Peggy Assinck (born May 8, 1983) is a Canadian

ice sledge hockey Sledge hockey, also known as Sled hockey in American English, and Para ice hockey in international competition, is an adaptation of ice hockey for players who have a physical disability. The sport was invented in the early 1960s at a rehabilita ...

athlete and neuroscientist. She competed in the inaugural IPC Ice Sledge Hockey Women's International Cup in 2014.

Early life and education

Assinck was born with

spina bifida Spina bifida (Latin for 'split spine'; SB) is a birth defect in which there is incomplete closing of the spine and the membranes around the spinal cord during early development in pregnancy. There are three main types: spina bifida occulta, men ...

and became paralyzed at the age of 11, following a non-traumatic spinal injury. Prior to this, she was involved in various sports. Assinck completed her PhD in neuroscience at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks among the top thre ...

in 2017. Her doctoral research was conducted at the International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD)

spinal cord injury A spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage to the spinal cord that causes temporary or permanent changes in its function. Symptoms may include loss of muscle function, sensation, or autonomic function in the parts of the body served by the spinal cor ...

Research Centre.

Research areas and interests

Assinck's main interest is in

spinal cord injuries A spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage to the spinal cord that causes temporary or permanent changes in its function. Symptoms may include loss of muscle function, sensation, or autonomic function in the parts of the body served by the spinal cor ...

(SCI), with a focus on how the

central nervous system The central nervous system (CNS) is the part of the nervous system consisting primarily of the brain and spinal cord. The CNS is so named because the brain integrates the received information and coordinates and influences the activity of all p ...

functions and the biological changes that may occur after a spinal cord injury. Her two areas of focus are to determine how the host cells contribute to repair after the injury, and the use of cell transplantation as a potential therapy for spinal cord injury. Her passion for this area of research stemmed from her time spent in the hospital during her first diagnosis.

Sledge hockey

Canada women's national sledge hockey team

Assinck has played

sledge hockey Sledge hockey, also known as Sled hockey in American English, and Para ice hockey in international competition, is an adaptation of ice hockey for players who have a physical disability. The sport was invented in the early 1960s at a rehabilitat ...

for 19 years, her first experience with the sport came during her recreational therapy following her injury. Her passion for sledge hockey progressed over time, and she has been on the Canadian Women's National Sledge Hockey Team for 11 years. Assinck joined the

Canada women's national ice sledge hockey team The Canada women's national ice sledge hockey team is the national team representing Canada in women's international sledge hockey. The team competed at the IPC International Cup and now competes at the Para Ice Hockey Women's World Challenge. ...

in 2007, and has been an advocate for this sport ever since. She competed at the IPC Ice Sledge Hockey Women's International Cup from November 7–9, 2014 in

Brampton Brampton ( or ) is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Brampton is a city in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a lower-tier municipality within Peel Region. The city has a population of 656,480 as of the 2021 Census, making it ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, Assinck was part of the Canadian squad that earned a silver medal. Assinik travelled to Sochi Russia to compete in the

2014 Winter Paralympic games The 2014 Winter Paralympics (russian: Зимние Паралимпийские игры 2014, Zimniye Paralimpiyskiye igry 2014), the 11th Paralympic Winter Games, and also more generally known as the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games, were an ...

. During this time, she accompanied a team of researchers from ICORD to the games to research autonomic functions in Paralympic athletes who have spinal cord injuries.

SportAbility sledge hockey program

Assinck won a City of

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

Accessible City Award for her involvement in the Learn to Play Sledge Hockey Program. Assinck's role as Learn: Play Coordinator for sledge hockey at SportAbility combines her passion for the sport with her research in spinal cord injury rehabilitation to help youth get involved in accessible sport. Her work aims to encourage individuals both with and without disability to play sledge hockey to increase the reach of adaptable sports. Within this position, Assinck has been involved in the development of sledge hockey programs around Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia.

Community Involvement

Within the community, Peggy helps facilitate local sledge hockey team development to help expose people with a wide range of abilities to this sport. Stemming from her childhood involvement in a variety of sports, Assinck quickly took up the sport of sledge hockey during her recovery. She then began advocating for more individuals to get involved in sledge hockey for rehabilitative purposes.

Honours, decorations, awards and distinctions

2016 Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute Top Graduating Doctoral Student Award 2016 City of Vancouver Accessible City Award, individual category 2015 Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute Rising Star Award 2014

Rick Hansen Richard Marvin Hansen (born August 26, 1957) is a Canadian track and field athlete (Paralympic Games), activist, and philanthropist for people with disabilities. Following a pickup truck crash at the age of 15, Hansen sustained a spinal cord ...

Difference Maker Award: On Sunday, September 14, 2014, Sophie, the Countess of Wessex visited the Blusson Spinal Cord Centre. During the visit, Assinck was among two recipients of the Difference Maker awards, presented by

Selected publications

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Assinck, Peggy Living people 1983 births Canadian sledge hockey players 21st-century Canadian women scientists People with paraplegia People with spina bifida Canadian women biologists 21st-century Canadian biologists Canadian women neuroscientists Scientists with disabilities