Currently Recruiting

Find out if you are eligible, what you would have to do, and who to contact.

All studies have been approved by the University of Calgary Conjoint Health Research Ethics Board (CHREB) or the University of Calgary Facilities Research Ethics Board (CFREB)

The Driving Study

The purpose of this research is to determine whether certain assessment tools can be used to predict whether someone with CP is likely to pass a driving test and get a driver’s licence. These tests are often used with individuals who already have their driver’s licence but whose driving abilities are now uncertain, such as an adult who is recovering from a stroke but would like to start driving again. We do not know whether these tests would also be useful for individuals with CP who have never driven before.

  • Youth with Cerebral Palsy aged 16-25 years
  • Those successful at achieving a driver's license (i.e. Class 5, Class 5-GDL, Class 7)
  • Those who were not successful at achieving a driver's license
  • Driving for more than 6 months

*siblings or friends between the ages of 16-25 years welcome to participate*

1 Visit to the Alberta Children's Hospital (2.5-3 hours)

  1. Questionnaire

    Questionnaire about driving

  2. KINARM tasks

    i.e. motor & cognitive measures, breaking reaction time

  3. Cognitive measures

    i.e. paper-&-pencil tasks, answer questions, look at pictures

This study has been approved by the University of Calgary Conjoint Faculties Research Ethics Board (REB16-1455)


Adapted Sport & Recreation Camps and Programs

We are working with the Calgary Adapted Hub and its 7 partners to evaluate programs run by this group that are either adapted, inclusive, or para sport, recreation, or physical activity.

  1. Inclusion Criteria

    You are eligible to take part if you are 4 to 25 years of age and participating in select programs at the University of Calgary, Mount Royal University, Repsol Sport Center, and WinSport.

    A) Individuals with a disability taking part in the program,

    B) Individuals who do not have a disability and are taking part in the program,

    C) Individuals with a disability who for any reason are unable to take part in the program,

    A parent of each youth participant will be asked to participate and complete a parent questionnaire. They may support their child in completing some participant questionnaires if their child is unable to complete them independently.

  1. 3 or 4 Testing Timepoints

    You will be asked to take part in 3 or 4 testing timepoints. Including a pre-/baseline measure, a 6-month, and a 12-month follow. A fourth timepoint may be collected during/or mid-way through a program.

    At each timepoint you will be asked to wear an ActiGraph watch for one week (7 days and nights) to learn how much time is spent sitting stationary, how much time is spent moving, and how much time is spent moving at higher intensities. You will also be asked, at each timepoint, to complete 5 surveys: the Children’s Attraction to Physical Activity scale, the Self-Perception Profile for Children Questionnaire, a Physical Activity and Demographics Questionnaire, the EQ-5D (Quality of Life), and the MeEAP and Building Blocks Questionnaire (Quality of Participation). A parent will be asked to complete the CarerQoL (parent Quality of Life) questionnaire at each timepoint.

This study has been approved by the University of Calgary Conjoint Health Research Ethics Board (REB18-0292)


SHRed Concussions

SHRed Concussions is a large Canadian research study that was funded by the National Football league’s (NFL) Scientific Advisory Board to better understand how common concussions are in high school athletes.

Youth who participate in at least one of the SHRed study sports in the community or at their school to participate: ice hockey, soccer, basketball, volleyball, rugby, football, lacrosse, ringette, cheerleading, wrestling, street dance, sledge hockey, wheelchair basketball, and others.

  1. Sign Up Online

    Participants must create an online account at SHRedConcussions.ca, whereby they will complete most of their study requirements

  2. Complete Weekly Surveys

    Through the online account participants will complete weekly sport participation and injury surveys and be able to report any injury sustained to their study therapist

  3. Complete Baseline Testing

    Baseline testing includes; baseline measures, online questionnaires and clinical assessments

This study has been approved by the University of Calgary Conjoint Health Research Ethics Board (REB18-2107)


SHRed Consequences of Concussion

We are trying to determine whether or not youth and young adults with a history of sport-related concussion or injury in the past 5-15 years differ in symptoms, concentration, brain function, physical performance, body composition, exercise capacity, activity levels, neck function, balance, eye motion, mood, and utilization of health care resources compared to youth and young adults with no history of injury.

This study involves three groups of participants: Sport-related Concussion group, Sport-related Musculoskeletal Injury group, and Uninjured Control group

  1. Sport-related Concussion group

    Inclusion Criteria:

    1. Participated in youth sport
    2. Currently 16-33 years old
    3. Sustained at least one youth sport-related concussion 5-15 years ago that was assessed by a healthcare professional and/or resulted in time loss from sport of >1 week
  2. Sport-related Musculoskeletal Injury group

    Inclusion Criteria:

    1. Participated in youth sport
    2. Currently 16-33 years old
    3. Sustained at least one youth sport-related musculoskeletal injury 5-15 years ago that was assessed by an athletic therapist, physiotherapist or physician and resulted in time loss from sport of >1 week
  3. Uninjured Control group

    Inclusion Criteria:

    1. Participated in youth sport
    2. Currently 16-33 years old
    3. No history of concussion or musculoskeletal injury
  4. Exclusion Criteria for All Groups

    • Diagnosis of a systemic disease
    • Medical diagnosis of neurological disorder
    • Medical diagnosis of significant psychiatric disorder
    • History of concussion or musculoskeletal injury with associated time loss from sport, school, work and/or activities of daily living of >1 week within the past 12 months
    • Pregnancy at the time of assessment

Following a short phone interview, a researcher will determine your eligibility. If you are eligible, you will complete the following parts of the study.

  1. Questionnaires

    Questionnaires are completed online through the SHRed Consequences of Concussion website. These tasks will take approximately 90 minutes to complete.

  2. Virtual Testing

    A SCAT5 test will be completed online via Zoom. The link provided to you by a researcher will be from a UCalgary Zoom account and will be password-protected.

    The Virtual SCAT5 test takes approximately 25 minutes to complete and will involve memory, concentration, orientation, coordination and balance tasks.

  3. In person Testing at University of Calgary

    Testing at the University of Calgary takes approximately 3 hours and involves the following:

    1. Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (bone mineral content, fat mass, lean mass)
    2. Clinical Exam (balance, eye movement, neck exam)
    3. Aerobic fitness test
    4. KINARM Robotics test (may also occur at Foothills Medical Centre)

    You will also be asked to wear an activity monitor for 7 days following your testing session.

    We cover parking at the University of Calgary.

  4. In person Testing at Foothills Medical Centre

    Testing at Foothills Medical Centre takes approximately 2 hours and involves the following:

    1. Brain MRI
    2. KINARM Robotics test (if not completed at the University of Calgary)

    We cover parking at Foothills Medical Centre.

This study has been approved by the University of Calgary Conjoint Health Research Ethics Board (REB21-0548)