Forty years ago, Drs. Jack Taunton and Doug Clement developed the discipline of sport medicine at UBC. The initial focus was on high-performance and recreational athletes from across Canada and the Lower Mainland. Since then it has become apparent that the benefits of exercise are wide and enduring for the prevention and treatment of over 40 common chronic health conditions. UBC Sport and Exercise Medicine expanded from the care of high performance athletes to individuals from diverse backgrounds requiring personalized prescription due to medical barriers and injury.
We strive for excellence in research and teaching the next generation of learners across disciplines, as a team, to provide excellence in service to our patients.
Chan Gunn
The Gunn IMS teaching program has run continuously since 1994. Since 2011, the program has been part of the Faculty of Medicine and is now located in the Chan Gunn Pavilion on the UBC Vancouver campus. Our world class instructors train highly experienced physiotherapists and medical doctors.
UBC Sport and Exercise Medicine received a generous investment from Dr. and Mrs. Gunn and the Jack and Darlene Poole Foundation and Federal and Provincial governments contributions to create the Chan Gunn Pavilion in recognition of the importance of sport medicine to the health of our citizens.
Learn more about Gunn IMS here.
Abreast in a Boat, A Dragon Boat Team
To emphasize our belief in the benefits of exercise and to increase breast cancer awareness, we formed a dragon boat team in February 1996. The only criterion for joining was a history of breast cancer; age, athletic ability and paddling experience were not considered. Dragon boating was chosen for many reasons. It is a strenuous, repetitive upper body activity that projects a visible message to all people with breast cancer. In many ways, it is an ideal exercise. It is non-weight-bearing and therefore is associated with a lower risk of injury than weight-dependent activities such as running. It is safe, and with proper technique the paddler can recruit a reasonable amount of muscle mass and induce positive adaptations in the musculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems. It uses predominantly upper extremity and trunk muscles, and the improvement in strength has a carry-over effect to day-to-day activity. The training intensity can be varied simply by pulling harder. This is important because, with a wide variety in ages and athletic abilities, each paddler can still experience a training effect.
Learn more about Abreast in a Boat and its impact here.
Photos courtesy of Abreast in a Boat