About Us

Established as a Senate-approved Research Centre in May, 2010, the Scott McCain & Leslie McLean Centre for Sport, Business and Health facilitates and conducts research on sport, health and wellness. Under the leadership of Dr. Colin Howell, the McCain McLean Centre has had an active history. Its high profile conferences, Putting it on Ice (2012), the 41^st annual meeting of the North American Society of Sport History (2013), and the “Thinking Outside the Box: Transnational Lacrosse Conference” (2014) have brought international recognition to the Centre. The Centre has been involved in various smaller symposia and lecture series on a continuing basis. In 2017 we were a co-sponsor of a student conference on the Philosophy of Sport organized by Dr. Lisa Gannett, and of an evening celebrating the all-black hockey line at Saint Mary’s (1970) and a screening of a documentary on black hockey, organized by Dr. John MacKinnon. We hosted the 10th anniversary of our renowned Hockey Conference in 2021, and in 2022, held a virtual talk with Oscar winner Ben Proudfoot and a panel of scholars and athletes to discuss his short film about Lusia Harris, The Queen of Basketball. 

In addition to conferences, symposia and guest lectures, the McCain McLean Centre has an active visiting researcher program, including post-doctoral fellows and other academics active in sport and health research. Over the years we have hosted scholars from all over North America, Great Britain, and Europe (including Russia). The McCain McLean Centre has also been active in community-oriented research initiatives at the local, national and international levels, including work with various sporting bodies such as Sport Nova Scotia, and a number of sport heritage agencies including Canada’s Sport Hall of Fame.

Our research projects address a range of concerns, from a SSHRC-supported study of sporting borderlands to work on mental resiliency and the development of mental health strategies for organizations. Within the University we have been especially committed to involving students in our activities, from conference planning to the development of our Here for Peers student mentoring program, the Healthy Teams project and the Student Athlete Mental Health Initiative. We are presently developing a Student Athletes Village initiative in collaboration with the Department of Athletics.

Finally, we were active participants in the establishment of a certificate program in Health, Wellness & Sport in Society in association with the Faculty of Arts, which offered its first course in the winter of 2018.

Dr. Augie Westhaver

Academic Director

Dr. Augie Westhaver is a sociologist with a history of teaching and research in qualitative methodology and ethnography. He grew up in the Prairies, completed his graduate work in British Columbia, and eventually moved to Halifax and Saint Mary’s University in 2004 where he is a full-time tenured faculty. For the past few years, he’s focused his energy on getting a handle on computational approaches in the social sciences and has taught courses in the sociology of sport. More recently, he’s turned his attention to what we can say and do about ensuring the well-being of those working and playing in the sport sector. He is a weightlifting coach in Halifax and deeply cherishes walking his beloved dog, Marvel, because she is very calm and not at all anxious.

---

Jacob Glover

Managing Director

Jacob Glover has a background in ancient philosophy, contemporary continental philosophy, law, and restorative justice. For the past few years, Jacob has focused on creating more meaningful justice experiences in sport as well as centering wellbeing in the delivery and governance of Canadian sport. Jacob has a BAH from the University of King's College, a MA, JD and LLM from Dalhousie University, and is a NCCP Certified Competition Development Coach for Weightlifting.

---

Quinn MacDonald

Operations Support Specialist

Quinn MacDonald graduated from Saint Mary's University in 2024, completing her Honours in Psychology and Certificate in Health, Wellness and Sport in Society. Her Honours thesis project investigated the relationship of team identity, and adaptive performance strategies and well-being among student athletes at Saint Mary's University under the supervision of Dr. Jim Cameron. Quinn is also an Open Championship level Irish Dancer. Throughout her Irish Dance career she has qualified and competed on the Regional, Canadian National, North American National and World stage in both solo and team performances under the direction of Rebecca Chapman and Laura Hopper at Rising Tide Irish Dance Academy. She has successfully completed all 12 grade examinations required to take the final examination to become a certified Irish dance teacher (TCRG). Quinn has also completed the Irish Dance Teachers Association of North America (IDTANA) Traditional Set Proficiency Project. She has had the opportunity to perform locally with groups such as the Symphony Nova Scotia and Heather Rankin, the Chieftains, for the Charitable Irish Society and corporate events, as well as various community performances and festivals. Presently, Quinn is a coach with Rising Tide Irish Dance Academy and has been since 2018 and is still competing with the goal of returning to the World Championships of Irish dance as a soloist. 

---

Cedric Ralph

Operations Support Specialist

Cedric Ralph graduated from Saint Mary’s University in 2025, completing his Honours in Psychology while playing for the men’s varsity hockey team. His current research primarily focuses on athletes, and he has a particular interest in the roles of meditation, mindfulness, self-criticism, and self-compassion. Before coming to Saint Mary’s, Cedric spent four years in the Ontario Hockey League with the Guelph Storm. While in Guelph, he had the privilege of being a member of the 2019 OHL Championship team that competed in the Memorial Cup in Halifax. Throughout his hockey career, he’s played in the NHL Prospects Tournament with the Carolina Hurricanes, as well as attended development camp with the Florida Panthers. Cedric has spent his time as a skills coach training youth hockey players both in Halifax and in Peterborough, Ontario. In 2024, Cedric was awarded the Harry & Lily Rutte Award for Spirituality and the Workplace for his thesis, looking at the relationship between Buddhism and Psychology relative to peak performance among athletes. He aims to leverage his experience as a student-athlete, alongside a proficient team of researchers at the Scott McCain & Leslie McLean Centre for Sport, Business, and Health, to pave a path forward for individuals, cultures, and communities to mitigate human suffering and promote human flourishing.

