We conduct high-impact initiatives that have a positive and lasting effect on human health and well being. Our faculty are contributing to the development of new knowledge about a wide array of diseases and injuries, as well as issues related to wellness and health promotion, including nutrition, health education, and exercise.
Health sciences research is remarkably broad in scope, and our faculty are doing work on a broad spectrum of topics within the field of health sciences. This page is designed to serve as a health sciences research portal by providing community members with health information, links to services, and even opportunities to participate in research studies. It is also designed to facilitate the scholarly activity of faculty, academic professionals, students and our many research partners. Here you may obtain key research resources and information on emerging research opportunities.
Research in the College of Health Sciences encompasses the entire lifespan, from bench to bedside. A non-inclusive list of topics being studied in College’s five schools/departments includes:
- Effects of a skin-to-skin prenatal educational program on neonatal outcome
- Evaluating neurological and neuroendocrine correlates of high-risk behaviors in females
- Dietary and environmental influences on brain function and behavior
- Effectiveness of infant simulators in changing teens’ perceptions of teen parenting
- Psychosocial outcomes of online support for informal caregivers
- Symptom clusters in outpatients receiving chemotherapy for cancer
- Psychosocial outcomes of online group support for caregivers of people with chronic disease
- Telephone intervention and adherence to weight management programs after bariatric surgery
- Anatomical determinants of blood pressure differences from upper arm and forearm measures
- Effectiveness of self-efficacy based restorative care programs for individuals with Parkinson’s disease
- Effects of environmental influences on health and development of children from before birth until 21 years
- Aging in place in naturally occurring retirement communities (NORCs) & lifelong learning
- Inter-generational relationships & perceptions: grandparent perceptions of family, grandparent-grandchild relationships, and college-age grandchildren perceptions of grandparents
- Older adults affected by cancer and their caregivers
- Motor coordination in children with autism, dyslexia, and developmental coordination disorder
- Motor skill proficiency, physical activity, and obesity in young children
- Barriers to physical activity participation in aging populations
- Impact of health behavior therapy on high-risk adults
- Effectiveness of health coaching on high-risk mothers and their children
- Promoting walk-to-school behaviors and policies: assessment of community environments
- Efficacy of social media in promoting healthy behaviors
- Use of animal therapy to promote health among children with disabilities
- Nutritional interventions in cardiovascular disease and aging
- Psychosocial determinants of physical activity behavior
- Dietary and anthropometric assessment methods
- Nervous system control in individuals with movement disorders such as stroke or Parkinson’s disease
- Clinical and rehabilitation applications in biomechanics
- Mechanisms of vascular dysfunction in patients with chronic kidney disease
- The effect of high-frequency, low magnitude vibration on bone in children with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI)
- Blood pressure regulation and autonomic nervous system function in humans
- Linkages between alterations in plasma osmolality and sympathetic outflow
- Mathematical modeling of hemodynamics and cardiovascular control
- Mild traumatic brain injuries in women’s soccer
- Role of natural killer cells on cancer cell function
- Investigating the host immune response to Yersinia pestis infection
- Effect of a direct rennin inhibitor (i.e., Aliskiren) on nerve dysfunction in persons with diabetes
- Changes in cardiovascular autonomic nerve function and determinants of insulin sensitivity following bariatric surgery
- Development of a mouse model to study the immune response against Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection
- Melanoma cell activity in 3-dimensional matrices
- Coordination disorders in persons with neurological impairments resulting from stroke
- Influences of early movement behaviors on later skills such as reaching, sitting and walking
- Creating the technology and training for infant power mobility
- Capacity of neuromuscular electrical stimulation and rehabilitation programs to influence knee and shoulder rehabilitation
- Non-surgical approaches to rehabilitating knee joints following ACL reconstruction
- Rehabilitation strategies to reduce the potential of post-surgery arthritis on the non-surgical limb
- Treadmill training and functional electrical stimulation to improve the walking patterns of individuals who have experienced strokes
- Exercise interventions for adult with chronic low back pain
- Effect of barefoot and minimal footwear on running mechanics
