Professor Barekt Falk

Bareket Falk, a professor in the Department of Kinesiology and an international leader in the field of exercise physiology, has won the prestigious Chancellor’s Chair for Research Excellence for 2012-15.

The award is given to select Brock faculty members who demonstrate outstanding contributions to scholarship and an exceptional record of scholarly excellence. It includes a $20,000 grant to be used on a three-year research program that leads to a significant development in scholarship.

Contenders are peer-nominated then reviewed by external referees and an adjudication committee. In selecting Falk, the reviewers cited such factors as her international reputation, large number of publications, mentoring of many masters and undergraduate students, and the fact she is Editor-in-Chief of the highly regarded journal Pediatric Exercise Science.

The announcement was made by Gary Libben, Vice-President, Research, who said Falk was selected from a field of very strong contenders.

“Bareket is a dedicated researcher and an inspiring colleague,” said Libben. “We’re delighted this award is going to someone who is such a tremendous ambassador for scholarship and for Brock.”

Colleagues who nominated Falk called her “an outstanding scholar” and one of the top-10 pediatric exercise scientists worldwide.

“We have attended national and international conferences with Bareket, and have witnessed first-hand her impact at the international level,” they wrote. “Brock’s reputation and prestige … is greatly enhanced by her research activities and her professional involvement.”

Falk’s areas of research include the effects of exercise on bone growth and muscle strength, and the effects of training during childhood and adolescence. Prior to joining Brock’s Faculty of Applied Health Sciences in 2004, Falk (PhD McMaster 1991; MSc Tel Aviv University 1986; BEd McGill 1982) spent 13 years at Israel’s national sports centre, the Wingate Institute, where she was head of the physiology unit, within the Institute’s Research Centre.

Upon hearing of her selection, she said it is a reflection of the support of her colleagues and the Brock environment.

“I am truly honoured by this award,” Falk said. “I have received tremendous support from my Department, my Faculty and mainly from my colleagues. I see this award as a reflection of this team effort. I love my work and am passionate about my research. I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to do something I enjoy so much.”

With the Chancellor’s Chair award, Falk will research strength and muscle growth in boys and girls as they mature over three years, examining changes in muscle function and in neuro-motor activation pattern, or the way muscles work and respond to training. It is expected the results of this work will inform new guidelines for physical activity, rehabilitation and training during youth, aimed at promoting lifelong neuromuscular health.