Faculty

Heather has been teaching at Mount Royal University since 2011 and previously taught at the University of Saskatchewan. Since completing her Master's degree, she has worked as an Exercise Physiology Consultant for the Sport Medicine and Science Council of Saskatchewan, Research Assistant at the University of Glasgow, Laboratory Coordinator in Kinesiology at the University of Saskatchewan, Research Operations Lead for Alberta's Tomorrow Project at Alberta Health Services, and Laboratory Technologist in Health and Physical Education at MRU. Heather also spent many years training athletes of all ages and levels, from children to Master's athletes and from grassroots to University, National team and professional athletes.

Areas of Instruction:

• Fitness Assessment and Prescription
• Introduction to Health and Physical Education
• Strength Training
• Cardiovascular Training
• Flexibility and Relaxation

Selected Publications:

Lo Siou, G., Akawung, A.K., Solbak, N.M., McDonald, K.L., Al Rajabi, A., Whelan, H.K., & Kirkpatrick, S.I. (2021). The effect of different methods to identify, and scenarios used to address energy intake misestimation on dietary patterns derived from cluster analysis. Nutrition Journal, 20: 42. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12937-021-00696-3

Xu, J.Y., Vena, J.E., Whelan, H.K., & Robson, P.J. (2019). Impact of adherence to cancer-specific prevention recommendations on subsequent risk of cancer in participants in Alberta's Tomorrow Project. Public Health Nutrition, 22(2): 235-245. https://doi.o

Solbak, N.M., Xu, J.Y., Vena, J.E., Al Rajabi, A., Vaseghi, S., Whelan, H.K., & McGregor, S.E. (2018). Patterns and predictors of adherence to colorectal cancer screening recommendations in Alberta's Tomorrow Project participants stratified by risk. BMC Public Health, 18: 177. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5095-4

Whelan, H.K., Xu, J.Y., Vaseghi, S., Lo Siou, G., McGregor, S.E., & Robson, P.J. (2017). Alberta's Tomorrow Project: Adherence to cancer prevention recommendations pertaining to diet, physical activity and body size. Public Health Nutrition, 20(7): 1143-1

Robson, P.J., Solbak, N.M., Haig, T.R., Whelan, H.K., Vena, J.E., Akawung, A.K., Rosner, W.K., Brenner, S.R., Cook, L.S., Csizmadi, I., Kopciuk, K.A., McGregor, S.E., & Friedenreich, C.M. (2016). Design, methods and demographics from phase I of Alberta's Tomorrow Project cohort: A prospective cohort profile. CMAJ Open, 4(3): E515-E527. https://doi.org/10.9778/cmajo.20160005

Relevant Community Service

• Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, Professional Standards Program Committee Member, 2016-2020
• Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, High Performance Specialization Prep Module and Exam Contributor