Education

• Doctor of Philosophy in Kinesiology (2020-2024)

  • University of Waterloo (UW)
    Thesis: Competing effects of arterial pressure and carbon dioxide on cerebrovascular regulation 
    during exercise and orthostatic stress
  • Supervisor: Distinguished Professor Richard L. Hughson

• Master of Science in Kinesiology (2018-2020)

  • University of Waterloo (UW)
    Thesis: Wearable sensor technology and machine learning for prediction of oxygen uptake and 
    extraction of kinetics during moderate and heavy intensity exercise Supervisor: Distinguished 
    Professor Richard L. Hughson
    Awarded UW Alumni Gold Medal as top graduating Master’s student from UW

• Honors Bachelor of Science: Specialization in Kinesiology (2014-2018)

  • The University of Western Ontario (Western)
    Thesis: Effects of nitrate supplementation on the oxygen uptake-power output relationship during 
    ramp incremental exercise
    Supervisor: Professor John M. Kowalchuk
    Awarded Faculty of Health Sciences Gold Medal as top graduating undergraduate student, and CSEP 
    Undergraduate Student Award
     

Degrees:

PhD (University of Alberta)
MA (McMaster University)
BAH (University of King’s College)

Bio:

Dr. Sarah Blacker is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies at Queen’s University.  She received her PhD from the University of Alberta in 2015 and held Postdoctoral Fellowships at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin and at the Technical University of Munich, Germany, before returning to Canada to take up a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Department of Anthropology at York University in 2020.  She was a Lecturer in the M.A. Program in Science and Technology Studies at the Technical University of Munich from 2018-2020.  She has taught in the Health and Society Program at York University since 2021.
 
Dr. Blacker’s research and teaching are centered around racial health inequities, environmental health, and data justice.  Her research addresses racial health inequities through two current projects: 1) research on environmental health inequities and community-led environmental monitoring projects practicing data sovereignty in contexts of environmental contamination and climate change; and 2) research on the collection and uses of race-based health data with a focus on the uses of this data in the development of medical AI tools.  This research examines initiatives underway to create algorithmic fairness at the level of technology development, while also examining how health care practitioners address and mitigate the forms of bias and discrimination endemic to medical AI tools that are already in use.  Dr. Blacker’s recent research in these areas has been published in: The Lancet Digital Health; Social Studies of Science; The American Journal of Bioethics; Catalyst: Feminism, Theory, Technoscience; and the Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute.

Dr. Wilson is a SSHRC-funded postdoctoral guest in the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies, working with the Sport Psychology PLAYS Research Group. He holds a Ph.D. in Human Kinetics from the University of Ottawa, an M.Sc. in Kinesiology from York University, and a B.Sc. Hon. in Kinesiology from McMaster University. Overall, his research examines how a better understanding of the psychology of learning can enhance participants’ developmental experiences in sport. Specifically, he explores how personal, social, and contextual factors can make learning (a) more effective, including learning skills, coaching approaches, and interest development; and (b) more sustainable, including resting experiences, team dynamics, and parenting.

• Graduate Program inquiries for current and prospective students (Kinesiology and Health Studies MA, MSc, PhD)

Undergraduate Courses

KNPE/HLTH 300 – Community-Based Practicum