FULL CIRCLE

Professor Scott Thomas retires

Scott Thomas has had multiple research pursuits during his more than 30-year career as a professor and scientist with the Faculty, but all show his passion for ensuring exercise plays a larger role in the health care system.

“Everything I’ve done is about making exercise accessible, safe and effective for everyone,” he says. “It is more dangerous for people to live a lifestyle on the couch than it is to incorporate some form of exercise into your day.”

This is why Thomas has focused research on the evaluation of various tools like the Par-Q (Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire) test that determines whether someone should complete a medical evaluation before participating in strenuous exercise. “The work we’ve done on this test is related to the questions – rather than screen them out completely, we tried to motivate people to participate in exercise safely. The benefits of movement far outweigh the risks.”

Thomas’s research also focused on cardiovascular physiology, cardiac rehabilitation and sport performance, which led to a collaboration with the Canadian Sport Institute on a project that looked at the demands of wheelchair basketball.

He was the founding director of the Faculty’s first Master’s of Professional Kinesiology (MPK) program – among the first in the province.

“Beyond being among the first of its kind, the MPK program reflects our Faculty, which looks at kinesiology from four distinct viewpoints: behavioural, physical-cultural, biophysical and clinical,” he says. “It reflects the University of Toronto’s consistent emphasis on driving practice improvement using the best evidence, from experience and from research. And, it reflects our communities.”

Outside the field, Thomas volunteers with Academics Without Borders, an organization that supports postsecondary education in lower-income countries. He collaborated with Canadian and Ugandian university volunteers to develop an online course on graduate supervision for faculty in Uganda.

“I am fortunate because I’ve had a lot of variety in my career, and I am proud to say I’ve collaborated with multiple faculties and colleagues from across U of T and beyond,” he says. “The graduate students I’ve worked with in the past have always had great ideas that have inspired me to explore different avenues.”

Now Thomas plans on focusing on family and new hobbies like cycling and archery, while staying in touch with his colleagues. “And I will continue to read … but now I’ll be reading more for pleasure.”

— Janet Gunn