Communications Pillar

Sheryl Bourgaize, PhD

Conference Lead

Sheryl is a newly appointed Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at Cape Breton University. She earned her Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Human Kinetics and a Master of Science in Biomechanics from the University of Guelph, followed by a PhD in Kinesiology from Wilfrid Laurier University, with co-advisement from Université Laval.

Sheryl’s doctoral research, funded by agencies such as the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Mitacs Globalink Research Award (hosted at the University of Rennes II, France), focused on how individuals adapt their body orientation and movements to avoid collisions with other pedestrians and safely navigate busy environments.

As an NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Waterloo, Sheryl coordinated a longitudinal, multidisciplinary clinical trial in collaboration with Grand River Hospital. This study examined the impact of different surgical approaches for total hip arthroplasty—specifically comparing a novel computer-assisted navigation technique with the traditional manual method—on functional outcomes during daily activities.Sheryl is currently involved with the IWB Communications team as the Conference Lead, where she organizes social events and workshops.