Exercise & Disease

Exercise and Disease (MS / PhD) Overview

The Exercise and Disease faculty conduct state-of-the-science research aimed to advance the understanding of the role of exercise in the context of chronic disease prevention and amelioration of health outcomes attributed to chronic disease.

Graduate programs in Exercise and Disease provide translational and transdisciplinary training through coursework, directed experiences in research and teaching, and culminate in student-driven research.  Students must be accepted into the Graduate School and then recommended for admission into the program by the Exercise and Disease faculty.  Students train primarily under the guidance of a faculty mentor, yet all students participate collectively in the program.

Upon completion of the MS-thesis track, examples of career opportunities include but are not limited to the following: clinical exercise physiologist, research coordinator, research associate, health and wellness operations manager, and instructor at a university. Examples of career opportunities upon completion of the PhD track include but are not limited to: tenure-track faculty at a university, non-tenure track faculty as part of a research team, medical science liaison, academic program coordinator, and institutional review board officer.

Research Pillars

Women’s Health

This pillar addresses health challenges and opportunities women face across the lifespan and intersects with other pillars in the theme.  We study the role of physical activity and nutrition along with biological factors as they relate to conditions that disproportionately affect women.

Metabolism, Diabetes, and Obesity

In the MDO pillar, we investigate the influence of lifestyle (exercise, diet, and behavior change interventions) on appetite regulation, cardiometabolic disease prevention, and weight management. Understanding the integration of hormonal and behavioral appetite regulation on obesity-related disease progression is expected to lead to improvements in clinical care and evidence-based practice guidelines. 

Cancer Prevention, Treatment and Survivorship

In the cancer pillar we investigate how exercise can be used as an effective strategy across the cancer care continuum (e.g. before, during, and after treatment) to attenuate cancer treatment-related side effects, and improve quality of life and overall survival. We also investigate how exercise can be used as an effective strategy to prevent cancer occurrence and, in the context of cancer survivorship, prevent cancer recurrence or occurrence of new cancers. 

Sleep and Circadian Physiology

Sleep and circadian disruption are risk factors for cardiometabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes. We study the interactions between sleep and circadian physiology, physical activity, and nutrition, with the primary goal of developing sleep and circadian based interventions designed to promote optimal cardiometabolic health.