Dr. Leslie Auger

Dr. Leslie Auger has served as the Chair of the Kinesiology program at the University of Guelph-Humber since 2015. She has a keen interest in supporting others throughout their research and learning journeys.

My research journey began with a project investigating the fear of falling and how that influenced balance in an elderly population. I switched gears and studied skeletal muscle, interested in how the fat in one’s diet could influence cell structure and function (“you are what you eat”), the implications of diet in the development of insulin resistance (pre diabetes) and the impact of a hormone treatment (leptin) to reverse the negative impacts of a high-fat diet. After 10 years of post-secondary education, I started conducting research in clinical environments, implementing exercise and healthy lifestyle interventions for individuals in cardiac rehabilitation or enrolled in cancer exercise programs. In these environments, our research team was testing out a smartphone app to support healthy living and sustainable behaviour change.

As part of my current role, I am a course instructor for the two undergraduate thesis courses that students can take in their fourth year. Each student works with a thesis advisor, on a primary research project, from study creation to the collection and analysis of data. I teach about the research process, ethics, research writing and knowledge translation. I can share with the students my passion and the various lessons I have learned along my research journey. Currently, I am conducting research on the profession of kinesiology, now that it is a regulated health profession in the province of Ontario. This research is very rewarding and relevant to my position as Chair of the Kinesiology program at U of GH.

• PhD, Human Health & Nutritional Sciences, University of Guelph
• MSc, Community Health Sciences, Brock University
• BSc Kinesiology and Exercise Science, Brock University

• Auger, LE, Thomas, SG, Fischer, S, Smith, L, Armstrong, J, Dar, R, and Srbely, J. Perceptions of Competencies and Education of Registered Kinesiologists in Ontario. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism (APNM). 2025 Sept;50: 1-8. DOI: 10.1139/apnm-2025-0119.
• Auger, LE, Van, M, and Srbely J, Curricula within Ontario Universities as it Relates to the Profession of Kinesiology. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism (APNM). 2025 Sept;50: 1-7. DOI: 10.1139/apnm-2025-0114.
• Auger, LE, Thomas, SG, Fischer, S, Smith, L, Armstrong, J, Dar, R, and Srbely, J. Healthcare Professionals’ Insights on the Integration of Kinesiologists into Ontario’s Health System. Translational Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine (TJACSM). 2023 Sept;8(4):1-6. DOI: 10.1249/TJX.0000000000000237.
• Flora PK, Lopez P, Santa Mina D, Jones JM, Brawley LR, Sabiston CM, Ferguson SE, Obadia MM, Auger LE. Feasibility and acceptability of a group-mediated exercise intervention for gynecological cancer survivors. Journal of Psychosocial Oncology. 2022;40(6)770-789. DOI: 10.1080/07347332.2021.1939474.
• Au D, Matthew AG, Alibhai, SMH, Jones JM, Fleshner NE, Finelli A, Elterman D, Singal RK, Jamnicky L, Faghani N, Hilton WJ, Auger LE, Ritvo P, Trachtenberg J, Mina DS. Pfilates and Hypopressives for the Treatment of Urinary Incontinence after Radical Prostatectomy: Results of a Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial. PM&R. 2020 Jan;12(1):55-63. DOI: 10.1002/pmrj.12157.
• Santa Mina, D, Au D, Auger, LE, Alibhai, SMH, Matthew, AG, Sabiston, CM, Oh, P, Ritvo, P, Chang, E and Jones, JM. Development, Implementation, and Effects of a Cancer Centre’s Exercise-Oncology Program. Cancer. 2019 Oct 1;125(19):3437-3447. DOI: 10.1002/cncr.32297.
• Ritvo P, Obadia M, Santa Mina, D, Alibhai, SMH, Oh P, Sabiston C, Campbell K, Hernandaz C, McCready DR, Stefanyk LE, Jones J. An innovative smartphone-enabled health coaching intervention (iMOVE) to promote long-term maintenance of physical activity behavior in breast cancer survivors: study protocol for a feasibility pilot randomized controlled trial. JMIR Res Protoc. 2017 Aug 24;6(8):e165. DOI: 10.2196/resprot.6615.
• Last N, Tufts E & Auger LE. The Effects of Meditation on Gray Matter Atrophy in Neurodegenerative Diseases: A Systematic Review. J Alzheimers Dis. 2017;56(1):275-286. DOI: 10.3233/jad-160899.
• Santa Mina, D, Alibhai, SMH, Jamnicky, L, Au, D, Faghani, N, Hilton, W, Stefanyk, LE, Ritvo,P, Jones, J, Elterman, J, Fleshner, NE, Finelli, D, Trachtenberg, A, Matthew, AG. A Randomized Pilot Study on Conventional versus Advanced Pelvic Floor Exercises to Treat Urinary Incontinence after Radical Prostatectomy. BMC Urology. 2015, Sept 16. 15:94. DOI: 10.1186/s12894-015-0088-4.
• Ritvo P, Stefanyk LE, Azargive S, Stojanovic S, Stollon F, Habot J, Khaykin Y, Fair T and Pirbaglou M. Functional Capacity and Heart Rate Response: Associations with Nocturnal Hypertension. BMC Cardiovasc Disord. 2015. Jul 22;15:74. DOI: 10.1186/s12872-015-0064-7.