Faculty Focus - 2008/2009

Michael Berry (Professor and Chair):

• Berry MJ, Rejeski WJ, Adair NE, Miller ME, Lange W, and Katula JA.  “A Lifestyle Activity Intervention in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease”.  Presented at the American College of Sports Medicine meeting in May 2008.
• Submitted “Standardized Rehabilitation for ICU Patients with Acute Respiratory Failure” as a Co-Investigator to the National Institutes of Health in June 2008.
• Awarded a Cross Campus grant with Peter Morris from Critical Care Medicine entitled “Trial with Acute Respiratory Failure Patients:  Feasibility of Graded Exercise Training and Testing (TARGETT)”.

Pete Brubaker (Professor): 

• Received Cross-Campus Grant with Gretchen Wells, MD (Cardiology) and Shannon Mihalko to study the efficacy of exercise training as a potential intervention to mediate the cardiotoxicity associated with anthracycling chemotherapy.
• Received WFU Science Research Funds with Daryl Rosenbaum, MD (Sports Medicine) and Devon Dobrosielski to examine cardiovascular structure/function and disease risk in collegiate football players (backs vs. interior linemen) and non-athletes
• Published two book chapter’s in Pollock’s Textbook of Cardiovascular Disease and            Rehabilitation.
  • (1) Contemporary Approaches to Cardiovascular Disease Diagnosis  
  • (2) Coronary Disease Revascularization (co-author:  Henry Miller).
• Chaired and presented in a symposium at ACSM on the “Evolution of Cardiac Rehabilitation   to Chronic Disease Prevention Programs” with Phil Ades and Neil Gordon.
• Mentored two Summer Research Fellowships:  Yankai Sun (Bio) and Chandra Vemulapalli (HES).

Jeff Katula (Assistant Professor):

• Katula JA, Marsh A, and Rejeski WJ.  “Strength Training and Quality of Life in Older Adults:  The POWER Study”.  Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 6:45 (2008).
• Picarsic JL, Glynn NW, Taylor C, Katula JA, Studenski SA, Goldman SE, and Newman AB.  “Self-reported Napping, Sleep Duration and Quality in the Lifestyle Interventions and Independence for Elders Pilot (LIFE-P) Study”.  Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (Epub ahead of print), 2008.
• Melton DI, Katula JA, and Mustian KM.  “The Current State of Personal Training:An Industry Perspective of Personal Trainers in a Small Southeast Community”.  Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 22 (3), 883-889 (2008).

Tony Marsh (Associate Professor):

• Marsh AP, Chmelo EA, Katula JA, Mihalko SL, and Rejeski WJ.  “Should Physical Activity   Programs be Tailored When Older Adults Have Compromised Function?”.  Journal of Aging and Physical Activity.  Accepted.
• Norris JA, Marsh AP, Granata KP, and Ross SD.  “Revisiting Stability of 2D Passive Biped   Walking:  Local Behavior.”  Physica-D.  Accepted.
• Rejeski WJ, Ip EH, Marsh AP, Zhang Q, and Miller ME.  “Transitional States of Disability and Obesity in Older Adults with Knee Pain”.  Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.  Accepted.
• Ellis TJ, Leng XY, Miller ME, Kitzman DW, Pahor M, Berry MJ, Marsh AP, Kritchevsky SB, and Nicklas BJ.  “Chronic Inflammation is Associated with Low Physical Function in Older Adults Across Multiple Comorbidities”.  Journal of Gerontology-Medical Science. Accepted.
• Katula JA, Rejeski WJ, and Marsh AP.  “Enhancing Quality of Life in Older Adults: A           Comparison of Muscular Strength and Power Training, Health and Quality of Life Outcomes”.  6:45 (2008).

     
Shannon Mihalko (Associate Professor):

• Mihalko SL, McCoy TP, Stott K, Levine EA, Ribisl PM, and Anderson R. “Self-Efficacy Related to Health-related Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Survivors”. Presented at the annual Era of Hope Meeting, Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program, Baltimore, MD, June 2008.
• Mihalko SL, Case D, Miller B, and Avis NE. “Problem Areas Change Over Time Among Ovarian Cancer Survivors”. Presented at the 4th Biennial Cancer Survivorship Research Conference: Mapping the New Challenges, Atlanta, GA, June 2008. 

Pat Nix on (Associate Professor):

• NIH proposal to recruit a group of term control adolescents received what should be a fundable score.

W. Jack Rejeski (Thurmon D. Kitchin Professor):

• Rejeski WJ. “Mindfulness: Reconnecting the Body and Mind in Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology”. Gerontologist, 48, 135-141 (2008). Funded: Co-Core Leader for Clinical Research Core of the Pepper Center; Kritchevsky (PI), 3/1/08-2/18/13.
  The major goals of this project are the developing, testing and dissemination of effective therapies for the treatment and prevention of physical disability in later life, and training the next generation leaders in clinical geriatrics research.
• Planning grant funded internally for 1-year to develop a Translational Science Center for Functional Health and Aging. Co-PI with Dr. Kim Shapiro.

Sharon Woodard (Senior Lecturer) and Natascha Romeo (Health Educator):

• Presented a poster “Utilizing Trend Data for a Healthier Campus” at the American College Health Association annual meeting on June 6, 2008.