Acadia Athletic Therapy

Acadia athletic therapy services are available to all Acadia varsity athletes, including prehab to rehab, side-line, and clinical care. These services are provided by two full-time certified athletic therapists (CATA), along with a dedicated group of junior and senior athletic therapy students from the athletic therapy option within the Department of Kinesiology.

The athletic therapy department works closely with other members of the integrated support team (strength and conditioning, exercise science, nutrition, sports medicine) to provide Acadia varsity athletes with the highest standard of care and resources to allow them to optimally perform.

Acadia athletic therapy services are provided in the Jim MacLeod Athletic Therapy Clinic, with the therapists assessing injuries and conditions, utilizing contemporary rehabilitation techniques, therapeutic modalities, soft tissue mobilization, physical reconditioning, and supportive strapping procedures to promote an environment conducive to optimal healing in preparing the individual for safe reintegration into their respective sport.

Jim Macleod Athletic Therapy Clinic

On Friday, October 13, 2023, Acadia University unveiled their new athletic therapy centre, the Jim MacLeod Athletic Therapy Clinic, a partnership between the School of Kinesiology’s athletic therapy option and Acadia varsity athletics. This new space is named after Dr. Jim MacLeod, PhD, CAT(C), recognizing his 40+ year career and honouring him for all of the immense contributions he made to all aspects of athletic therapy at Acadia (in numerous academic and varsity athletic roles), throughout the Atlantic provinces, and the Canadian Athletic Therapists Association (CATA).

Certified in 1977, Dr. MacLeod has been a career-long member of the CATA, inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2005. But saying Jim was a member of the CATA does not even begin to do justice to the amount of time and energy that he put into this profession and the leadership he provided to this association. He was a past-president of the CATA, past-chair of the education committee, past-chair of the program accreditation committee, past-chair of multiple national conference committees, member of the senior advisory council, as well as a committee member on many of these different committees through the years.

Dr. MacLeod started his illustrious career at Acadia University in 1981 and was the head athletic therapist for varsity athletics and a professor in the School of Kinesiology up until his retirement in 2020. Jim even acted as the interim athletic director for a year on top of these other two demanding positions. Jim was a fixture at all Acadia varsity events and provided support to many coaches, support staff, varsity athletes, and students throughout his 40+ year career.

As a proud athletic therapist, Dr. MacLeod also earned the opportunity to represent Canada at many different multi-event games including the Commonwealth Games, World University Games, Paralympic Games, and Olympic Games. Jim was chief therapist for the 1988 Paralympics in Seoul, Korea, as well as chief therapist for the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. He was also assistant chief therapist at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia.

Acadia Athletic Therapy Staff

Curtis Arsenault - BKin., CAT(C)

Born and raised in Egmont Bay, P.E.I., Curtis grew up playing a variety of sports before focusing on his education. He attended Acadia University from 2010 to 2014, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology.

Acadia is where Curtis sparked an interest in athletic therapy, being a student in Dr. Jim MacLeod’s sports injury assessment and management program. He worked with the Axemen hockey team for two years, winning an AUS championship with the team in his last year. The SIAM program led Curtis to move to Calgary, Alta., where he attended Mount Royal University (2015) on his way to becoming a certified athletic therapist.

In Calgary, he continued working with hockey teams while in school and was able to do practicums with the Canadian Alpine Ski Team and NHL athletes at Winsport’s Canada Olympic Park and with the Calgary Irish Rugby Club. These experiences led him to Lethbridge, where Curtis became the assistant athletic therapist at the University of Lethbridge. In his last year in Lethbridge, Curtis was in a dual role, being head athletic therapist with the Lethbridge College Kodiaks and assistant with the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns.

The opportunity arose for Curtis to move back to the Maritimes and work at his alma mater. There was no hesitation for him to apply for the job, and he was soon hired as the head athletic therapist at Acadia University. He is excited to be part of the Acadia family and to contribute to the growing excellence of the athletics programs.

Curtis has now made the Valley his home and will become a first-time dad in October.

Whitney Gallant - BSc(Kin), CAT(C), RMT, CSMTASCM, MAK(Student)

Whitney started at Acadia University in 2021 as the assistant athletic therapist. She is the lead athletic therapist for the men’s football team. She graduated with a bachelor of science in kinesiology from the University of New Brunswick (2015) and with an honours bachelor of applied health science in athletic therapy from Sheridan College (2019). She also holds a diploma of massage therapy from the Ontario College of Health and Technology (2020).

Whitney is currently pursuing her master's of applied kinesiology, researching objective measures of cervical proprioception, balance, oculomotor, vestibular oculomotor (VOR) reflex, and pupil responses in pre- and post-concussion tests.

Whitney is certified in soft tissue release (STR), cupping therapy, and muscle energy techniques (MET Level 1), and she specializes in sport massage therapy. She volunteers on the board of the Atlantic Provinces Athletic Therapy Association and is a member of Sports Scientists Canada. She also works with the Canada Basketball Women’s National program, representing Canada on the world stage. Whitney has worked with the 2022 National Women’s Football Team, the Canadian Football League (CFL), the National Ballet of Canada, Volleyball Canada, as well as many provincial and local organizations.