Principal Investigator
Dr. Pat Camp, PT, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, UBC
Clinician-Scientist, UBC Centre for Heart Lung Innovation
Dr. Pat Camp is a clinician-scientist at St. Paul’s Hospital. Her clinician-scientist appointment position is jointly supported by the University of British Columbia Department of Physical Therapy and the Providence Health Care Research Institute. Dr. Camp’s research is focused on three main themes: Pulmonary Rehabilitation for Hospitalized Patients with an Acute Exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD); Pulmonary Tele-Rehabilitation (with a specific focus on Indigenous health); and Knowledge Translation and Quality Assessment for Pulmonary Rehabilitation.
Research Team
Ashley Winter, RAD, BCR – Research Coordinator
Ashley Winter is a research coordinator working with Dr. Camp in the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Research Laboratory. She graduated in 2008 from Capilano University with her diploma as a Rehabilitation Assistant working mainly in the fields of physiotherapy and occupational therapy. Ashley graduated from the University of Calgary with her undergraduate degree in Community Rehabilitation. She has worked in the PRRL since April 2012, and is involved in a variety of research projects as well as managing and maintaining the lab. Ashley is a professional dance performer and instructor, and enjoys maintaining her fitness and wellness through running, yoga and nutrition. She is also a certified Stott Pilates instructor.
Nikol Ensor, BA – Research Assistant
Nikol Ensor is a research assistant under Dr. Camp in the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Research Laboratory. She graduated from UBC with her undergraduate degree in 2023 in Environment and Sustainability Geography. Nikol is passionate about research and working to create positive impact through her work. She aims to expand her research capabilities and knowledge within the intersection of geography and health care. Her research interest includes mapping natural disasters and their impact on health and the healthcare system and the environmental effects of climate change within healthcare. She enjoys spending her free time either in, the outdoors hiking, running, and snowboarding or indoors cooking and gaming.
Guilherme Grzelkovski, MD- Research Assistant
Guilherme Grzelkovski is a Physician from Brazil. After graduating from the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR/Brazil) in 2020, he worked in Brazil in a community-based Family Practice, as well as an Emergency Doctor. His experience in research includes an exchange program at UBC in 2015/2016, when he developed research focused on Sepsis, besides an internship at UFPR (2014/2018) working with Immunology. He is joining the PPRL as a Research Assistant aiming to increase his knowledge about First Nations communities in Canada. Guilherme is also an avid rock climber, and loves spending time outdoor biking, kayaking, hiking and camping with his wife.
Nicole Schneider, MPH – Graduate Research Assistant
Nicole Schneider (she/her) is a settler of English, Irish, and German descent and is living as an uninvited guest on the traditional lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Peoples. She grew up on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabeg People, in Barrie Ontario, and moved to Vancouver in January 2023. Nicole recently completed her Masters of Public Health degree at the University of Toronto, specializing in Indigenous Health. Her research interests include health equity and promotion, education, rural health, and Indigenous health. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking and camping with her dog Piper.
Laura Williams, MPH – Practicum Research Assistant
Laura Williams was born and raised on the traditional and unceded lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Huron-Wendat, and the Haudenosaunee, also known as Toronto. Currently pursuing a Master of Public Health in Indigenous Health at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, Laura is passionate about decolonizing research and ensuring culturally safe and equitable health care for all. This January, Laura moved to the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples – the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh U(Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations and began working as a Research Assistant at the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Research Laboratory (PRRL). She is currently working on the SPirometry for Improved Indigenous and Rural Respiratory Outcomes for (SPIRO) project in additional to researching equity-based implementation science theories, models, and frameworks to inform ongoing and future projects. She is looking forward to continually learning alongside those in the lab and contributing to the important work being conducted by the team.
Trainees
Justin Turner, MOT, PhD Candidate
Justin Turner is an occupational therapist and doctoral student in the UBC PhD program in Rehabilitation Sciences. He graduated in 2017 from UBC’s Master of Occupational Therapy program, and has worked since then with Northern Health Authority as an OT in a variety of practice settings in Prince George, BC. Outside work, Justin enjoys going for hikes in Northern BC, practicing yoga, and volunteering with his local Métis community. Justin’s research with Dr. Camp’s Pulmonary Rehabilitation Research Laboratory examines how wildfires in Northern BC affect First Nations people living with chronic lung disease. The project is a collaboration between UBC and Carrier Sekani Family Services.
Debora Petry Moecke, MPT, PhD Candidate
Débora Petry Moecke is a Physical Therapist from Brazil. She did her postgraduate studies in a two-year Multi-professional Residency Program with an emphasis on Intensive Care at the University Hospital of the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC/Brazil), and has experience working with hospital physiotherapy. She holds a Master Degree in Physiotherapy by the Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina (UDESC/Brazil), developing research focused on the pulmonary effects of exercise in chronic diseases. She is joining the group as a doctoral student in the UBC PhD program in Rehabilitation Sciences, and wants to learn about First Nations communities in Canada, working on the development of a COPD Telehealth System seeking to improve lung-related health services for this population. In her spare time, she enjoys going to parks, hiking, traveling to new places, watching TV series and playing board games.
Sunaina Chopra, MSc Candidate
Sunaina Chopra is a Master’s student in Dr. Camp’s Pulmonary Rehabilitation Research Laboratory, currently enrolled in the Rehabilitation Sciences program at UBC. With her hometown being Vancouver, BC, she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at UBC. For the past 3 years, Sunaina has been volunteering as a Cardiac Rehab Exercise Class Assistant at the Jim Pattison Outpatient Care & Surgery Centre in Surrey, BC. Sunaina is joining the group to investigate the physical activity values and barriers experienced by patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Specifically, she plans to focus her research on individuals living in rural First Nations communities in Canada. Through this, Sunaina plans to open a conversation with the community on ways to improve physical activity. Outside of the lab, Sunaina enjoys enhancing her culinary arts, reading novels, and watching movies. To stay active, she frequently takes her dog to the park, and goes for bike rides and jogs around her neighbourhood.
Maryke Peter, MSc Trainee
Maryke Peter is a paralegal. She graduated in 2020 from Capilano University’s Bachelor of Legal Studies program. Maryke has a clear interest in developing skills in academic research along with a desire to pursue a career path in Life Sciences, Biotechnology and Medical Technology patents. Maryke is currently completing her Master’s degree in Experimental Medicine at UBC. Maryke’s research with Dr. Camp’s Pulmonary Rehabilitation Research Laboratory will focus on the themes: Pulmonary Rehabilitation for Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD); Exploring Relationships Between Medicine and Law through the Lens of Policy and Patents; and Innovations in Health Technology.
Jinelle Panton, PhD Trainee
Jinelle Panton is a PhD student currently enrolled in the Experimental Medicine program at UBC. She graduated in 2016 with her Bachelor in Basic Medical Sciences in Pharmacology and immediately went on to complete an MSc in Biomedical Research at the University of the West Indies, Jamaica. During her Masters, her research focus was on Jamaican ethnopharmacology within the
context of asthma. Since then, her interest in integrative medicine has deepened as this focuses on multiple evidence based therapies to improve patient health. Her focus in Dr. Camp’s Pulmonary Rehabilitation Research Laboratory will be on health equity and improving respiratory care in BC. She enjoys watching movies and resistance training to stay fit.