The 2026 Labarge Scholarships in Mobility in Aging have been awarded to Xiru Wang and Angelina Baric, two PhD students working to advance mobility research in the field of aging. These awards supports emerging scholars who are developing interdisciplinary approaches to help older adults maintain independence and quality of life.
Angelina Baric
Exploring How Diet Shapes Mobility in Postmenopausal Women
PhD student Angelina Baric is investigating how long‑term dietary patterns influence body composition and mobility in Canadian postmenopausal women. Her project draws on data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging to better understand how specific eating patterns, including intake of ultra‑processed foods, relate to measures like percent body fat, lean mass and walking performance. Her findings may help inform dietary guidance tailored to women as they age.
Mentor: Lauren Griffith, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact
Supervisor: Anthea Christoforou, Faculty of Science, Department of Kinesiology
Xiru Wang
Using AR and AI to improve balance and reduce falls risk
Falls are a major risk for older adults. PhD student Xiru Wang is testing a new training program that uses augmented reality to simulate walking through real-world challenges while an artificial intelligence model adjust the difficulty of the obstacles to ensure training is personalized and safe. Wearable sensors and the augmented reality game will track the participants’ balance and movement. The goal is to create a data‑driven training tool that clinicians and researchers can use to build more effective fall‑prevention strategies.
- Supervisor: Aimee Nelson, Faculty of Science, Department of Kinesiology
- Mentor: Zhen Gao, Faculty of Engineering, W Booth School of Engineering Practice & Technology
