Dr. Maryse Fortin PhD, CAT(C).
 

Dr. Fortin's primary area of research and clinical expertise is in musculoskeletal spine imaging and rehabilitation. Her research focuses on  understanding the role of the paraspinal musculature in the development and recurrence of low back pain and neck pain, using structural and advanced MRI and ultrasound imaging applications, with the aim of quantifying changes in muscle function and temporal degenerative changes as possible factors in persistent pain and disability.  

A further interest of hers is to clarify the effects of different types of exercise  therapy on the size, asymmetry, and function of the paraspinal muscles in chronic low back pain.

Daniel Wolfe     PhD (c)

Dan  graduated  from Concordia University with a B. Sc. in Exercise Science in 2018 and is currently completing his Ph.D under the supervision of Dr. Maryse Fortin. He is the recipient of a 2020 Mitacs grant for research investigating the effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation on lumbar multifidus morphology and function in chronic low back pain patients. As a Certified Athletic Therapist, Dan is also particularly interested in the association between paravertebral muscle function and head injuries in athletes, and hopes his research can help identify muscle-related concussion risk factors.

Neda Naghdi     PhD (c) 

Neda graduated from  the University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences with a Master's degree in Physiotherapy. She is currently completing her Ph.D under the supervision of Dr. Maryse Fortin. Her research deals with musculoskeletal spine imaging, health, and rehabilitation. She uses different imaging techniques including MRI,  ultrasound and shear-wave elastography to better understand the role the paraspinal musculature plays in the development of chronic low back and neck pain. Neda is also interested in deep learning algorithms, specifically in the development of a convolutional neural network for the automatic segmentation of cervical muscles.

Brent Rosenstein     PhD (c)

Brent is currently completing his Ph.D. in Health and Exercise Science under the supervision of Dr. Maryse Fortin, and is a Human Anatomy Lab Instructor. He obtained his Bachelor of Science (2014-2017) and Master of Science (2017-2019) in Exercise Science, where he studied the effects of three different exercise-training protocols on cognition in older adults suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. His current projects study the effect of different therapeutic exercises on paraspinal muscle morphology and function in chronic low back pain. Overall, Brent is passionate about contributing to a healthier & happier society through research, teaching, community service, or participating in other positive initiatives. His research, combined with his unique experiences, have led him to establish a career goal of helping people live healthier lives, especially through exercise.

Meagan Anstruther     MSc (c)

Meagan Anstruther graduated with a Bachelor of Science - Honours Biology from Brock University (2014), and completed a Bachelor of Applied Health Sciences - Athletic Therapy (2019). She is currently completing her Master of Exercise Science under the supervision of
Dr. Maryse Fortin with a focus on connections between low back pain and lower limb injury and lumbar multifidus morphology and function in varsity athletes. As a Certified Athletic Therapist, Meagan is also completing her Graduate Assistantship with Concordia University Men’s Basketball as their Athletic Therapist.

Chanelle Montpetit  MSc (c)

Chanelle  graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Health, Kinesiology and Applied Physiology specializing in Honours Athletic Therapy at Concordia University (2022). She became a Certified Athletic Therapist and is in the process of completing her Master of Science degree in Health and Exercise Science. Chanelle has always had an interest in evidence-based medicine when it came to musculoskeletal assessment and rehabilitation for chronic low back pain. Her current research investigates the effects of aquatic therapy versus standard care on gluteal muscle morphology and function in patients with chronic low back pain. She is also interested in investigating if changes in gluteal muscle health are associated with improvements in patient-related outcomes.

Nicolas Vaillancourt  MSc (c)

Nicolas graduated from the Athletic Therapy program at Concordia University and became a Certified Athletic Therapist in July 2022 and a registered massage therapist in August 2022. He started his Master’s in the Fall of 2022, and his current research focuses on examining the effects of therapeutic aquatic exercise on chronic low back pain. He will also be examining the feasibility of incorporating mobile health applications to increase the adherence to healthcare interventions. Other outcomes of interest with his project will be to determine if aquatic therapy has beneficial effects on the psychological well-being of individuals with chronic low back pain.

Loïck Balthazard

Loïck is completing his 4th and last year of his BSc in Honours in Athletic Therapy at Concordia University. For his honours thesis, he is studying the effect of neuromuscular electrical stimulation therapy on lumbar erector spinae in patient with chronic low-back pain. Concurrently, he is also an intern therapist for the Spartiates du Cégep du Vieux-Montréal, a division 1 football team. During the winter semester, he will complete his last clinical internship at L’école Nationale de Cirque.

Olivia Iorio

Olivia is completing her Bachelor’s of Science in Honours Kinesiology and Clinical Exercise Physiology at Concordia University. Olivia has always been interested in spinal research, back pain, and human anatomy, which led her to study with Dr. Maryse Fortin. In the final year of her BSc, she will be looking at the relationship between paraspinal muscle morphology and lumbar extensor muscle strength at each spinal level in subjects with chronic low back pain.

Daniele Speary

Daniele  is currently completing her Bachelor of Science Honours specialized in Athletic Therapy at Concordia University. In 2016, she graduated from McGill University receiving a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology. She has been working as a certified massage therapist for 14 years and continues her practice in a multi-disciplinary clinic, Action Sport Physio, during her studies. Her current research interest is investigating changes using ultrasound imaging of the thoracolumbar fascia in athletes with and without low back pain.

Audrey Tornblom 

Audrey is a 4^th year Athletic Therapist Honours student in the Health, Kinesiology and Applied Physiology Department at Concordia University. Audrey has always been curious about understand the causes low back pain, a worldwide issue which pushed her to join Dr. Maryse Fortin INSPIRE lab. For her Honours project she will be looking at the effect of a 12-week combine motor control and isolated lumbar extension program on multifidus muscle stiffness in patients with chronic low back pain

Cléo Bertrand

Cléo is in her 3rd year of the Bachelor’s of Science in Honours Athletic Therapy. Cléo graduated from McGill University in 2019, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a Minor in Behavioral Sciences. She has always been been fascinated by the ways in which psychological and physical wellbeing influence one another, especially in the context of chronic pain. She aims to learn more about the mechanisms underlying lower back pain and explore how various interventions can improve overall health.