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Center for Exercise Medicine

Moving Research into Medicine

The UAB Center for Exercise Medicine (UCEM) focuses on improving the health and well-being of children and adults of all ages through acceleration of innovative, exercise-based interdisciplinary research across five pillars – precision, regeneration, rehabilitation, interaction, and sustainability.

Interested in participating in exercise research?

We are looking for volunteers for various exercise-based studies to help understand the role of exercise as medicine at the molecular, cellular and clinical levels. By participating, you receive supervised exercise training from certified trainers, valuable information about your health.

Opportunities to Participate

Research

The center's research mission is to build a foundation of excellence for innovative and large-scale, multi-investigator studies that help advance the field of exercise biology and medicine.

Our Studies and Services

Training & Education

UCEM offers a multi-tiered education and training program structured for exercise medicine researchers ranging from undergraduates to senior scientists.

Arizona State University
Contact: Glenn Gaesser, PhD, Exercise Program Director
Healthy Lifestyles Research Center

Ball State University
Contact: Scott Trappe, PhD, Exercise Program Director
Human Performance Laboratory

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Alvaro Pascual-Leone, MD, PhD, Exercise Program Director

Boston University
Contact: Robert H. Friedman, MD
Director, Medical Information Systems Unit
Boston University & Boston Medical Center
Boston University Clinical and Translational Science Institute

Case Western Reserve University
Contact: Nicola Lai, PhD, Exercise Program Director
CTSA at Case Western University

Children's National Medical Center
Contact: Kathleen Smart, Neuromuscular Program Coordinator
Clinical and Translational Science Institute at Children's National

Colorado State University
Matt Hickey, PhD, Exercise Program Director
Human Performance Clinical/Research Lab (HPCRL)

Columbia University
Rochelle Goldsmith, MD, Exercise Program Director
Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research

Cornell Medical College
Contact: Janey Peterson, EdD, Associate Professor Clinical Epidemiology in Medicine
Center for Integrative Medicine

Cornell University
Contact: Anna Thalacker-Mercer, PhD, Exercise Program Director

Duke University
Contact: William E. Kraus, MD, Exercise Program Director
Duke Translational Medicine Institute
Duke Molecular Physiology Institute

East Carolina University
Contact: Joe Houmard, PhD, Professor, Department of Kinesiology
Director, Human Performance Laboratory

Emory University
Atlanta Clinical & Translational Science Institute (ACTSI)

Harvard Medical School
Contact: Colette Hendricks, Director of Operations for the Harvart Catalyst Clinical Research Program
Harvard Catalyst: The Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center

Johns Hopkins University
Contact: Kerry J. Stewart, EdD, Clinical and Research Exercise Physiology Program Director
Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical and Translational Research
Clinical Exercise Physiology and Cardiac Rehabilitation

Mayo Clinic
Contact: Michael Joyner, MD, Exercise Program Director
Mayo Center for Translational Science Activities
Human Integrative Physiology

Medical University of South Carolina
Contact: Chris Gregory, PhD, PT, Exercise Program Director
South Carolina Clinical and Translational Research Institute

New York University Medical Center
Contact: Stuart Katz, MD, Professor
Director Heart Failure Program
NYU-HHC Clinical and Translational Science Institute

Northwestern University
Contact: Daniel Corcos, PhD, Professor
Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences
Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute

Oregon Health & Science University
Contact: Kerry S Kuehl, MD, DrPH, Chief Health Promotion & Sports Medicine
Director, Human Performance Laboratory
Oregon Clinical and Translational Research Institute

Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Contact: Mark Sarzynski, PhD, Assistant Professor
Louisiana Clinical and Translational Science Center

Purdue University
Contact: Tim Gavin, PhD, Professor, Department Head Health & Kinesiology
Human Performance Laboratory

Texas A&M University
Contact: J. Timothy Lightfoot, PhD, Exercise Program Director
Huffines Institute for Sports Medicine and Human Performance

The Ohio State University
William Malarkey, MD, Exercise Program Director
The Ohio State University Center for Clinical and Translational Science

The Rockefeller University
Barbara O'Sullivan, MD, MPH, Exercise Program Director
Rockefeller University Center for Clinical and Translational Science

Tufts University
Contact: Melahat Samali, MBA, Clinical Trial Center Manager
Tufts Clinical Translational and Science Institute

University of Alabama at Birmingham
Contact: Marcas Bamman, PhD, Director, UAB Center for Exercise Medicine
UAB Center for Clinical and Translational Science
UAB Center for Exercise Medicine

