LABORATOIRE IMPACTS LABORATORY

Laboratoire d’Investigations sur les Mécanismes et Prédicteurs de liens entre Activités physiques, autres Comportements et Trajectoires de Santé

Myles O’Brien, Ph.D.

Mathieu Bélanger, PhD

Myles.OBrien@USherbrooke.ca

Biography

Myles O’Brien completed his Bachelor’s degree at Acadia University (2016) where he began working with Exericse is Medicine Canada and earned his CSEP Clinical Exercise Physiologist and High Performance Specialist certifications. He completed his MSc and PhD at Dalhousie University studying the cardiovascular impacts of physical activity and exercise on older adults. After his PhD, he completed a Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Physiotherapy & Geriatric Medicine investigating interventional models to address frailty among older adults. Throughout his academic progress, Myles accumulated numerous honors, including the CIHR- Institute of Aging Fellowship Prize of Excellence in Research on Aging for being the top-ranked aging researcher in the CIHR Post-Doctoral Award competition.

 

Since 2024, Myles is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at the Université de Sherbrooke based out of the Centre de formation médicale du Nouveau-Brunswick and an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Medicine as well as the School of Health & Human Performance at Dalhousie University. Myles’ work studies the impact of mobility and posture on cardiovascular health and frailty in older adults. His interest is in building collaborations between researchers, hospital, and community organizations to improve the day-to-day practices of knowledge users.

 Myles and his team of students and international collaborators develop and conduct research using clinical trial, applied mechanistic, and epidemiological study designs to better understand active aging. His team has published more than 110 scientific articles (>90 as first or senior author), given over 120 presentations at scientific conferences, and he has authored 2 book chapters on Aging and Frailty.

Summary of Functions

  • Assistant Professor, Université de Sherbrooke, Department of Medicine

Diplomas

  • 2022-2023 Post-Doctoral Fellowship, Dalhousie University et Nova Scotia Health
  • 2018-2022 Ph.D in Health.  Dalhousie University
  • 2016-2018 MSc Kinesiology, Dalhousie University
  • 2012-2016 B.Sc. Kinesiology (avec distinction), Acadia University

Research Interests

  • Mobility and Movement Interventions in Hospital and Long-Term Care.
  • Physical (In)activity, Endothelial Function, and the Neural Regulation of Vascular Function
  • Development and Validity of Physical Activity Monitors and Metrics.
  • Integration of Physical Activity and Exercise in Healthcare by Primary Care Providers and Qualified Exercise Professionals.
  • The Independent Physiological Impacts of Aerobic Fitness, Physical Activity, and Sedentary Postures.