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Jeff Vallance Jeff Vallance is a fitness guru.


As an exercise and physical activity researcher, the 34-year-old is always looking for new and better ways to help people live a healthier and more active lifestyle.


But there’s a bit of a catch, as Vallance’s work revolves solely around the rehabilitation of cancer patients.


“I’m a health promotion person,” Valance says. “I’m looking at finding more mass-reach ways of communicating information that will help people who are going through (cancer) treatment, as well as people that have completed treatment, to be more active.”


The statistics are obvious. Exercise during and after treatment can have very clinically relevant outcomes, Vallance says — notably the reduced risk of recurrence. Cancer survivors who maintain an active lifestyle have much higher chances of remaining healthy.


34


Vallance entered his current field in 2003 when he began working toward his PhD at the University of Alberta, where he received inspiration alongside an international leader in exercise and cancer. Previously, his Masters degree had focused on exercise and sport psychology, while he had earned a BA in human kinetics at UBC before that, and by the time he reached Edmonton nine years ago, research regarding exercise and chronic disease had started making major headway.


“Cancer survivors was one of the groups showing these really interesting results,” he remembers. “So that’s kind of how I became interested in it.”


Vallance took a position as a research lead 24 | TOP 40 UNDER FORTY


with the then Alberta Cancer Board, which took him to Calgary for about a year. Vallance and his wife had their first child during this time and the job took him away from his family for most of each day.


In a conversation with a friend with whom he had studied at the U of A, Vallance learned of an open position on the faculty of Athabasca University, a well-known online and distance learning school.


“Having kids, I began to reevaluate my role in life,” he says, looking back. “So we thought, ‘well, let’s move back to Medicine Hat.’”


Vallance’s wife was born and raised in the Gas City, with plenty of family still in the area. With the position at Athabasca University, Vallance could also work from home; so couple that with an array of family support and the decision to move to Medicine Hat was clear.


Five years later, Vallance is still a full-time associate professor at Athabasca, teaching usually one course each semester while dedicating the rest of his time to the field of exercise rehabilitation.


Much of Vallance’s efforts are in collaboration with Dr. Marc Trudeau, the city’s lone oncologist, and the two are making constant strides.


“We work very closely together,” Vallance says of Trudeau. “Marc came here just before I got here and he’s been instrumental in opening up the Medicine Hat Cancer Centre. He’s brought (treatments) no one could get in Medicine Hat before.”


When Vallance came to town he got into contact with Trudeau and explained what he was focused on. Trudeau was quite intrigued with Vallance’s field and the two began working together immediately.


The duo is currently working on a handful of projects together and is recruiting patients in Medicine Hat to be part of what he says will be some amazing things in the future.


Like anyone else, Vallance hopes to one day see a cure for cancer but until that day arrives, he will be diligently working to help sufferers come out the other side, healthy and full of life. Not bad for 34.


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