Our People

Dr. Jackie Whittaker PT, PhD

Dr. Jackie Whittaker is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of British Columbia and a Research Scientist at Arthritis Research Canada in Vancouver, Canada. She holds a Killam Accelerator Research Fellowship. As a recognized clinical specialist in musculoskeletal rehabilitation and clinical epidemiologist, her research takes a lifespan approach to preventing musculoskeletal injury and illness, with a particular emphasis on post-traumatic knee osteoarthritis. This includes long-term welfare of athletes, reducing the burden of sport-related knee injuries through injury prevention, improving our understanding of the long-term consequences of knee injuries, and developing and evaluating exercise-based interventions to promote knee health. Two themes that cross cut Jackie’s research are exposing and overcoming gendered environments that disadvantage female athletes, and partnering with people on the front lines including athletes, family members, coaches, trainers, and health care providers, to ensure her research produces solutions that are acceptable, relevant, and empowering. Jackie has co-led an international consensus exercise called OPTIKNEE, which produced seven meta-analyses and consensus recommendations for preventing osteoarthritis after traumatic knee injury. She was also part of the leadership team for the International Olympic Committee Female, woman and girl Athlete Injury pRevention (FAIR) consensus. Her research is guided by 21 years of clinical practice.

Publications

Jenna Schulz

Dr. Jenna Schulz is graduate of the combined Masters of Physical Therapy/PhD program at Western University, where her research focused on inflammation in knee osteoarthritis. During her studies, she also competed on the Varsity Cross-Country and Track and Field teams at Western, where her interest in female athletes and endurance athletes began. After graduating, she shifted her research and clinical focus to optimizing female athlete health throughout the lifespan, including Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport, pelvic floor health and postpartum return to sport.

Her research, supported by a Canada Postdoctoral Fellowship Award, combines her expertise in osteoarthritis and female athlete health – focusing on optimizing knee health throughout the lifespan, with a particular focus on female/women/girl athletes. Jenna also works as a physiotherapist at Allan McGavin Sports Medicine Clinic – specializing in knee injuries/osteoarthritis, endurance athletes and pelvic floor physiotherapy while training and competing in national-level cross country, track & field and road races as a Vancouver Thunderbird.

Dominique Clarke

Dominique is a Masters student in the Rehabilitation Science Graduate program supervised by Dr. Jackie Whittaker. Her research aims to improve long-term outcomes after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury by understanding the factors that influence knee confidence and how these differ across individuals, with a particular focus on sex and gender. She hopes this work will inform more personalized rehabilitation strategies that help youth and young adults confidently return to physical activity while reducing their risk of post-traumatic osteoarthritis. Dominique completed a BSc (Honours) in Kinesiology at Queen’s University, where she was a varsity soccer player, completed a certificate in Disabilities in Physical Activity, and became a Certified Personal Trainer. Drawing on her experiences as an athlete, coach, and researcher, Dominique is passionate about translating research into practical rehabilitation strategies that help people of all ages and abilities lead active, healthy lives.

Lily Fishman

Lily is a Master of Applied Science student in Biomedical Engineering, co-supervised by Dr. David Wilson and Dr. Jackie Whittaker. Her research focuses on developing innovative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques that provide more sensitive and clinically meaningful measures of muscle health, with the long-term goal of supporting personalized rehabilitation and improving musculoskeletal care. Using advanced quantitative MRI, Lily is investigating novel imaging biomarkers that characterize muscle microstructure and function to improve our understanding of musculoskeletal health and disease. Her work brings together biomedical engineering, biomechanics, and rehabilitation science to develop new tools that may enhance the assessment of muscle quality and support future research into injury recovery and osteoarthritis prevention. Lily completed a Bachelor of Science with an Honours Specialization in Medical Biophysics at Western University, where she received multiple research awards and developed expertise in biomechanics, medical imaging, and quantitative analysis. Outside the laboratory, she is an avid climber and outdoor enthusiast whose experiences as a climbing instructor and leader have fostered her passion for problem-solving, collaboration, and helping others achieve their goals.

