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Tribute Symposium: The Intersection of Human Biology, Exercise Physiology, and Circumpolar Health: A Tribute to Roy J. Shephard, MD, PhD, DPE (1929–2023)
Time:
Thursday, 13/Mar/2025:
1:00pm - 2:00pm
Session Chair: PETER KATZMARZYK Session Chair: William Leonard
Location:Waterview
Session Abstract
The purpose of this memorial symposium is to honor the legacy of Roy J. Shephard, a leader in the fields of exercise science and human biology, who passed away on February 28, 2023. This symposium is particularly appropriate for the 50th anniversary meeting, as the International Biological Programme, for which Dr. Shephard was a key researcher, made several seminal contributions to the field of human biology over its history. Throughout his career, Dr. Shephard integrated medicine, exercise and environmental physiology, and human biology to advance our understanding of human variability and population health. Attendees of the symposium will learn the role that Dr. Shephard played in human biology research at high latitudes and will learn about several current research programs in circumpolar health that are legacies of the early work of Dr. Shephard.
Presentations
1:00pm - 1:20pm
The legacy of Roy Shephard: A pioneer in human biology and exercise science
PETER KATZMARZYK
Pennington Biomedical Research Center, United States of America
Dr. Roy Shephard (1929–2023) had an impactful career in human biology and exercise science spanning more than 50 years. Roy was a very prolific scientist, educator, and mentor, and is often referred to as the grandfather of exercise science in Canada. He had a strong interest in human biological variability, and he was uniquely able to bridge the fields of exercise science, human biology and public health. As an exercise scientist, he had expertise in aviation and altitude physiology, cardiac and pulmonary physiology, and environmental medicine. He leveraged this expertise to contribute to the development of landmark physical activity guidelines for Canada. Beginning in the early 1960’s, Dr. Shephard brought his expertise in exercise science to bear on studying circumpolar health and the acculturation of indigenous peoples. Dr. Shephard is well known for his work on the Human Adaptability Project (HAP), one of the topic areas of the International Biological Programme (IBP;1964-1974). His work among the Inuit of Igloolik in the Northwest Territories of Canada demonstrated the long-term health effects of acculturation. In addition to a marked deterioration of fitness levels over time, increases in adiposity in the population were also observed. However, adults who had maintained a traditional lifestyle had higher levels of aerobic and muscular fitness than those who had adopted a more “urban” lifestyle. Having published more than 2000 peer-reviewed papers and more than 100 books during his prolific career, Dr. Shephard has left a strong legacy of multi-disciplinary research within the field of human biology.
1:20pm - 1:40pm
Taking exercise physiology from the lab to the field: Energetics and metabolic health among Indigenous Arctic populations
William Leonard
Northwestern University, United States of America
Much of what we know about human adaptability to arctic climates has been shaped by the pioneering work of Dr. Roy J. Shephard. At the University of Toronto, Dr. Shephard was the prime architect of the early studies of Arctic/Circumpolar Peoples carried out as part of the Human Adaptability Project (HAP) of the International Biological Programme (IBP). His research among the Igloolik Inuit of the Northwest Territories of Canada continued from the 1960s through the early 1990s, documenting the profound consequences of acculturation and lifestyle change on aerobic fitness, body composition, and cardiometabolic health. In this paper, I review the research of Shephard and colleagues from Igloolik and consider how this foundational work continues to shape ongoing studies of physiology and health among circumpolar populations. Additionally, I draw on our work among Indigenous Siberian populations to highlight the important legacy of Roy Shephard to the field of human population biology.
