Spencer Ursel, SURF 2023

“I have been very fortunate to have been born and raised in Kelowna, BC. Growing up here and watching this city continue to develop has contributed to my desire to make a positive impact on this community. I have always been an active individual, participating in many team sports throughout my childhood, with my major interests now being triathlon and rock climbing. My educational path has been directed by my interest in science and my aspirations to pursue a career in medicine.

My research interests are a culmination of my personal pursuits in exercise and sport, in addition to my fascination with human metabolism and biology. Exercise has been shown to slow the progression of chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, which are often characterized by chronic low-grade inflammation. One area of research that is poorly understood is how exercise promotes an anti-inflammatory response. My research will focus on the cellular effects of exercise as a modulator of systemic inflammation, with hopes of elucidating some of the cellular mechanisms underlying the anti-inflammatory effects of exercise. Future application of this research could be used to create an optimized exercise protocol to decrease the prevalence of diseases characterized by chronic inflammation.”