Renata Gabuzyan

Renata is a Masters student in the Rehabilitation Science Graduate program supervised by Dr. Jackie Whittaker. Her research focuses on understanding how purposeful cyclical weight-bearing activities, such as walking and running, influence knee symptoms and cartilage health after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and reconstruction. By combining activity monitor data with patient-reported outcomes and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), she aims to identify physical activity patterns that promote lifelong joint health and reduce the risk of early-onset post-traumatic osteoarthritis. Renata completed a Bachelor of Science (Magna Cum Laude) in Biology (Pre-Med) at Eastern Washington University, where she competed as an NCAA Division I tennis athlete and developed a passion for musculoskeletal rehabilitation and injury prevention. Drawing on her experiences as both a high-performance athlete and Tennis Canada coach, Renata is committed to translating research into practical strategies that help active individuals maintain healthy joints throughout life.

Lily Chen

Lily is a Research Coordinator in the SOAR Lab. She graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and Immunology in 2025. As a former competitive swimmer, she qualified for the Canadian Olympic Trials before returning to the sport as a swim coach and weightlifting coach. Her background in athletics and clinical research in the Emergency Department inspired her to join the SOAR Lab, where she is interested in understanding knee osteoarthritis and developing preventive strategies to help people remain active throughout their lives. Lily oversees data collection assessments, participant questionnaires, and the day-to-day coordination of study activities.

Natasha Krowchuck

As Research Coordinator on the SOAR study, Natasha oversees participant recruitment, screening, and scheduling, as well as other administrative aspects of the project. She has over 10 years’ experience working with knee osteoarthritis populations and is excited for this new opportunity to investigate rehabilitation after traumatic knee injury

Annie Li

Annie is a Master of Physical Therapy student at UBC. She joined the lab as a volunteer Research Assistant in April 2024 while pursuing her Bachelor of Kinesiology at UBC. Since then, she has worked as a Lead Research Assistant and had the opportunity to serve as the Research Coordinator from March to August 2026. Her favorite part of the study is working alongside others who are also passionate about ACL injury prevention and rehabilitation research. In the future, she hopes to work as a physiotherapist in the public sector to provide client-centered, evidence-based care.

Alan Bennett

Alan is a fourth-year Kinesiology student at UBC, passionate about exercise physiology and high-performance athletic training. His career goals lie in sports physiotherapy, with a specific interest in driver physiology and performance within motorsports. For Alan, the best part of SOAR is getting to interact with the participants and learn from the rest of the team in a collaborative and approachable working environment.

Tristan Chan

Tristan is a Kinesiology student at UBC who is really into human performance and staying active. He spends a lot of time in the gym, loves learning how the body moves, and is a big hockey fan.

Tommy Chung

Tommy is a first-year student in the UBC Master of Physical Therapy program. He is passionate about promoting active lifestyles and pursuing a career in sports physiotherapy. One of the main reasons he enjoys working in the SOAR lab is the opportunity for hands-on experience in advancing injury prevention and rehabilitation research.

Nardine Estawro

Nardine is currently studying Kinesiology and is interested in pursuing medicine. Her favourite part about SOAR is the amazing team we have, and how collaborative and supportive the entire team is.

Frances Fan

Frances completed her Bachelor of Kinesiology in the Neuromechanical and Physiological Sciences stream at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and is currently pursuing her Master of Physical Therapy at UBC. Her research interests focus on neuromuscular and exercise-based rehabilitation for individuals with chronic conditions, to improve quality of life, enhance patient outcomes, and increase access to sustainable educational resources and support.

Frances’ favorite part of SOAR is its commitment to providing equitable, evidence-based therapeutic interventions that help improve the quality of life of individuals within the community.

Julie Kim

Julie is currently a Master of Physical Therapy at UBC. She is interested in understanding the relationship between mental and physical health. One of the things she loves about being a part of the SOAR team is contributing to meaningful research, while developing practical skills in a collaborative environment. Julie is excited to apply her knowledge and enthusiasm to research initiatives aimed at preventing and managing injuries that could have a great impact on individuals’ quality of life.

Kyra McKinnon

Kyra is a Master of Arts in Kinesiology student at UBC. She is passionate about the fields of rehabilitation and movement psychology, and her thesis focuses on the role of leadership education in fostering psychological safety and helping individuals reintegrate into active, healthy lives. Additionally, she is interested in understanding the psychological and community aspects of sport and exercise, aiming to foster supportive environments that promote both mental and physical well-being. She hopes to further this work as a Physician-Scientist. One of the main reasons she loves SOAR is that, as a Lead RA, she is able to experience all of the aspects of research, especially research that tackles a real-world, prevalent issue in sports injuries, and loves being part of something so impactful to the sporting community.