PhD student recognized for role in early years children movement behaviours review

Corey Kuzik takes home best student poster presentation award at international conference

Nicole Graham - 13 July 2017

Current PhD student Corey Kuzik was recently awarded the best student poster presentation honour at the 2017 International Society for Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity (ISBNPA) annual meeting , which took place in June in Victoria, BC.

Recognized as one of the top scoring entrants at the conference, Corey presented on a review he led that examined the relationships between the combinations of movement behaviours-sleep, sedentary behavior and physical activity-and health indicators in early years children (<5 years old). Corey's research project is part of a series of systematic reviews and original articles that have provided evidence to inform the forthcoming Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP) Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years.

"As a young researcher, being awarded the best student poster presentation at this prestigious conference is a testament to the great group of individuals I was able to surround myself with during this project. The co-authors brought such a high level of experience and hard work, that it made my role very easy."

"From a personal perspective, it was honestly a great feeling because it gave me a sense of validation within my research community. It is nice to be reminded that you are on the right track. But now I am trying to forget about it, so that my focus is on the future, not the past."

Pictured above: Dr. Eun-Young Lee, Dr. Valerie Carson, Corey Kuzik, Jodie Stearns, Stephen Hunter, Lira Yun

Working in Dr. Valerie Carson's lab, Corey feels he has been able to thrive under an influential mentor in Dr. Carson.

"Dr. Carson is a very supportive supervisor, who is always quick to provide brilliant feedback and mentorship. It's no wonder that her lab is an environment that fosters success. For this conference alone, last year the student award was won by another member of our lab (Stephen Hunter), and she herself was the Early Career Invited Talk at this conference. Hopefully someday I can be an eighth as prolific as her!"

Corey is the second of Dr. Carson's students to achieve this award at the conference in as many years.
The CSEP Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years are due out this year. Corey's findings from his rigorous review will also hope to propel future research in the area of early year children movement behaviours.