Wintec Biokinetic Clinic earns gold for promoting a culture of wellness on campus

Recording exercise programmes during the Covid-19 pandemic has helped earn Wintec a gold level designation from Exercise is Medicine®.

The Biokinetic Clinic at the Wintec Centre for Sport Science and Human Performance, Hamilton, is one of only 153 tertiary institutions around the world to be honoured by Exercise is Medicine® (EIM) for its efforts to create a culture of wellness on campus.

Covid-19 activities including recorded video programmes during 2020 helped the Wintec Biokinetic Clinic earn gold level designation from the Exercise is Medicine® On Campus (EIM-OC) program.

The clinic also earned EIM’s Covid Conqueror badge, a new honour given to campuses that demonstrated creative adaptations to physical activity programming during the Covid-19 pandemic

“We are thrilled to recognize these campuses’ commitment to make movement a part of daily campus culture and equip students with tools to cultivate lifelong physical activity habits, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Robyn Stuhr, Vice-President of Exercise is Medicine.

“These campus programs are nurturing future leaders who will advance a key tenet of Exercise is Medicine: making physical activity assessment and promotion a standard in health care.” 

Of the 153 campuses recognized this year, 73 received gold, 59 silver and 21 bronze. All gold, silver and bronze universities and colleges will be officially recognised in June as part of the 2021 virtual Exercise is Medicine World Congress, held in conjunction with the American College of Sports Medicine’s Annual Meeting. 

EIM-OC calls upon universities and colleges to promote physical activity as a vital sign of health and encourages faculty, staff and students to work together to improve the health and well-being of the campus community. 

Dr. Glynis Longhurst, Biokinetic Clinic Manager at Wintec, is glowing with the news of the clinic receiving a gold accreditation. 

“I’m really proud of what we’ve achieved and it’s such an honour for our clinic to be recognised as a world leader in this area. Staff at the clinic put so much effort into adjusting their teaching methods and promoting wellness and physical activity on campus during such a challenging year.

“It’s a real testament to the care and commitment of our team, and we’ll continue to look at innovative methods of promoting a culture of wellness at Wintec.”

Wintec was also awarded gold for the EIM-OC award in 2017.

EIM-OC launched its programme in 2014 to recognise campuses for their efforts to create a culture of wellness. Schools earn gold, silver or bronze status based on their activities. Gold level campuses have created a referral system where campus health care providers assess students’ physical activity and refer students as necessary to a certified fitness professional as part of medical treatment.

Discover the Wintec Centre for Sport Science and Human Performance.