Alumni Spotlight: Alina Dumas ’11, Paralympic Athlete and Musculoskeletal System Researcher

Alina Dumas ’11 had just returned to Brazil from Paris. Her friends welcomed her with a cake shaped like Phryge, the 2024 Paralympic Games mascot. Her birthday had already passed, but this year, there was even more to celebrate. Just days earlier, Alina's birthday had coincided with her entrance into Place de la Concorde as part of Brazil’s delegation at the Paralympic Opening Ceremony. 

Back home, though, celebration quickly gave way to discipline. Once the candles were blown out, Alina returned to the water, training for the next Olympic cycle—all while pushing ahead with her PhD research on bone health.

Balancing her athletic career with academic pursuits has been a constant in Alina’s life. A professional athlete and PhD candidate at Universidade de São Paulo (USP), she began rowing at the University of Toronto, where she earned her bachelor’s in chemistry and genetics. 

In this issue of The Graded Gazette, Alina recounts the moment she qualified for the Paralympics, shares her PhD project goals, and offers advice to aspiring athletes.
 

You arrived at Graded in grade 9, having lived in Argentina, the USA, Canada, and Saudi Arabia. How were your experiences abroad?

There were good things and bad things. We experienced so many different cultures. Saudi Arabia was particularly memorable. It's a beautiful country. You usually see deserts in movies like Aladdin, but seeing a sand dune in person and walking on it is completely different. 

I also got to learn a few languages. I speak Spanish at home with my family, but while traveling, I picked up English in the States and Portuguese in Brazil. 

Of course, it wasn’t easy because we moved every couple of years. I would make friends, get used to the school, my teachers, and everything else, and then I would move to a new country. Each time, I had to start over—adjusting to a new school system, making new friends, and adapting to different teachers and teaching styles. That was the harder part, but overall, I think this lifestyle had a lot more pros than cons.

I loved living in different countries. I enjoyed learning new languages and experiencing different cultures. I also have friends all over the world; we still keep in touch.


Looking back, what part of your Graded experience shaped you the most?

I learned to appreciate and understand other cultures, especially through Celebration of the World, which was always one of my favorite events. I learned to respect and value people’s perspectives, even when they came from different religious backgrounds or held different beliefs.
 

How did you get into chemistry and genetics?

Until 10th grade, I had planned to study architecture. Then I took chemistry and discovered how much I enjoyed it. That’s when I started looking into science, particularly chemistry and biochemistry. My teacher, Mr. Stevens, encouraged me to consider it as a career. I thought, ‘Why not?’ At the University of Toronto, I pursued a double major in chemistry and genetics. 

I especially loved the lab component of chemistry. We built a tiny solar panel and made paracetamol from scratch. The project took three weeks because each stage required students to produce a new component using materials created during the previous week. 

In genetics, we learned about Mendel and Punnett squares [tools used to predict how traits are inherited], and studied their applications in crime scene investigations and more. I found it really fascinating. 
 

You returned to Brazil in 2019 to pursue your graduate studies at Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Can you tell us about your research?

I wanted to stay in Canada, but graduate programs there are very competitive and expensive, especially for international students. I could either remain in Canada until I obtained permanent residency and try again, or move. 

By then, my parents had returned to Brazil, so my two options were to study in Brazil or Argentina. Argentina has excellent scientists, but research funding and labs are limited, so I chose Brazil and began a master’s degree.

My advisor at USP had completed a PhD project on jockeys' bone health and their energy availability, among other factors, and she wanted to do a similar study with rowers. That’s how my master's project evolved into a PhD project. 

My research focuses on how exercise affects bone health and how to analyze it using various parameters, including DEXA scans, CAT scans, and bone biomarkers. The bone biomarkers show what's happening in the present, while the CAT and DEXA scans reveal long-term changes. Is bone mass increasing? Is it decreasing? Is the bone architecture improving or deteriorating? 

A DEXA scan is used to diagnose osteoporosis in older people, especially in postmenopausal women. It helps determine where bone density might be impaired and how to potentially improve it. CAT scans, which measure density, give a clearer picture of bone architecture. We found that rowers and non-rowers have the same bone density when measured with DEXA. But when we look at CAT scans, the cortical shell—the bone’s outer, more rigid layer—is thinner, weaker, and less dense, which might increase the risk of injury or fracture.

What are your goals for your PhD project?

I'd like to explore how CAT scans could be used as a new tool to evaluate bone health, much like DEXA scans are used today. The goal is to create reference curves that show how someone compares to people their age or younger. We could also consider factors such as body fat percentage or the type of sports they practice. This data could help predict the risk of both traumatic fractures and bone stress injuries caused by repetitive strain from sports.

We’re studying whether these scans can also provide clues about the spine and hip, which are particularly important for people with osteoporosis. A hip fracture in older adults can be life-changing, as it often limits mobility, and recovery is challenging. Hopefully, in the future, this tool can be used in hospitals to improve early diagnosis and help people get the treatment they need.
 

How did you begin rowing?

I used to swim and have always loved watching the Olympics. I'll watch almost any sport. During the London Olympics, I saw rowing come up, and I thought it looked fun. But at that point, I was dedicated to swimming, so I figured I wouldn’t have time for a new sport. Then a shoulder injury forced me to stop swimming. When I moved to Canada, I discovered that my university had a rowing program for beginners. You learn the sport and compete against other novice crews. I gave it a try and really enjoyed it, so I stuck with it.

Right before I moved back to Brazil, I sent an email to Clube Pinheiros to introduce myself. I shared my times, height, weight, and all the information they might need. They told me to let them know as soon as I arrived so we could schedule a week of tests to see whether I was a good fit. And I was!
 

