Education
Within the Faculty of Physical Education and Physical Therapy (LK) we contribute to the education of the "Physical Education and Movement Sciences" and the "Rehabilitation Sciences and Physical Therapy", both at bachelor and master level. The MFYS learning lines that run through the program of these two student groups are the Physiology and the Rehabilitation exercise training learning lines. The Physiology learning line includes typical subjects such as "Human Physiology", "Exercise Physiology", "Cellular Mechanisms", etc... The Rehabilitation exercise training line comprises subjects such as "Functional Training Therapy", "Sports Rehabilitation", "Training Principles and Concepts of Rehabilitation Training", "Sports Injury Prevention", etc... Some of our courses, e.g. Exercise Physiology and Training Principles, are also lectured in other academic institutions, i.e. EhB and SOMT.
MFYS is the founding institution of the Postgraduate Course in Sport Physiotherapy, one of the only experience-based postgraduate programs in sports physiotherapy in Belgium and beyond. This one-year program has been specifically designed to enable practicing physiotherapists to combine advanced academic and clinical training with full-time professional employment. For further information, please consult the course page (in Dutch).
At MFYS, we consistently approach our subject matters from multiple perspectives and situate them within local, national, and international contexts. Our teaching is based on the most recent scientific evidence and contemporary developments, while being firmly enriched by the VUB tradition of free, critical, and independent thinking. Accordingly, the educational philosophy of MFYS is well captured by the words of Albert Einstein: “The value of a college education is not the learning of many facts, but the training of the mind to think.”
Research
Our research is focused on 'Exercise and the Brain in Health & Disease' on three levels: fundamental, applied/clinical and policy-making/benchmarking. The majority of our research projects contribute to all of these levels, with fundamental studies (e.g. animal experiments) followed by applied clinical studies, which in turn lead to benchmarking studies or policy-making advice. Below you can find a short overview of our research projects:
Third party services
MFYS is the founder of the "Brussels Laboratory for Effort and TopSport" (BLITS). Not only elite athletes are welcome, but also (individual) recreational athletes and sports clubs/teams can come to BLITS for a sports medical examination and maximal exercise test. BLITS is also specialized in medical screening of people who practice a specific profession such as the officers of the civil protection and fire brigade squads.
BLITS is located in the U-Residence (1st floor) on the VUB Campus in Etterbeek.