A piece of advice that Dr. Brittain would give to a young professional entering the field:

 

Do not be afraid to make mistakes. Allow yourself to be vulnerable in your work and open to learn from others. There is very little in your life that you will do or accomplish alone, so make sure to nurture and value relationships with others.

Danielle (Dani) R. Brittain, PhD, is a Professor and Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs in the Colorado School of Public Health at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Dr. Brittain is dedicated to the successful development of current and future public health professionals and contributes this passion to the wonderful personal and professional mentors in her life. Her research concerns the: (a) identification of social-psychological factors impacting adherence to physical activity among marginalized populations of women (i.e., adult lesbians; women with non-cancer chronic pain) and (b) development of theoretically-driven interventions targeting social and behavior change processes that aid in the self-management and maintenance of physical activity. Most recently, Dani has worked with colleagues at the University of Saskatchewan on the development of a training workshop to improve psychosocial outcomes among exercise professionals who work with adults living with chronic pain. Eventually, the hope is that this training workshop will be effective in helping individuals with chronic pain to engage in physical activity. By increasing the capacity of available exercise professionals to deliver effective support, active individuals can better manage their chronic pain and live well. In her spare time, she enjoys being outside, being active, traveling to Canada and taking her dog Harper on walks.

A quote Dr. Brittain lives by:

 

“When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.” ― Audre Lorde

Associate Editor for Practice Notes

Publications

Published:

Gyurcsik, N.C., Tupper, S.M., Brittain, D.R., Brawley, L.R., Cary, M.A., Ratcliffe-Smith, D., Blouin, J.E., Marchant, M.G., Sessford, J.D., Hellsten, L.M., Arnold, B.E., & Downe, P. (2020). A proof-of-concept study on the impact of a chronic pain and physical activity training workshop for exercise professionals. Scandanavian Journal of Pain.

Kattari, S.K., Brittain, D.R., Markus, A.R., & Hall, K.C. (2020). Expanding women’s health practitioners and researchers’ understanding of transgender/nonbinary health issues. Women’s Health Issues, 30(1), 3-6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.whi.2019.10.005

Blouin, J. E., Cary, M. A., Marchant, M. G., Gyurcsik, N. C., Brittain, D. R., & Zapski, J. (2019). Understanding physiotherapists’ intention to counsel clients with chronic pain to exercise: A focus on psychosocial factors. Physiotherapy Canada 71(4), 319-326. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3138/ptc-2018-38

Brittain, D.R., Gyurcsik, N.C., Tupper, S.M., & Downe, P.J. (2018). Moving forward with physical activity: Self-management of chronic pain among women. Women’s Health Issues, 28(2), 113-116. http://www.whijournal.com/article/S1049-3867(17)30690-4/fulltext.