Tell us about your trajectory from training with Clube Pinheiros to competing at the Paris Paralympics.

During the pandemic, I underwent surgery on both ankles after multiple sprains and torn ligaments. Everything worked out with my right ankle. It's perfect. No more pain, no more sprains. But my left ankle didn't heal properly. Scar tissue essentially glued my ankle in place and affected my nerves. I lost my mobility and most of my feeling, but at the same time, I developed hypersensitivity. Even a light draft felt like being stabbed in the ankle. I had more surgeries, but I could still barely move my ankle.

Because of that, I was classified for para-rowing. To qualify, I had to submit medical documents and go through strength and mobility tests. The evaluators determined I had lost enough function to qualify for the PR3 category in para-rowing.

Everything happened very quickly. I was classified in March, and by May, I was with the Brazilian team in Switzerland for the final qualifier. Only the top two teams would advance to the Paralympics. When we got there, we felt pretty confident, and our boat was doing well. Italy came in first by 10 seconds, and we came in second. As soon as we crossed the finish line, we knew we had made it. If you watch the race, you can actually see our coach celebrating before we crossed.

As soon as you were done, you went to the interview, and they asked how you were feeling. We posed with a giant ‘qualified’ banner, and were handed a little ‘Ticket to Paris.’ We were over the moon. For me, it was a strange feeling. I had always dreamed of competing in the Olympics as a swimmer. Instead, I found myself rowing, competing after an ankle injury, and rushing to obtain the necessary paperwork for Brazilian citizenship to be eligible to represent Brazil. It all happened in the span of two months, and it didn't quite sink in until we arrived in Paris. Stepping into the Paralympic Village was a whole different world. It really was a dream come true.

 

How was your experience arriving at the Paralympics?

We stayed with the Paralympic Committee for two days before heading to a small city in France to get used to the weather and conditions. The committee even sent Brazilian food and chefs so that, while we adjusted to the time zone and the weather, we still had the comfort of familiar meals. It was really well organized. We spent three weeks there, and as soon as the Paralympic Village opened, we went to Paris, where we stayed for 10 days. 

The Opening Ceremony happened to fall on my birthday, August 28, so I had the experience of entering the stadium to celebrate it.

We walked down the Champs-Élysées and into one of the stadiums. When they announced Brazil, everyone cheered. I had butterflies in my stomach, but I was just enjoying the moment.
 

What was going through your mind at the starting line?

At the starting line, I was trembling. I was terrified. But once the bell sounded, we just had to row.

Our race lasts only seven minutes. You train for hours just for those few minutes. We already knew our time wasn’t strong enough to go straight to the A Final. There were two heats, and if you didn’t make it through to the A Final, you went to the repechage [a round where contestants who narrowly missed qualification have a second chance to advance]. During the repechage, we told ourselves, ‘It's now or never, we're going all out.’ For the first kilometer, four boats were very, very close. But we had some dead weight that threw our boat off balance, and we couldn't quite get there. Now, our focus is on Los Angeles, where we’ll have a more balanced boat and a shot at the A Final.

 

What do you feel when you're rowing?

I love being out on the water, especially in hectic São Paulo. In the Raia Olímpica, you can barely hear the cars. When I'm practicing alone, I like the feeling of gliding through the water—the calm, repetitive movements. I also have a great time with my team. We lift weights together, and we have fun. I like the routine of it, and I love the feeling of being physically tired from the exercise.
 

Can you walk us through a typical training week? 

Practice starts at 6:00 am and lasts until about 9:00 am. We’re either rowing on the Raia or weight training. Depending on where we are in the practice cycle, we might row 20-22 kilometers or focus on shorter, more intense sprints. I do that four days a week. After morning practice, I go home, work on my PhD, have lunch, and then fit in an afternoon workout. Twice a week, that means another 10 kilometers on the Raia.

Most of our practices are in São Paulo, but this year we began traveling more for training camps. In August, we went to Recife for a training camp at Sport Clube through a women's athletic program, so only our two women rowers participated. 
 

As a professional athlete, how do you prioritize your mental health?

I work with both a psychologist and a physical therapist. Luckily, I deal well with the pressure of competition. I used to get very nervous when I was younger. The hardest moment is getting on the water and heading to the starting line. Once the boat's set up and we're ready to go, I really enjoy it. You're there, you’ve trained so much, you just want to show what you can do.
 

 

What would you say to a student who dreams of becoming a professional athlete?

Sports aren't everything. Make sure you're studying, too. Athletes retire fairly young, and if you don't have anything to fall back on, life will be very hard later on. 

At the same time, don't give up on your sport. If you don't get the results you hoped for, which can be hard to accept, you may need to decide whether you’re happy competing at the state or national level, or whether you want to try another sport where you can reach the international level. Everyone has a sport where they're going to shine—it just might not be the one you're in now. I was a decent swimmer, but I'm a much better para-rower.

Go to practice, listen to your coaches, and put in the work. It can feel exhausting to focus on the tiniest detail for weeks on end, but once you grasp it, understand what you're doing wrong, and finally learn how to get it right, it makes a huge difference.
 

What's the biggest lesson that you've learned from being a rower?

To be stubborn—in a good way. If there's something that I don't agree with or that isn't working for me, I’ve learned to find a solution.

Sometimes you hesitate to leave a club because you’re thinking of your teammates, but you need to do what's right for you. Find a coach who will work for you at a club that will support you.

Rowing has also taught me perseverance. Keep trying until you get it. Even though you might not be perfect, you're always improving.