BOSSers (Snowshoe Tour Participants)! With 10 short days to go, I’m sure you’re getting excited to hit the trails with your snowshoes!! We know a lot of you have had fundraising on the brain, and as the event comes closer, you might be feeling the pressure to hit your targets.. FEAR NO MORE!! 

Check out Crystal Phillip and Olympian Denny Morrison's interview on Global Calgary.

Meet Branch Out's first PhD student

Haley Vecchiarelli, from the University of Calgary!

Haley was the first Branchy to represent Branch Out Neurological Foundation and neuroCAM in Brazil at the 2015 International Brain Research Organization World Congress!

Haley wrote about Branching Out in Brazil for us and how her neuroCAM research has the potential to impact lives around the world.

Why she's a 2015 Top 40:

After being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of 19, Crystal Phillips, an Olympic speed skating hopeful, was determined to find a natural way to help her body heal. Her drive has led her to help develop an academic field of study now known as neuroCAM, which is funded exclusively by her charity, the Branch Out Foundation.

Read more

By Neuroscientist & Speed Skater Jessica Merkens

My summer internship at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute has passed. During my time as an international student, from Holland, at HBI I was thrown in the deep end multiple times, and crawled back up scratched and bruised. 

Anastasia Greenberg appears to have a peculiar combination of interests. She is both a student working on her PhD in neuroscience AND a talented painter.

In many ways, athletes are very lucky. This year alone, I have literally travelled around the world, came back to Calgary, and then went back to Europe. I’ve been treated to various cultures around the world, had travel experiences with close friends, tried funky foods and had the opportunity to lace-up my skates and compete against the best in the world, mano-y-mano.

Through this I constantly have people in my corner who dedicate an enormous amount of time and attention to me. From coaches with their amazing eye for detail, to the therapists who give me long massages (painful ones), to make sure I can compete at my very best.

"In every man's heart there is a secret nerve that answers to the vibrations of beauty." -Christopher Morley

Hi, my name is Martin. 

Some eight years ago, my life took an interesting turn. What started as a mild fatigue, eventually turned into a challenging neurological condition. On bad days, I struggle to get outside or even walk more than a few hundred meters at a time. From the onset of the first symptoms I searched for medical advice, which resulted in varying diagnoses. Depression, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia were all mentioned frequently. In more recent years a few doctors diagnosed me with Lyme disease. While I have a Lyme diagnosis, I feel it is our best guess at this stage. It is a controversial diagnosis and treatment, not recognized by a lot of health professionals. This uncertainty in the healthcare system towards Lyme disease adds an extra challenging layer to my journey.

Pushing down hard on the pedals, one… two…. three… four.  Greg’s wide tires move slowly along the pavement. Road bikes whiz past quickly down the highway.

To say the least, Greg Van Tighem drew some attention on his fat bike at the Branch Out Bike Tour this past June. Riding a fat bike makes rides more difficult because of the extra weight and wider tires. Everyone at the tour was left wondering why he would choose to suffer this self-induced handicap.

Are you wondering what’s up with the Branch Out Research Students?

We’ve interrupted a couple of them to hear how their projects have been going and if you missed this years bike tour, we've recorded the live research presentations and posted below….

Christopher Clarke

Major is biology, minor is psychology at Grant McEwan University