Principal Investigator

Dr. Dawn Mackey is passionate about helping older adults to maintain mobility and independence. In her Aging and Population Health Lab (APHL) at Simon Fraser University, Dr. Mackey and her team are focused on designing, evaluating, and implementing effective strategies to support older adult mobility and health behavior change. Her current areas of concentration are physical activity, falls and injuries, and fatigability.

Dr. Mackey’s research with older adults spans community to long-term care settings. Her work is applied in nature and solutions focused. Her research is embedded in a knowledge exchange framework that supports translation of insights into actions. As such, she engages with stakeholders to design, conduct, and disseminate research to ensure impact.

Dr. Mackey received her BSc Honours and MSc in Kinesiology from Simon Fraser University. She received her PhD in Epidemiology from the University of California, Berkeley, and she continued her training in Epidemiology through a post-doctoral fellowship at the San Francisco Coordinating Centre at the University of California, San Francisco. Now as a faculty member, she is committed to providing outstanding mentorship to her trainees.

Dr. Mackey’s research incorporates methods and techniques from epidemiology, biostatistics, knowledge translation, and implementation science. These include clinical trials, feasibility and proof-of-concept studies, longitudinal cohort studies, causal inference, laboratory experiments, qualitative inquiries, knowledge synthesis, meta-analysis, and formative evaluation.

AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION

Trainees

Peter's passion for supporting and studying physical activity in older adults is driven by years of hands-on experience as a personal trainer. During this time, he observed how exercise and physical activity could foster prolonged well-being and quality of life throughout the later years. Peter has committed to trade in the dumbbells for notebooks to impact as many lives as possible. Outside of research, Peter thrives in the outdoors, taking in all the wonders that Vancouver offers. 

Email: peter_young_2@sfu.ca

Sarra’s MSc research aims to develop a core ‘standardized’ outcome set for randomized controlled trials of physical activity for older adults. This will help ensure that trials consistently measure outcomes that are relevant to older adults, their health care professionals, and physical activity researchers.

Sarra currently volunteers at an assisted living facility and works as a personal trainer, primarily with older adults. Sarra has a passion for healthy living stemming from an upbringing filled with team sports, some of which she continues to play today. She hopes to translate this passion into working with older adults in the physical activity and health promotion fields.

Previously, Sarra worked with the BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit (BCIRPU) as a volunteer for the SHRed Concussions Study, as well as completing a case study on Vision Zero Surrey, and presenting at the Summer Student Research Program through the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute (BCCHR). Outside of research, she enjoys exploring restaurants and lakes in the lower mainland, as well as spending time with family, friends, and dogs.

Email: sarra_pirmohamed@sfu.ca

Patient Partners