Physical Activity as Prevention/Treatment for Type-2 Diabetes: the Importance of Context
Barry Braun, PhD; Professor & Department Head of Health & Exercise Science, Colorado State University

Barry Braun received his M.S in Kinesiology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and his Ph.D. in Nutrition from the University of California, Berkeley. Followed by four years as a post-doctoral fellow in Endocrinology at Stanford University Medical School. From 2000-2014, he was Professor of Kinesiology and Director of the Energy Metabolism Laboratory at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. For the past 7 years he has been Professor and Head of the Department of Health and Exercise Science at Colorado State University. He also serves as Executive Director of the Human Performance Clinical Research Laboratory at CSU, a collection of 11 different research laboratories dedicated to extending human healthspan, preventing age-related disease/disability and optimizing functional performance. His own research is focused on how exercise can be used to prevent and/or manage type-2 diabetes, the metabolic interactions between exercise and diabetes medications and how exercise influences appetite and satiety hormones. Dr. Braun’s work is funded by governmental and private sources including the National Institutes of Health, the American Diabetes Association and Pfizer pharmaceutical company. He has published more than 110 peer-reviewed research articles in journals such as the American Journal of Physiology, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism and Diabetes Care. He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Kinesiology and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), a member of the IOC Diploma in Sports Nutrition Advisory Board and the ACSM Board of Trustees. His proudest accomplishments are related to undergraduate teaching, including receiving the highest honor from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, their Distinguished Teaching Award.

Sponsored by MGC Diagnostics
Long COVID – the Role of Exercise Physiology in Understanding and Addressing Changes in Functional Status and Quality of Life
Mark Faghy, PhD; Associate Professor in Respiratory Physiology, University of Derby- United Kingdom,

Dr Faghy is an associate professor in respiratory physiology at the University of Derby (United Kingdom). As an accredited exercise physiologist with a background in performance sport he now uses his expertise to deliver research and support programmes for people with chronic conditions. During COVID-19, Dr Faghy has been involved in a number of international research projects that seek to better understand the impact of COVID-19 and Long COVID to inform the development of bespoke, interdisciplinary support mechanisms that address the broad and debilitating symptom profile that broadly impacts the quality of life. In his talk, Mark will highlight the key work that has been undertaken during the pandemic and set out the role that clinical exercise physiologists play in supporting clinical partners with current and future health challenges.

Sponsored by the University of Illinois Chicago
GPS for Success Skills, Strategies, and Secrets of Superachievers
Barry Franklin, PhD; Director Preventive Cardiology William Beaumont Hospital

Barry A. Franklin, PhD, currently serves as Director, Preventive Cardiology/Cardiac Rehabilitation, Beaumont Health, RO, and Professor, Internal Medicine, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine. He served as president of the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation as well as the American College of Sports Medicine. Dr. Franklin is a past Editor in Chief of the Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Prevention, and currently has formal editorial board appointments with 15 scientific and clinical journals. He has authored, coauthored, or edited >700 scientific and clinical publications, including 103 book chapters and 27 books. In 2015, he was listed by Thomson Reuter’s among the World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds (Clinical Medicine). His latest book represents a secondary pursuit or passion of his, that is, the study of highly successful people in all walks of life, and is entitled, “GPS for Success: Skills, Strategies, and Secrets of Superachievers” (Productivity Press, NY, NY).

Exercise Training and Multiple Sclerosis
Rob Motl, PhD; Professor Kinesiology and Nutrition, University of Illinois

Prof. Robert Motl has systematically developed a research agenda that focuses on physical activity and its measurement, predictors, and consequences in persons with neurological diseases, particularly multiple sclerosis (MS). Prof. Motl has generated a body of research on the validity of common physical activity measures in persons with MS. This has resulted in foundational research on quantifying differences in physical activity, particularly rates of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, in persons with MS. These two lines of research have provided the basis for examining the outcomes of physical activity in MS, particularly beneficial adaptations in brain structure, cognition, depression, fatigue, walking disability, and quality of life. Prof. Motl has undertaken research on social-cognitive predictors of physical activity that has informed the design of behavioral interventions for increasing physical activity in MS. This agenda serves as a test-bed for application and expansion into other conditions such as spinal cord injury and Parkinson’s disease.

Exercise During Cancer Recovery: Safety, Efficacy, and Implementation Strategies
Karen Wonders, PhD; Executive Director Maple Tree Cancer Alliance, Professor & Program Director Exercise Physiology, Wright State University

Karen Wonders, Ph.D., is the Founder and CEO of Maple Tree Cancer Alliance, and Professor/Program Director of Exercise Physiology at Wright State University. Her passion is to advocate for exercise as part of the national standard of care for cancer. Through her non-profit organization, Maple Tree provides free exercise training to thousands of cancer survivors every month at 55 clinical locations across the US. She also has offices internationally in Brazil, China, New Zealand, and Mexico. Her program has been awarded “Best in Dayton” for Health and Fitness nine years in a row and Dr. Wonders was named among the Top 25 Women of Impact in 2021 and 40 under 40 in 2018. An avid researcher, Dr. Wonders is committed to evidence-based practice in her facilities, and has a robust research program that has published two text books, four book chapters, and more than 70 peer reviewed manuscripts on the topic of exercise and cancer recovery. Dr. Wonders has given numerous professional presentations on the national, state, and local levels, including a talk at TEDxDayton on Exercising through Cancer Care. Finally, Dr. Wonders is married to her college sweetheart, and together they have 7 children – aged 16 and younger. If you think her hands are full, you should see her heart!

Urges to Move and Other Motivational States for Physical Activity in Clinical Populations
Matthew Stults-Kolehmainen, PhD; Yale New Haven Hospital

Dr. Matthew Stults-Kolehmainen, ACSM-EP, FACSM is an exercise physiologist in the Division of Digestive Health at Yale New Haven Hospital and Adjunct Associate Professor in Applied Physiology at Teachers College – Columbia University (NY). His Ph.D. is from The University of Texas-Austin with post-doctoral and fellowship training at Yale Medical School, Teachers College - Columbia University, and the University of Jyväskylä (Finland). He has authored 41 scholarly articles and book chapters. His research focuses on exercise, motivation, and psychological stress, and his clinical specialty is in bariatric surgery and the role of exercise in weight management.

Exercise Prescription in Pediatric Patients with Congenital Heart Disease
Malloree Rice, MS, ACSM-CEP; Cincinnati Children’s Hospital

Malloree Rice, MS, ACSM-CEP is a Master’s prepared Clinical Exercise Physiologist with 7 years of experience in cardiopulmonary exercise testing and cardiac rehabilitation in pediatric and adult patients with congenital heart disease. She is currently a Senior Clinical Exercise Physiologist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital with special interest in exercise testing and exercise prescription in adults with congenital heart disease. Malloree is also an Adjunct Professor at Xavier University where she teaches Cardiorespiratory Fitness. Malloree is the president elect for the Ohio Association for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary rehabilitation. Malloree holds the American College of Sports Medicine ACSM -CEP certification with the RCEP distinction, and is a Certified Cardiac Rehabilitation Professional through the America Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation.