Assistant Professor Linda Trinh knows a thing or two about going the distance. With dozens of ultramarathons to her name, some up to 40-hours long, the prolific researcher says she applies the same philosophy to her work as she does to her long distance races. “The mind that you enter a race with is not the mind you finish with. It’s a journey of rediscovery and anticipating challenges and being able to overcome them during that journey. You have to be ready to adapt at all times.”
Trinh completed her PhD at the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation at the University of Alberta with a focus on exercise and health in kidney cancer survivors. Her appointment at KPE took effect on January 1, but she’s already a familiar face at the Faculty having completed a two-year post-doctoral fellowship here in 2015.
Trinh says that working alongside faculty who focus on chronic disease prevention and management through physical activity with knowledge translation skills is one of the many reasons she’s so inspired to join the Faculty. “I’m very excited to contribute to a world-class, cutting-edge collaborative research and teaching environment to fill a critical gap in the physical activity and cancer survivorship agenda. I’m not aware of any other institution in Canada that has such robust exercise oncology expertise housed in one Faculty. All of us come at this topic with slightly different perspectives and expertise, so the potential to innovate here is incredible.”
The relationship development and interdisciplinary opportunities at the University and its academic hospital affiliations will also provide Trinh with access to outstanding new collaborations. “With such a breadth of experts and access to specialized populations, especially in the area of cancer control and cancer survivorship, U of T is a great place to be in terms of being able to fulfill my research ideas.”
Before coming to KPE this winter, Trinh was an assistant professor (tenure stream) in the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health in the College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Though she will be making several connections here locally, she continues to foster the many partnerships she established in the US—which will contribute to enhancing the Faculty’s already strong international reputation.
Currently her research focuses on the development of evidence-based and theoretically-driven physical activity and sedentary behaviour interventions for cancer survivors. She is also interested in examining the supports and resources required to help this population stay active after treatment has ended. “I'm interested in providing the behavioral strategies needed not only for physical activity adoption, but for maintenance. These strategies can range from anticipating and overcoming barriers to physical activity to habit formation.”
She is also looking at the intersections between cancer and aging as it relates to cognitive functioning and brain health, making the possibilities of connecting with institutions like Baycrest Health Sciences, Sunnybrook Hospital, and the Toronto Neuroimaging Facility especially inspiring.
This term, Trinh is teaching Exercise and Mental Health to third year students. During her time at the University of Illinois she earned a spot on the ‘List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by Their Students,’ so many KPE students should be in for a treat with Trinh at the helm.
“Dr. Trinh was recruited to the Faculty precisely because her research and teaching align so well with the Faculty’s Academic Plan, mission and vision,” says Dean Ira Jacobs. “I’m very optimistic about how her expertise in exercise oncology will develop, the synergy with the research of other colleagues in the Faculty, and the positive impact she is sure to have within the Faculty and beyond.”