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One month after knee surgery, Kaitlyn Woodworth is adjusting to life beyond varsity soccer. Despite having one year of eligibility left with Dalhousie’s Women’s Soccer team, the Biomedical Engineering student is shifting her focus to the next chapter of her academic journey.

“I had been struggling with injuries my whole way through (soccer),” she explains. “I am proud to have walked off the field last year and played five seasons, but when the season was over, I knew it was time to step away.”

A standout on and off the field, Woodworth received the University Medal in Chemical Engineering, earning her Chemical Engineering degree with a certificate in Biomedical Engineering last year while balancing varsity soccer, track and field, and a demanding academic schedule. Now, the five-time Academic All-Canadian is on a new path of success, pursuing a master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering.

A Passion for Biomedical Engineering

“I remember being in high school and thinking prosthetics were the coolest thing ever,” laughs Woodworth, noting that as an athlete, her own injuries and rehabilitation experiences may have sparked an interest in Biomedical Engineering. “I think fundamentally, when I look back on why Biomedical Engineering was appealing to me, it was because I had this interest in medicine, but I didn't know how I wanted to get there.”

During her undergraduate studies, she pursued Dal’s Certificate in Biomedical Engineering, a unique program available to students in Chemical, Mechanical, Industrial, and Electrical Engineering. The certificate allows students to explore biomedical-focused courses, such as anatomy, while also requiring them to complete their senior-year design project in a Biomedical Engineering-related field.

For her senior-year research project, Woodworth worked under the supervision of Dr. Locke Davenport Huyer and focused on optimizing a polymeric microparticle intracellular delivery system to regulate macrophage inflammation. It was a research opportunity she was first introduced to during a summer co-op placement in 2022, where she worked in the same lab developing particles with the potential for therapeutic delivery.

"It started as proof-of-concept work to see if we could use polymer engineering to fabricate particles as a potential therapeutic delivery strategy,” says Woodworth. “And over time, I continued to progress towards biological assessments.”

Now, Woodworth has come full circle. For her master’s thesis, she is continuing her research under Dr. Davenport Huyer, expanding on the work she began as an undergraduate student.

However, despite her passion for biomedical research, neither athletics nor engineering fully defined her time at Dalhousie.

Building Community Beyond the Field

“In my second year, it was COVID, and I remember sitting at home in my apartment, and there wasn't much to do,” recalls Woodworth. “I had a bunch of friends through soccer and athletics, and I was very involved in that way. But I didn't really have a full connection to the engineering community.”

Determined to change that, she joined and became the Co-President of Jack.org Engineering, an organization dedicated to mental health awareness. She also got involved with the Dal Engineering Mental Health and Wellness Committee, started volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House—the list goes on.

“Why not,” she says. “I enjoy being involved in the engineering community. My involvement in activities made me feel a little bit more connected to everyone.”

Through her work with Jack.org, she developed a deeper understanding of mental health challenges, not just within engineering but also within the varsity athletics world she knew so well.

“I was able to leverage my experience and partnerships with Jack.org to organize major events over the past two years, where we ran through Mental Health 101 and Mental Health 102 with Dalhousie varsity athletes,” she says.

“This was the first time I had seen people (athletes) so willing to speak openly about their feelings, struggles, and experiences as varsity athletes,” says Woodworth, adding that many athletes hesitate to address their mental health because they are concerned it might give the impression that they lack the mental toughness to perform at their best.

Though she misses the world of varsity athletics, Woodworth is enjoying her work in Biomedical Engineering and is excited to see where things go in the future.

“I still see the girls around, and I’m really good friends with a lot of them. I did some scorekeeping at the games in the fall and went to watch, but I’m not directly involved,” she says.

Asked if she’ll ever play soccer again, she is realistic about her future in the sport.

“When I talk to my surgeon and physiotherapist, low-impact activity is probably where I’m headed,” she says. “It’s a tough thing to wrap your head around—not being a varsity athlete and adapting to a completely different lifestyle—but I’ve come to realize that I can refocus my energy elsewhere.”