
Master of Science in Medicine (Clinical Epidemiology) candidate and Physiotherapist 
Project: Access to stroke care in the eastern region of Newfoundland & Labrador: How are we doing?
Michael Chislett
Masters of Science in Medicine (Clinical Epidemiology) candidate
Project: Factors that predict successful prosthetic fitting among people with lower limb amputation
Ryan Pretty:
Masters of Science in Medicine (Clinical Epidemiology) candidate
Project: Overcoming barriers to participation in research among people with Multiple Sclerosis.
Medical Students
 
Nick Snow, MSc, BKin, CSEP-CEP, EIMC Level II Professional
Undergraduate Medical Student, Class of 2021
Project: The use of transcranial magnetic stimulation and clinical assessment tools in persons with multiple sclerosis.
 
Brett Halloway
Undergraduate Medical Student, Class of 2022
Project: Quality Improvement in Palliative Care
 
Jessica Hackett
Undergraduate Medical Student, Class of 2022
Project: Quality Improvement in Palliative Care
 

Undergraduate Honours Students
 
Bruna Baldasso
 
Michael Foote

Volunteers and MUCEP/SURA Students
 
Allan Gou
 
Amber Critch
 
Ciara Kavanagh
 
Isabella Burry
 
Hannah Kenny
 
Hannah Murphy
 
Former Staff

Elizabeth Wallack, MSc. Med. (CH)
Laboratory Manager

Dr. Stephen Czarnuch
Post-doctoral fellow, Medicine/Engineering
Project: Toward automated rehabilitation support and progress assessment for people with MS: Improving recovery, objectivity and safety with technology

Dr. Michael King
Post-doctoral Fellow
Project: Using MRI to unpack the effects of aerobic exercise on myelin repair in persons with multiple sclerosis

Graduate Alumni

Dr. Tanaya Chatterjee
Doctor of Psychology 
Project: The impact of depression on health and lifestyle choices, disability and quality of life among older people with multiple sclerosis
 
Karen Martin
Master of Science (Human Kinetics & Recreation)
Project: Hospital experiences of bariatric patients
 
Jennifer Shears
Master of Science in Medicine (Neuroscience) 
Project: Comparing methods to achieve symmetry of movement during the rehabilitative phase of stroke

Sarah Critch
Master of Science in Medicine (Clinical Epidemiology)
Project: Impact of a community-based physical activity program on health and participation among children who are pre-diabetic.
 
Sevan Amirkhanian
Master of Education (Counselling Psychology) 
Project: The impact of resilience on participation and quality of life among older people with multiple sclerosis
 
Geetika Grover
Master of Science (Human Kinetics & Recreation)
Neurophysiological underpinnings of post-exercise fatigue in MS
 
Amanda George
Master of Science (Human Kinetics & Recreation)
Project: Effects of a walking program ion perceived health among people with mild dementia
 
Beraki Abraha
Master of Science in Medicine (Neuroscience)
Project: Effects of aerobic exercise on cortical excitability in a chronic stroke population

Megan Kirkland
Master of Science in Medicine (Clinical Epidemiology)
The impact of comorbid conditions on aging with MS
 
John Charles Snow
Master of Science in Medicine (Clinical Epidemiology)
Can triaxial accelerometers improve current clinical measures of spinal mobility in patients with ankylosing spondylitis
 
Matthew Barrett
Master of Science in Medicine (Clinical Epidemiology)
An investigation of transient low back pain development in response to sitting

Medical Student Alumni
 
Dr. Melissa Bossé
Undergraduate Medical Student, Class of 2007
The influence of aerobic exercise on neurocognitive performance in chronic stroke
 
Dr. Jessica Dawe
Undergraduate Medical Student, Class of 2014
The synergistic effects of combined aerobic and cognitive training in stroke.
 
Dr. Mahmud Hasan
Undergraduate Medical Student, Class of 2018
Stroke rehabilitation research (independent project)

Dr. Sarah Simms
Undergraduate Medical Student, Class of 2020
Project: Investigating clinical predictors of bone mineral density in people with multiple sclerosis

Undergraduate Alumni
 
Megan Kirkland
Kinesiology
Dual-tasking as a method to detect subtle impairments in MS
 
Katie Collins 
Bachelor of Science Hon. (Behavioural Neuroscience)
Women and men have different experiences of health, lifestyle and aging with multiple sclerosis           
 
Honours group: Evan Lockyer, Natasha Buckle, Courtney Abbott, Brett Holloway
Kinesiology
Timed Hop Test to detect cognitive/motor impairment
 
Matthew Downer
Bachelor of Science Hon. (Behavioural Neuroscience)
The effects of dual-task on cognition in MS
 
Honours Group: Maria Gehue, John Charles Snow, Matthew Barrett 
Kinesiology
Physical activity and exertion during inpatient stroke rehabilitation
 
Honours Group: Jaclyn Hynes, Caitlin Connolly, Ashley Button, Chantel O’Keefe 
Kinesiology
Factors influencing the loss of walking ability in multiple sclerosis: A qualitative study
 
Hayley Mercer
Bachelor of Science Hon. (Behavioural Neuroscience)
Project: Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation as tool to assess and predict disability in Multiple Sclerosis
 
Rebecca Cole
Bachelor of Science Hon. (Behavioural Neuroscience)
Project: Validation of Metronome Timed Bipedal Hop Test Among People with Mild to Moderate Multiple Sclerosis

Cassandra Chislett
Undergraduate (honours) Student
Project: Fitness and Cognition in people with MS
 
Alice Chen
Undergraduate (honours) Student
Project: Impairments in gait initiation among people with stroke and MS compared to elderly and controls

Former Volunteers and MUCEP/SURA Students
 
Tola Koleade
MSc. Candidate
 
Cassie Flynn
Undergraduate Student (Behavioral Neuroscience)
 
Charlie Salter
Undergraduate Student (Nursing)
 
Tamara Spearing
Undergraduate/MUCEP Student

Co-operative Students Alumni
 
Mark Gill
Kinesiology
Constraint therapy in the rehabilitation phase of stroke
 
Heather Sullivan
Kinesiology
The influence of aerobic exercise on neurocognitive performance in chronic stroke
 
Mark Austin
Kinesiology
Health, lifestyle and aging with MS: A qualitative study
 
Chelsea Harris 
Kinesiology
Health, lifestyle and aging with MS: A qualitative study
 
Stephen Hogan
Kinesiology
The Canadian Survey of Health, Lifestyle and Aging with MS
 
Samantha Rancourt 
Kinesiology
Stroke rehabilitation research
 
Michael Monks
Kinesiology
Promoting recovery and plasticity in stroke