Walking down the hallways in the University of Regina Centre for Kinesiology, Health and Sport building you will find university athletes, gyms for students and the Exercise Physiology Laboratory.
In this lab there are no test tubes or chemicals, but you rather bikes and a Transcranial Doppler, a device used to measure cerebral blood flow velocity.
You will also find other machines used to test for concussions and a lone hockey stick leaning against the wall.
This is the stick that is used when exercise physiologist Patrick Neary does concussion testing in the lab.
Happy-go-lucky and dedicated are two terms that have been used to describe the world traveler from Grand Prairie, Alberta.
Neary’s work has taken him to Australia, South Africa, Europe, Ukraine and all across North America.
Neary, who has worked at the University of Regina since 2005, usually has a smile on his face, ready to help students whenever they need. You will also find Neary, 57, biking to school every day even when it’s minus 40.
Scott Bishop, a grad student who works with Neary, said that his dedication is prominent in their work together.
“Pat will basically be working day in and day out. Like as soon as we’re done it’ll be ‘let’s grab a quick bite’ then he’s instantly working again. I like to think I work hard and I know that Pat is the same. He’s always working hard and he sets a good example for what needs to be done,” said Bishop.
Neary’s work has focused on concussions for the past 10 years. He started looking at the oxygen levels in body tissues when he was working at the University of New Brunswick. This research stemmed from one of his student’s interest in concussions, more specifically concussions in hockey players.
When Neary came to the University of Regina he was able to continue his work on concussions, receiving a Canadian Institutes of Health Research grant worth $283,000. According to Neary this is not an easy grant to receive and he felt very fortunate to get it. Neary, along with a grad student, started to look into what is happening to cerebral blood flow when you get a concussion. He also has been looking into what happens to people’s hearts during a concussion.
Neary said the goal of his research is to be able to objectively show a concussion and show what stage the brain is at. The research in the lab is trying to look at how to use blood flow to give an objective indication of the physiology of the brain.
Neary’s dedication to his work has been highlighted over the years. He’s received awards such as the Canadian Association of Sport Sciences Young Investigator Award in 1991. Most recently he was invited by the Canadian Embassy to be the featured speaker at the Canadian Technology Leader Seminar in Washington, DC. He has also received a total of $1.3 million in research funding over the years.
Although Neary is now known for his work in concussions, when he was at university in Victoria he had different plans. He went into school thinking he would teach high school Biology and Phys. Ed., but after an exercise physiology course with Howie Wenger, things changed.
“I took his, Howie’s, exercise physiology course and that was it. I said I’m not going to teach high school I want to do this,” said Neary.
Neary went on to take his Masters with Howie Wenger in Victoria and during this time he was able to work with the Canadian Olympic hockey team and the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings. Neary also had the opportunity to work with the Edmonton Oilers when he was doing his PhD at the University of Alberta.
“One of the things that really sticks in my mind… was when Wayne Gretzky came in I mean he was just the nicest guy. He went around and he shook everybody’s hand, he introduced himself like he was just another guy off the street,” said Neary.
Looking back on his life so far Neary said his biggest role model is Howie Wenger.
“He was really passionate about his teaching; he was a very good teacher. If I could be half the teacher he could be jeez, that’d be great,” said Neary.
Neary shows signs of following in the steps of his role model by making his time in the classroom with students fun.
“I still love getting into the classroom and teaching my advance exercise physiology,” said Neary. “I get really excited going into class. I’ll stand on tables and I’ll do all sorts of silly things just to try and illustrate different points.”
Although Neary may say he hopes to be a great teacher like his role model, Bishop said he is well on his way.
“In a word he’s fantastic; he’s fantastic at what he does,” said Bishop.