---

Dr. MacIntosh Ross

Teaching Fellow

Dr. MacIntosh Ross earned his PhD in sociocultural kinesiology at the University of Western Ontario. Prior to his doctoral studies, Mac completed his MA in history at Saint Mary's University, under the supervision of McCain McLean Centre founder, Dr. Colin Howell. He was raised in both the Annapolis Valley and Cape Breton. As a scholar, Mac focuses on the intersection of sport and human rights, employing a multidisciplinary approach. His work has appeared in the Journal of Sport History, International Journal for the History of Sport, Sport History Review, and Sport and Social Issues. Mac is committed to amplifying the voices of survivors of abuse in sport, organizing and coordinating the group Scholars Against Abuse in Canadian Sport (SAACS) to further these efforts. Once SAACS fulfilled its mandate, Mac and several other activists joined forces to create the Canadian Collective for Human Rights in Sport, of which he is the inaugural chair. In 2024, Mac was awarded the North American Society for Sport History (NASSH) Sport History and Social Justice Award, alongside CBC journalist and fellow Nova Scotian, Shireen Ahmed. He was taught at the University of Windsor, St. Francis Xavier University and Western University.

---

Ashley Brady

Varsity Student-Athlete Research Assistant

Ashley Brady is a third year student-athlete who is on the Cross Country and Track & Field Team at SMU. She is currently pursuing her Honours in Psychology, a certificate in Forensic Psychology, and a certificate in Health, Wellness and Sport in Society. This year, Ashley became a volunteer with the Athletics Ambassador Program that is part of the Sexual Violence Prevention Initiative at SMU. The program looks to foster a culture of safety and respect inside athletics. Outside of school, Ashley works part-time as a Disability Support Worker who looks to brighten the day of those who are vulnerable in our community. This summer she is joining the Scott McCain & Leslie McLean Centre for Sport, Business and Health as a research assistant for the Centre's Athlete Wellbeing project.

---

Ashley Penney

Varsity Student-Athlete Research Assistant

Ashley Penney recently completed her Bachelor of Science degree with honours in biology with a minor in psychology at Saint Mary’s University. She completed her honours thesis project in a micro and molecular biology lab where she investigated metabolic transport of nutrients in the legume-rhizobia symbiosis. She was raised in Lawrencetown, Nova Scotia where she spent most of her time at the hockey rink. She has been a member of the Varsity Women’s Hockey Team at Saint Mary’s University since 2020 and has served as a captain in the last two seasons. Ashley is passionate about making sustainable changes in both sports and healthcare and will be returning to Saint Mary’s in the fall to complete a Master of Applied Health Service Research. 

---

Chad Enwright

Varsity Student-Athlete Research Assistant

Chad Enwright has joined the Scott McCain & Leslie McLean Centre for Sport, Business and Health as a research assistant where he will help to develop a case competition focused on expanding coaching opportunities for women in sport. Bringing a unique blend of academic excellence and athletic experience, Chad earned Summa Cum Laude honours for his Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration with a double concentration in Management and Marketing from Olivet College. As an accomplished former Academic All-American, Chad's background as a varsity football athlete and his current involvement as a Sobey School of Business Master of Business Administration student have established diverse experiences across various cultural and educational landscapes that have deepened his understanding of the importance of socially responsible approaches to sport, business and health. His passion for promoting equity and inclusion in sports drives his dedication in assisting the advancement of the Centre's mission, as he is committed to applying his research and organizational skills to create a compelling and impactful case competition that addresses the challenges and opportunities for women in coaching. Chad is also the MBA Society Treasurer, a Resident Assistant, and an aspiring entrepreneur where he hopes to start a home automation and security company that enables individuals living with disabilities and accessibility needs to live comfortably and safely in their own homes, independently.

---

Dr. Colin Howell

Founder, Retired

Dr. Colin Howell is a retired History professor and the founder of the Centre, which was first known as the Centre for the Study of Sport & Health at Saint Mary’s University.  His teaching and research focused on the history of sport, medicine, and health in Canada. At Saint Mary’s, Dr. Howell was also a co-founder of the Atlantic Canada Studies undergraduate and graduate programs, the Gorsebrook Research Institute, and the Austin Willis Moving Images Research Centre. Dr. Howell has published widely in the field of sport and health studies, authoring Blood, Sweat and Cheers: Sport and the Making of Modern Canada (2001), Northern Sandlots (1995), a history of the Victoria General Hospital in Halifax and several edited collections. As of June 2020, Dr. Howell retired from his position with the Centre but will remain on the Advisory Board. We celebrated his 50 years at SMU during summer 2021 at the 10th anniversary of The Hockey Conference, which he founded at Saint Mary’s in 2001. Dr. Howell recently published a book called Hardscrabble Diamonds, Postwar Baseball in New England and the Maritimes, 1945-1960, with McFarland Press (2023). Chad Enwright has joined the Scott McCain & Leslie McLean Centre for Sport, Business and Health as a research assistant where he will help to develop a case competition focused on expanding coaching opportunities for women in sport. Bringing a unique blend of academic excellence and athletic experience, Chad earned Summa Cum Laude honours for his Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration with a double concentration in Management and Marketing from Olivet College. As an accomplished former Academic All-American, Chad's background as a varsity football athlete and his current involvement as a Sobey School of Business Master of Business Administration student have established diverse experiences across various cultural and educational landscapes that have deepened his understanding of the importance of socially responsible approaches to sport, business and health. His passion for promoting equity and inclusion in sports drives his dedication in assisting the advancement of the Centre's mission, as he is committed to applying his research and organizational skills to create a compelling and impactful case competition that addresses the challenges and opportunities for women in coaching. Chad is also the MBA Society Treasurer, a Resident Assistant, and an aspiring entrepreneur where he hopes to start a home automation and security company that enables individuals living with disabilities and accessibility needs to live comfortably and safely in their own homes, independently.