Audrey Hicks knows what she’ll do if she ever wins a lottery.
She won’t be retiring – Hicks already did that in 2022.
Instead, the professor emeritus will be writing a supersized cheque to McMaster’s Physical Activity Centre of Excellence, for a simple reason: “PACE transforms lives. It definitely changed mine.”
After completing a PhD in Medical Sciences at McMaster, Hicks joined the kinesiology department in 1988 as an assistant professor. She’s had a curiosity-fueled career as a renowned researcher dedicated to advancing the science of exercise rehabilitation.
Hicks led major research studies that conclusively showed how exercise can measurably improve the health and well-being of three groups – seniors, adults living with spinal cord injuries and adults with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). The results from her groundbreaking research led to the development of evidence-based guidelines for physical activity that have been adopted around the world.
Those guidelines were also embedded into three research-based community exercise programs that Hicks launched at PACE and remain mainstays at the centre for hundreds of community members – MacSeniors, MacWheelers and MacMS-FITT.
Many of the participants in the research studies run by Hicks remain PACE members to this day. The centre’s exercise programs double as social clubs and a preventative cure-all for loneliness and social isolation. “PACE helped break down our ‘ivory tower’ walls,” says Hicks. “We’ve made McMaster more accessible to some of the most vulnerable people in our community.” The programs offered at PACE are one-of-a-kind – without the centre, many members would have nowhere else to go.
While the data she collected proved PACE was making a difference, Hicks also saw and heard the evidence every time she was at the centre. There were the friendships forged over workouts along with the constant hum of conversations, impromptu testimonials about independence regained and maintained, loads of laughter and countless smiles: “The biggest and best smiles.”
Along with running research studies and launching exercise programs, Hicks was relentless in the pursuit of funding for PACE. “I was constantly writing grant applications and chasing after any and all sources of potential funding.”
Being a rainmaker for PACE was a lot of work but it was a way for Hicks to give back. The centre solved a problem that had initially weighed heavily on Hicks.
“I believe in putting research into practice so it will have a real and immediate benefit for as many people as possible.” In her research studies, there were always control groups that couldn’t participate in the supervised exercise programs. “Control groups are essential for high quality intervention studies yet I struggled with the ethics of denying something to people that could measurably improve their health and well-being.”
So Hicks made and kept a promise to everyone in the control groups. When the studies were done, they were welcome to join an exercise program at PACE. Pretty much everyone took Hicks up on the offer.
The exercise programs would eventually take over Mac’s former dance studio on the main floor of the Ivor Wynne Centre. The mirrors from the dance studio remain on the walls of the PACE Gym.
Space was at a premium in the converted studio, but scheduling was relatively easy. Seniors lined up before the centre opened at 8 a.m., MacWheelers preferred mid-day workouts while MacCardiac members opted for exercising at end of the day.
And there was no shortage of undergrads willing to volunteer at PACE and work with the growing number of community members. Hicks initially recruited from one of her courses that required a practicum; today, students from across McMaster are invited to apply, and they receive hundreds of applications every year for coveted spots at PACE. Along with changing the lives of community members, Hicks says PACE ignites curiosity and unlocks the potential of undergrads – for many, it’s their first opportunity to work alongside health professionals in a clinical setting.
‘A legacy of compassion’
While she’s yet to win the lottery and donate the jackpot, former colleagues say Hicks has already made invaluable contributions to PACE that go well beyond launching a trio of exercise programs and securing major funding. In 2018, Hicks became the first woman to receive the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology’s Honour Award in recognition of her exceptional contributions to the field of exercise physiology in Canada.
“Dr. Audrey Hicks is a guiding example to us all,” says current PACE director and kinesiology professor Jennifer Heisz. “Audrey’s unwavering commitment and generosity embody the very best of what it means to give back. She shaped a legacy of compassion that continues to guide us at PACE.”
Stuart Phillips, past PACE director and current chair of the kinesiology department, calls Hicks a foundational figure and isn’t surprised that she downplayed her role at PACE with characteristic humility.
“Dr. Hicks has been an incredible force behind McMaster PACE. Her scientific leadership, mentorship and dedication to community health have shaped the program’s identify and success.”
Both Phillips and Heisz agree that Hicks was instrumental in creating the culture of excellence and compassion that continues to define PACE well into its fifth decade. Today, more than 450 community members are enrolled in PACE’s five research-based exercise programs. Those programs are supervised by a team of certified staff and run by over 250 undergraduate student volunteers. Many of those students return year after year, honing their skills and maintaining friendships with community members throughout their degrees. PACE also offers physiotherapy and kinesiology services, plus PACE-LIVE! At Home exercise classes and PACE 2 Go.
As a retiree, Hicks faithfully follows what she studied throughout her career at McMaster, working out at a gym four times a week and leading a full and active life. “I’ve never been busier or felt better,” she says with a laugh and a smile that matches what she heard and saw during her three decades at PACE and McMaster.