In Canada, there are 50,000 new cases of stroke each year, or about 1 stroke every 10 minutes. Stroke is major health event that affects different people in different ways. Many people continue to live with physical effects of stroke, such as weakness or balance problems. These contribute to limitations in mobility, physical inactivity, and sedentary behaviours. This can lead to higher risk for developing cardiovascular disease or having another stroke.

Exercise and regular physical activity has the potential to mediate many cardiovascular risk factors and may be effective for primary and secondary prevention of stroke and cardiovascular disease.

The MacStroke Canada research team examines how exercise and physical activity interventions can improve health, mobility, and function in people living with stroke, cardiovascular disease and other conditions.

At MacStroke Canada, we value:

• Collaboration: Working together towards common research goals
• Leadership: Leading by example and inspiring others to make a positive difference in people’s lives
• Resilience: Overcoming challenges through learning and development
• Diversity: Distinct backgrounds with different personalities, beliefs, cultures and research interests
• Health and well-being: Promoting balance between a healthy mind and body
• Personal growth: Engaging in the ongoing process of development, understanding and refinement of our goals, and embracing new opportunities to achieve our fullest potentials
• Respect: Treating all people with dignity and having due regard for the ideas and values of others

MacStroke Canada Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Declaration

MacStroke Canada holds the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion as central to our core values and paramount to our actions, activities and endeavours.

MacStroke Canada strives to cultivate an environment that supports these principles. We commit to a culture of respect, open and fair communication, thereby promoting inclusion and active engagement within our lab group. We endeavour to include, support, amplify and elevate voices of Black, Indigenous and people of colour and other underrepresented and marginalized groups in all aspects of our research. This includes trainee opportunities, research collaborations, participation in our studies, and engagement in our clinical, stroke and broader communities. We value the diverse perspectives of our current and former lab members, collaborators and participants.

We acknowledge that upholding these principles are a shared responsibility and a continual process. We are all committed, as individual lab members and a collective lab group, to equity, diversity and inclusion in our activities. We uphold a zero-tolerance policy for any and all forms of racism, hate, prejudice, discrimination, and bigotry. We commit to the ongoing critical evaluation of our practices and educating ourselves on the systemic inequalities that persist in our communities.

We welcome future members, collaborators and community partners who share in this commitment.