TCU’s Department of Kinesiology took center stage at TCU’s inaugural Global Human Performance Forum, which brought together global leaders in athletic training, coaching and research.
The two-day event brought industry workers, academic leaders, researchers and hands-on demonstrations that allowed students, faculty and anyone involved in the world of human body performance to participate and learn more from each other.
The Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences’ Peter Weyand, kinesiology chair, was featured as a keynote.
“Hosting high-quality, focused events with leading thinkers in the human performance field will resonate broadly across the region,
country and internationally,” Weyand said. “The forum serves as a leading statement of institutional research purpose and also as a catalyst for collaborations and foundational resourcing.”
Weyand said discussions from the forum relate to multiple fields and current research in the kinesiology department: from the athletic training faculty studying return to play and concussion sessions, to the Locomotor Performance Lab, adding that since his department lives in the performance space, there was very little that was not highly relevant to the Locomotor Performance Lab.
“Given the multi-disciplinary intersection of kinesiology with bodily function, performance and general well-being, the forum was a natural platform for contributions from our faculty,” Weyand said.
Hearing the latest in data collection, athletic engineering and human performance research was highlighted on the second day, with several panels that featured experts from TCU, industry partners and global organizations.
“The value of the TCU Global Human Performance Forum is that it brings researchers and practitioners together to learn from one another,” said Robyn Trocchio, associate professor and graduate program director for kinesiology. “When evidence and experience are part of the same conversation, we’re much more likely to generate ideas that have real-world impact.”
Bernard Rousseau, the incoming Marilyn and Morgan Davies Dean of Harris College, said the department’s participation is key to both the college and university.
“The involvement of the Department of Kinesiology and our talented faculty demonstrates the innovative and groundbreaking research we are doing here at Harris College,” Rousseau said. “TCU hosting events such as the Global Human Performance Forum is a great opportunity to network, learn and share ideas with other professionals in the industry at established institutions and organizations across the state, country and globe.”
Harris College Research on Display
The forum was a demonstration of interdisciplinary collaboration across campus, including
the kinesiology department, TCU Office of Research & Creative Activity and the newly
established Roach Institute of Athlete Engineering.
“There is a natural connection between these groups, and I think the passion among those involved will be a huge positive for TCU and future research opportunities,” said Adam King, associate dean of health sciences at Harris College.
Students who attended the forum agreed that it was engaging, full of relevant research and a great opportunity to learn different perspectives and connect with academic leaders, athletic professionals and human performance practitioners.
“One thing I found especially relevant was the base-based discussion on post-operative ACL return-to-play decisions,” said Chieh-Yin Kao, a second-year doctoral student in health sciences. “Since my own research focuses on static and dynamic single-leg balance, it made me think more about how balance strategies may differ between healthy individuals and athletes returning from injury or surgery.”
Ke’Vaughn Waldon, a second-year doctoral student in kinesiology, said the forum was engaging and was interested in learning about how coaches use technology to increase athletes’ performance.
“Something I learned that I’ll bring back to my own research is probably knowing that data can be valuable even in sports, not only for player performance but for reducing injuries,” Waldon said. “The real goal is to open communication between fields to generate more transparency across lines from coaches to clinicians.”
International Partnership
The Global Human Performance Forum came to fruition through a valuable partnership
with Deakin University, a public university based in Australia, that played a significant
role in this year’s event.
Lachlan Winter is a Ph.D. candidate at the Deakin School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences and is at TCU under the supervision of King in the Motor Behavior Lab as he conducts his final study for his doctoral thesis. Winter said that hearing everyone’s unique perspectives was interesting, especially regarding how they used data.
“Any event that brings industry and research together in the field of kinesiology interests me, so that’s what drew me to attend,” Winter said. “The ultimate goal of any research is to improve and make life easier for industry, whether that be athletics or everyday workers.”
Winter said his favorite part of the conference was engaging with new faces. On the flip side, Winter said it was great to see familiar faces from Deakin University, whom he hadn’t seen in six months since arriving at TCU for his doctoral research abroad.
“I have always wanted to study abroad in America. I love the college system and how it works in the United States,” Winter said. “TCU is an excellent institution with a rich history, so it was a university I had an eye on trying to attend.”