The Geraldine and Tong Louie Centre for Rehabilitation, Ergonomics and Human Performance which officially opened in 1993 was originally named the Geraldine and Tong Louie Human Performance Centre. It was established through the vision of Dr. Eric Banister, the original Director of the Human Performance Centre. Dr. Banister wanted to create a Centre dedicated to applied research and instruction in the areas of interest to business and industry, including ergonomics, sports science, nutrition and fitness.  

    Mr. Tong Louie shared this vision and through his generosity, an endowment was established to develop the Centre. Other contributors to this endowment included the Mutual Group, Kraft General Foods and Peter Cundill and Associates. Mr. Tong Louie who died in 1998, was known for his hard work, business acumen, long range vision, unwavering values and commitment to the wider community through its hospitals, universities and theatres. Mr. Louie was the Chairman and C.E.O. of the H.Y. Louie company, which owned IGA, and London Drugs. He was awarded the Order of Canada in 1989. He embodied the philosophy that active involvement in the welfare of the community is a natural responsibility, which increases with material success. His volunteer commitments crossed all racial and denominational lines as he quietly dedicated his time, energy and care to numerous local and provincial, public and non-profit projects. Mr. Louie’s philanthropic endeavors were extensive and his legacy of generosity lives on to benefit the people of Canada. Fortunately for us, Mr. Louie was not afraid to be kind and charitable.

    Over the initial 5 years of its existence, the Centre worked closely with various athletes developing programs for optimization of human performance (PEAK PERFORMANCE), providing educational services in health and fitness-related areas and performing ergonomic services for companies like MacMillan Bloedel, and B.C. Hydro. Following, Dr. Banister’s retirement, Dr. Wade Parkhouse was appointed Director of the Centre in July 1998. The name of the Centre was changed to reflect the breadth of the programs being delivered. Recently, an alliance with Hanoun Medical, Inc. has been established and through the generosity of Mr. Reed Hanoun, the Centre is well equipped with the latest technology available for performing ergonomic analyses, assessing and rehabilitating neck injuries, and rehabilitating other soft-tissue injuries.

    The Centre is located in downtown Vancouver in Harbour Centre, close to the Seabus terminal, skytrain and the West Coast Express. It is affiliated with the School of Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University. Members of the School of Kinesiology and their research partners are continually assessing new approaches to the rehabilitative process, ergonomic analyses and human performance. Through strategic alliances with the Corporate Sector, the Centre is well equipped with "state of the art" diagnostic, rehabilitative, and training equipment. In addition, the Centre also has a Mobile Laboratory, which allows us to perform much of our Research, Education and Service on-site for many of our clients.

    Our service programs are designed with the assistance of faculty members from the School of Kinesiology (centre personnel) and provide an educational component for the client. Active rehab specialists, ergonomists, kinesiologists, physicians, physiotherapists, and occupational therapists provide these services. Our future Kinesiology graduates gain experience at the Centre via our co-operative educational program, as volunteers, and through educational practicums.

The Geraldine and Tong Louie Centre offers a unique opportunity for members of the business community, athletic groups and the general public to access a high quality educational and evaluation resource.