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Contact: Arny Ferrando, PhD, Professor, Geriatrics
Arkansas Translational Research Institute

University of California - Davis
Contact: Barbara Gale, MA, Exercise Physiologist
UC Davis Clinical and Translational Science Center
Nutritional and Physiological Assessment Exercise Physiology and Nutrition

University of California - Irvine
Contact: Shlomit Radom-Aizik, PhD
Director, Pediatric Exercise and Genomics Research Center
Institute for Clinical and Translational Science
Translational Physiology/Human Performance Laboratory

University of California - Los Angeles
Contact: Christopher B. Cooper, MD, Exercise Program Director
UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute
Exercise Physiology and Metabolic Disease Research Laboratory

University of California - San Francisco
Kathleen Mulligan, PhD, Exercise Program Director
The UCSF Clinical and Translational Science Institute

University of Chicago
Jennifer Kilkus, MS, RD, LDN, Exercise Program Director
The University of Chicago Institute for Translational Medicine

University of Colorado - Denver
Wendy Kohrt, PhD, Exercise Program Director
Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute

University of Florida
Contact: Thomas Buford, PhD, Exercise Program Director
University of Florida Clinical and Translational Science Institute
Institute on Aging Health Promotion Center

University of Illinois - Chicago
Michael Brown, PhD, Exercise Program Director
Vascular Health Lab

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Contact: Jeffrey A. Woods, PhD, Director, Center on Health, Aging and Disability
Director, TK Cureton Physical Fitness Laboratory

University of Iowa
Gary Pierce, PhD, Exercise Program Director
University of Iowa Institute for Clinical and Translational Science
Health and Human Physiology

University of Kansas Medical Center
Contact: John P. Thyfault, PhD, Associate Professor
Frontiers: The Heartland Institute for Clinical and Translational Research
Health Exercise and Aging Lab

University of Kentucky
Contact: Charlotte Peterson, PhD, Associate Director for Research Expertise & Methods
University of Kentucky Center for Clinical and Translational Science

University of Maryland
Contact: Alice Ryan, PhD, Professor of Medicine
Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute

University of Michigan
Contact: Neil Alexander, MD, Director, Mobility Research Center
Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research
Mobility Research Center

University of Minnesota
Donald Dengel, PhD, Exercise Program Director
University of Minnesota Clinical and Translational Science Institute
Laboratory of Integrative Human Physiology

University of Missouri
Contact: Jill Kanaley, PhD, Director Health Activity Center
Health Activity Center at the University of Missouri

University of New Mexico
Mark Burge, MD, Exercise Program Director
University of New Mexico Clinical and Translational Science Center

University of North Carolina
Contact: Abbie Smith-Ryan, PhD, Assistant Professor
Department of Exercise and Sport Science
North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences (TraCS) Institute

University of Pennsylvania

University of Pittsburgh
John M. Jakicic, PhD, Exercise Program Director
University of Pittsburgh Clinical and Translational Science Institute
Health and Physical Activity

University of Rochester
Contact: Karen M. Mustian, PhD, Director PEAK Clinical Research Core Laboratory
University of Rochester Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute
PEAK Human Performance Clinical Research Core Laboratory

University of Southern California
Maria Apkarian, PhD, Exercise Program Director
Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute
Clinical Exercise Research Center

University of Texas
Contact: Hirofumi Tanaka, PhD, Exercise Program Director
The Cardiovascular Aging Research Laboratory

University of Texas Medical Branch - Galveston
Contact: Blake Rasmussen, PhD, Exercise Program Director
UTMB Institute for Translational Sciences

University of Utah
Donald McClain, PhD, Exercise Program Director
The University of Utah School of Medicine Center for Clinical and Translational Science
Skeletal Muscle Exercise Research Facility

University of Virginia
Arthur Weltman, PhD, Exercise Program Director
Exercise Physiology Core Laboratory

University of Washington
Holly Callahan, MS, RD, CD, Exercise Program Director
The Institute of Translational Health Sciences at the University of Washington

University of Wisconsin
Paulette Sacksteder, Exercise Program Director
University Of Wisconsin - Madison Institute for Clinical and Translational Research

Vanderbilt University
Contact: Mac Buchowski, PhD, Associate Director, Clinical Research Center
Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research

Virginia Commonwealth University
Betsy Ripley, MD, MS, Exercise Program Director
Center for Clinical and Translational Research

Wake Forest University

Washington University (St. Louis)
Contact: Kevin Yarasheski, PhD, Professor of Medicine, Cell Biology & Physiology, and Physical Therapy
Washington University Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences