Research Team

Our research team has the expertise to uniquely assess physical functioning, energy production, fatigue and changes in health parameters within both humans and animals using a variety of laboratory-based assessments. We have extensive experience in receiving IRB and IACUC approval for the use of our models and protocols. If appropriate and necessary based on the research question, cell culture studies can also be performed.

Ebonie Allen-Gregory - Research Associate; College of Health Sciences
Ebonie coordinates research studies for the CNDSR,  recruits research subjects and assists with data collection. She actively pursues her master's degree in Clinical Nutrition. 

Richard J. Bloomer, PhD - Dean, Professor, Director of the Cardiorespiratory/Metabolic Laboratory; College of Health Sciences
Dr. Bloomer's research focuses on the use of nutraceuticals, dietary supplements and dietary strategies aimed at improving cardiovascular and metabolic health. He commands international recognition as a leading expert in oxidative stress and nutraceutical research.

Shirley Renee Brown, EdD, MSN, APRN, RN - Clinical Associate Professor; College of Health Sciences
Dr. Brown's experience in Critical Care, Interventional Procedures, and Post-Anesthesia Care enables her to support researchers by reviewing subject health histories, analyzing medication and dietary supplement questionnaires, interpreting test results, and promptly notifying subjects of any abnormal lab findings.

Allyson Davis - Research Associate; College of Health Sciences
Allyson coordinates research studies for the CNDSR,  recruits research subjects and assists with data collection.  She will obtain her master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with her primary focus being the research and treatment of eating disorders among athletes.

Tara Hunter, MS, RN - Clinical Assistant Professor; College of Health Sciences
Tara's role as registered nurse provides support to investigators in the selection and care of research participants. Her experience in nursing, specifically emergency medicine, provides a variety of clinical skills useful in various research studies.

Amr Mohamed, PhD - Assistant Professor of Teaching; College of Health Sciences
Dr. Mohamed's research, broadly focused applied statistics and data analysis, includes high-dimensional statistical inference, statistical machine learning and data mining, variable selection, classification and clustering. His research applications focus largely in the area of biostatistics and health sciences.

Patricia Newman, PhD, BSN, RN - Research Associate, Clinical Coordinator; College of Health Sciences
Dr. Newman's degrees in physiology coupled with her experience in nursing -- particularly within the ICU -- has allowed her to strengthen clinical skills within the basic and molecular sciences, and elevate laboratory techniques Dr. Newman possesses a passion for teaching, improving patient care and research in physiology/pharmacology. 

Max R. Paquette, PhD  - Professor; College of Health Sciences
Dr. Paquette's research largely focuses on the biomechanics of the lower limb for performance enhancement and injury prevention. He is interested in the interplay between nutraceuticals and physical recovery following exercise, as well as the anti-inflammatory effect of dietary ingredients.

Brandt Pence, PhD - Associate Professor; College of Health Sciences
Dr. Pence's research focuses on changes in immune function and inflammation in response to physiological stimuli such as exercise and nutritional interventions. He has experience in cell culture, rodent models and human research.

Jacquelyn Pence, PhD - Research Assistant Professor; College of Health Sciences
Dr. Pence's research focuses on human health benefits from dietary supplements/nutraceuticals. Her current work is mainly in human research with previous experience in cell culture and rodent models.

Chida Ramanathan, PhD - Research Associate Professor; College of Health Sciences
Dr. Ramanathan's research focuses on molecular mechanisms underlying the reciprocal regulation of the circadian clock and cellular metabolism, oxidative stress and aging. He has expertise in functional genomic research, gene editing (CRISPR/Cas9), high-throughput assay, bioluminescence technology, RNAi (shRNA and siRNA), lentivirus and adeno-associated virus (AAV) mediated gene delivery, cellular genetics, human and mammalian cell culture, and rodent models research.

Helen Sable, PhD - Associate Professor; UofM Department of Psychology
Dr. Sable, a behavioral pharmacologist and toxicologist, investigates the impact of exposure to teratogens and the effects of nutritional interventions during early development and aging on behavioral health.

Michelle B. Stockton, PhD - Associate Professor; College of Health Sciences
Dr. Stockton's research focuses on the identification, prevention and reduction of health risks and incorporates the design, implementation and treatment fidelity of community-based health behavior interventions/programs specifically targeting obesity prevention. Her expertise is in the methodological design and statistical analyses of health-related studies, including bi- and multi-variate inferential statistics, degree of relationships, and prediction of group memberships.

Aaryani Tipirneni-Sajja, PhD - Assistant Professor; UofM Department of Biomedical Engineering
Dr. Tipirneni-Sajja's research focuses on developing and investigating quantitative metabolomics techniques using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. She has expertise in quantifying metabolites in biofluids and tissue samples for assessing the effects of nutritional interventions on the metabolome.

Marie van der Merwe, PhD - Associate Professor; College of Health Sciences
Dr. van der Merwe's research focuses on the interaction between nutrition and the immune system, particularly on the regulatory mechanisms that counteract inflammation. She has expertise in both cell culture experiments and the use of animal models.

Yufeng Zhang, PhD - Assistant Professor; College of Health Sciences
Dr. Zhang's research focuses on organismal and mitochondrial bioenergetics, reactive oxygen species production in aging and age-related diseases. He has expertise in pharmaceutical development related with aging and oxidative stress-related diseases.