Breathing easy

When Nicole Brunton [PhD/25] began her career as a clinical kinesiologist in 2013, she never knew it would lead to becoming a researcher in the field of respiratory therapy. 

“Honestly, one of the things I’m most proud of is the steps I took in my training journey,” she says. “I feel that I have a big toolkit, a broad set of skills that I can draw on, and health is complicated.” 

The first person in her immediate family to go into a health career, Brunton trained at the University of British Columbia (UBC), and then worked as a kinesiologist for two years in her hometown of Sioux Lookout in Northwestern Ontario. 

One of the most common things she saw with her clients was dyspnea – or shortness of breath. 

“It was just such an interestingly diverse symptom. When I saw the exercise prescriptions that were recommended for it, I ended up having a lot of questions,” she says. “Given the diversity of patients, where did these recommendations come from?  Where did the researchers get their data?” 

This curiosity led Brunton to return to UBC for her master’s in health and exercise science, and then to the University of Manitoba for a PhD in applied health sciences. Her PhD focused on whether exposure to gestational diabetes during pregnancy can increase the risk of high blood pressure or hypertension in offspring. 

A few months after completing her PhD in 2025, Brunton joined UM’s College of Rehabilitation Sciences as an assistant professor. 

“My research program is on prevention and improving prognosis, keeping people breathing as well as possible for as long as possible.” 

She currently has two main projects. One looks at lung testing across Manitoba, using administrative data from the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy. 

“Historically, lung function testing often occurs later than it should, especially for people who have obstructive conditions, like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),” she says. 

Ultimately, Brunton plans to determine where gaps in testing occur, so those gaps can be addressed in future studies. 

Her other study looks at vaping among young adults, particularly those who started at a young age. Brunton will begin recruiting 24 people aged 18-25 this summer. 

“We’ll be collecting some pilot data and then monitoring the individuals’ responses to exercise,” she says. “Exercise stresses the system, so it might reveal some underlying dysfunction that you wouldn’t necessarily see at rest.” 

Brunton says vaping can be “tricky” to study because it uses newer technology that is constantly evolving, and exposure can be varied depending on the generation of vaping pen, whether the individual is vaping nicotine or cannabis, or a mix. 

Looking forward, Brunton is interested in studying lung function and disease over the course of life. 

“What are things that happen early in life that might affect your growth and development?” she asks. 

“Our lungs are still developing at 18, 19, 20 years old. There are a lot of opportunities for things to go right or wrong, and I find that really fascinating.”