MD, PhD, Dip. Sport Med. (CASEM)
Professor, Division of Sport & Exercise Medicine & School of Kinesiology
Adjunct Professor, Department of Biomedical Physiology & Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University
Dr. Michael Koehle is a Professor in the Division of Sport and Exercise Medicine in the Department of Family Practice and the School of Kinesiology at the University of British Columbia. He is a physician-scientist whose work integrates clinical sport medicine, environmental physiology, and public health.
Dr. Koehle’s research focuses on how environmental stressors including: air pollution, altitude, and heat, affect human physiology, health, and athletic performance. He is internationally recognized for his work on the interaction between exercise and air pollution, including recent reviews and original research examining the physiological and performance impacts of particulate matter and traffic-related exposures during physical activity. His work also explores mitigation strategies to support safe physical activity in increasingly polluted and climate-affected environments.
He directs the Environmental Physiology Laboratory at UBC and collaborates with national sport organizations and high-performance programs. His research spans both laboratory and real-world settings, with applications ranging from elite sport performance to population health and urban planning.
Clinically, Dr. Koehle practices sport and exercise medicine at the UBC Sport and Exercise Medicine Clinic, where he provides care for a wide range of patients from recreationally active individuals to elite athletes, focusing on exercise-related injury, illness, and performance optimization. He is one of a handful of doctors who is able to conduct dive medical assessments.
Dr. Koehle is an active educator, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in kinesiology and supervising trainees in clinical and research settings. His academic contributions span environmental physiology, air pollution, and exercise, as well as leadership in interdisciplinary initiatives addressing the health impacts of climate change
Education
Queen’s University, BScH, Life Sciences
University of Toronto, MSc, Physiology
University of Toronto, MD, Medicine
University of British Columbia, CCFP
University of British Columbia, Dip. Sport Med. (CASEM)
University of British Columbia, PhD, Exercise Physiology
Simon Fraser University, Postdoctoral Fellowship
Professional Highlights
- Internationally recognized leader in research on the health and performance impacts of air pollution, heat, and altitude during exercise
- Director of the Environmental Physiology Laboratory at the University of British Columbia, leading research that informs safe physical activity in a changing climate
- Collaborates with high-performance sport organizations, including the Canadian Sport Institute Pacific and Athletics Canada, supporting athlete health and performance
- Provides clinical care in sport and exercise medicine to individuals ranging from recreationally active patients to elite and Olympic-level athletes
- Physician at multiple Olympic and Pan-American Games
- Recipient of the Killam Teaching Prize, recognizing excellence in undergraduate and graduate education
- Extensive international field experience, including multiple medical and research expeditions with the Himalayan Rescue Association and collaborative research in East Africa on elite endurance athletes