Media releases

• Brock launches Canada’s first English-based Master of Athletic Therapy 

  Thursday, February 20, 2025 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE – February 20, 2025 – R0025

  Brock University is strengthening athletic therapy education in Canada.

  The University has launched Canada’s first English-based Master of Athletic Therapy (MAT) program, marking an educational milestone for the professional field.

  Approved by the Ministry of Colleges and Universities, the program places Brock at the forefront of athletic therapy education in Canada, meeting the needs of students looking to take their expertise to the next level and supporting the need for highly skilled professionals in the industry.

  Applications for the program open this August, with the first cohort set to begin classes in May 2026.

  “There’s been significant and growing interest in athletic therapy, not only in sport but also across sectors such as health care and wellness,” says Peter Tiidus, Dean of Brock’s Faculty of Applied Health Sciences. “The University’s MAT program will help meet this demand, providing students with the critical skills to succeed in a highly competitive and rewarding field while building on Brock’s strength in applied health sciences education.”

  While the University of Quebec at Trois-Rivières offers the only other athletic therapy master’s program in Canada, Brock’s program is positioned to stand apart as the first of its kind in English.

  Associate Professor of Kinesiology Nicole Chimera says Brock’s program, which she will lead, will include valuable hands-on learning opportunities that will ensure students have the necessary skills to be fully job-ready upon graduation.

  Over the program’s six consecutive terms, students will participate in several clinical placements in addition to completing a Major Research Project in areas such as muscle and bone physiology, injury prevention and risk reduction.

  “Through a combination of classroom learning, lab-based instruction and immersive clinical experiences, students will develop the skills and expertise necessary to advance the field of athletic therapy,” Chimera says. “Our goal is to produce graduates who are prepared to lead in diverse sports settings and health-care environments.”

  The MAT has received provisional accreditation by the Canadian Athletic Therapists Association (CATA), with graduates eligible for the national certification exam to become Certified Athletic Therapists.

  “This provisional accreditation speaks to the calibre of Brock’s Master of Athletic Therapy program,” says Nota Klentrou, Professor and Chair of the Department of Kinesiology. “The University is preparing students to meet — and exceed — the association’s high standards for professional certification.”

  The MAT program takes a unique approach to education in integrating biomechanics, rehabilitation and clinical practice into a multidisciplinary framework.

  “Our students will not only learn how to treat injuries but also how to optimize recovery and enhance performance using inclusive and evidence-based practices in a wide range of environments,” Chimera says.

  “Athletic therapy has evolved significantly over the past decade,” she says. “In addition to treating professional athletes, the field is now also focused on bringing the best of rehabilitation and injury prevention practices to the broader population.”

  The MAT program contributes to Brock’s mission to provide transformational academic experiences that support create career-ready graduates.

  “The MAT program’s advanced clinical training is one example of the ways in which Brock sets students up for success in a variety of dynamic fields,” says Tiidus. “We look forward to seeing all that our graduates will accomplish as they make meaningful contributions to the world.”

  More information on the program is available on the Brock MAT web page.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews: 

  *Sarah Ackles, Communications Specialist, Brock University [email protected] or 289-241-5483

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  Categories: Media releases

• It’s a love story: History and Taylor Swift (Brock’s Version)

  Thursday, February 13, 2025 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE – February 13, 2025 – R0024

  While it’s no secret Taylor Swift has captured hearts across the globe with her musical mastery, Elizabeth Vlossak is shining a spotlight on another area of the celebrated musician’s expertise.

  Through a new course this spring, the Associate Professor of History is exploring Swift not only as a pop culture phenomenon, but also as something else entirely: a historian.

  Vlossak — a self-proclaimed “Swiftie” — is bringing her unique take to Brock students through “A Swift History,” which will introduce history and historical methods through Swift’s music, career and fandom.

  While most Swift-related education courses in Canada generally focus on music and business, Vlossak’s course will take the road less travelled — into the past.

  “Historical research involves asking questions, like why and how an event took place, and then finding and interpreting evidence to piece the story together to answer those questions, including why it matters,” Vlossak says. “Swift engages with the past like a historian.”

  Vlossak has long been interested in how Swift evokes the past through her music, and has written about the historical figures and events Swift has woven into her lyrics.

  With her eighth studio album folkore (2020), Swift ventured beyond telling the stories of her own history and began detailing the lives of people of the past and connected historical events.

  Among the many examples Vlossak cites is “The Last Great American Dynasty,” which tells the story of Rebekah Harkness (1915-1982), an American philanthropist and composer known for her “scandalous” behaviour at her home in Rhode Island — a house that Swift now owns.

  Swift’s engagement with the past through her songwriting goes beyond simply telling a story; Vlossak argues that she also “thinks historically.”

  “Swift is fascinated by time and meticulously records dates; she reflects on causes and consequences; she considers different perspectives and competing interpretations; and she references primary sources like photographs, letters, diaries and material culture — the building blocks of historical research,” Vlossak says.

  Swift’s interest in primary sources can be found in the song “Marjorie” in which Swift sings about the artifacts of her grandmother’s life.

  “Swift asks poignantly what happens when all the ‘artifacts’ of a person’s life, from their clothes, to letters, to grocery lists disappear after they die. How do we tell their stories? These are questions that historians ask: what can we learn about the past through these sources, and how do we study people who have left few or no records behind,” Vlossak says.

  In addition to studying what history is and related research methodologies, students in Vlossak’s course will learn more about some of the historical events and figures that Swift has referenced in her songwriting, including the “witch craze” of the 16th century, the First World War and 1920s silent film star Clara Bow.

  Swift herself will also be the subject of historical inquiry as students explore the history of fandom and women in the arts and popular culture.

  “As a cultural phenomenon who has changed the face of pop music and challenged the music industry (for example, by reclaiming her master recordings), Taylor Swift is already considered a historical figure,” Vlossak says. “But how will historians write about Taylor Swift and interpret her life and legacy in 20 or even 100 years?”

  Vlossak says studying Swift through a historical lens can help students understand historiography — the history of historical writing, or the “history of history.”

  “What is the purpose of history? Whose history do we write and how does this affect the stories that are told or not told? Just like Taylor Swift as she moves from one era to the next, history is not static,” she says. “Our understanding of the past is constantly evolving.”

  More information about Brock’s spring/summer course offerings, including “A Swift History,” is available online. 

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  *Maryanne St. Denis, Manager, Content and Communications, Brock University, [email protected] or 905-246-0256

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  Categories: Media releases