Susi Hately Aldous
BSc.Kin,
Yoga Instructor
Susi is the owner and principle instructor of Functional Synergy inc. She has been teaching people therapeutic principles for overcoming pain and chronic disease since 1995.
In 2001 Susi teamed up with Nicole to develop the Yoga for Cancer Survivors program at the University of Calgary. From her experience working with people in cancer treatment and with people who were post treatment she could see the benefits of yoga, meditation and conscious breathing and she wanted more people to know about it. She considered returning to school to complete her Masters in Kinesiology to study the topic, and after about 1 week remembered that she enjoyed teaching more than doing the research.
As fate would have it, some yoga students knew of her desire to see yoga studied in this way. They introduced her to Nicole Culos-Reed and the program was born.
In 2005, after teaching the program for a few years, Susi trained one other instructor to lead Yoga for Cancer Survivors. In 2007 she trained 6 more instructors. And in 2009, the program is expanding beyond the borders of Calgary, Alberta to include rural Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and the United States.
This program is like nothing else. Blending the ancient art of yoga with the scientific understanding of physiological processes, the Yoga for Cancer Survivors Program helps a Cancer Survivor move from a place of "surviving to a place of thriving".
Nicole Culos-Reed
Associate Professor, Health & Exercise Psychology, Faculty of KinesiologyAdjunct Associate Professor, Department of Oncology, Faculty of Medicine
AHFMR Population Health Investigator
Dr. Nicole Culos-Reed is an Associate Professor in Health and Exercise Psychology in the Faculty of Kinesiology, and Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Oncology in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary. Dr. Culos-Reed also holds a Research Associate appointment with the Department of Psychosocial Resources, Tom Baker Cancer Centre.
Dr. Culos-Reed is an Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR) Population Health Investigator. Her work is on Physical Activity for Cancer Survivors, and focuses on utilizing a multidisciplinary perspective to understand and improve the quality of life of cancer patients and survivors. Specifically, the goal of this research is to develop physical activity programs that positively impact the myriad of physical and psychological factors that cancer survivors experience, ultimately enhancing their quality of life.
Upcoming work will include providing greater accessibility and options for physical activity programs to the cancer survivor population, to examine the feasibility of lifestyle interventions at various stages of the cancer continuum (diagnosis, treatment, post-treatment, survivorship, and palliation), and to collaborate with other cancer centers to better understand the role of physical activity for different cancer types.
Teaching
Dr. Culos-Reed teaches courses at the University of Calgary in the Psychology of Human Movement field. These include:
KINE 253 - Introduction to Sport and Exercise Psychology
KINE 397 - Health and Exercise Psychology
KINE 695 - Health and Exercise Psychology (graduate level)
MDSC 635 - Psychosocial Oncology (guest lecturer)
