Lydia Caldwell is an Assistant Professor in Kinesiology and Health Promotion. She joined the faculty at the University of North Texas in the Fall of 2020. She earned her B.S. in Biology and M.S.E in Exercise Science from the University of Dayton prior to completing her Ph.D. in Kinesiology at The Ohio State University. During her doctorate studies, Caldwell was funded by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, where she supported research with the 711th Human Performance Wing (AFRL) at Wright Patterson Air Force Base.
Dr. Caldwell’s primary research interests are centered around the physiology of exercise performance and recovery optimization. Her most current work has focused on the use of a novel recovery modality, flotation-restricted environmental stimulation therapy, to reduce biomarkers of stress and improve resiliency in military and athletic populations.
Andrew Colombo-Dougovito is an Associate Professor of Sport Pedagogy and Motor Behavior in the Department of Kinesiology, Health Promotion, and Recreation at University of North Texas. He serves as the Director of the UNT Physical Activity and Motor Skill program and Faculty Liaison to the Kristin Farmer Autism Center at UNT. Colombo-Dougovito's research focuses on understanding the motor abilities and development characteristics of individuals on the autism spectrum and how the development motor skills impact social and adaptive skill development, as well as physical activity participation across the lifespan. Through this research, he strives to develop intervention, assessment and teaching strategies to better improve the quality of physical activity participation of autistic individuals.
Sarah Deemer earned her BS and MS degrees from the University of Texas at El Paso and her PhD from Texas Woman’s University. Sarah then completed three years of postdoctoral training at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Nutrition Obesity Research Center (NORC). Sarah joined the faculty at UNT in the Fall of 2020. Sarah’s research interests include understanding of the role of exercise and/or nutrition on weight loss and equally important, weight loss maintenance. Specifically, she is interested in the role of the adipocyte and the adipose tissue depot in regulation of insulin sensitivity and metabolic health. Sarah’s research will aim to address the following questions: What important physiological changes occur in the adipocyte as a result of obesity and how does this influence adipocyte remodeling and metabolism, the efficacy of exercise and nutrition interventions for reversing the adverse changes in an “obese” adipocyte, and the integrative mechanisms that mediate the adverse changes associated with obesity and how exercise and nutritional supplements or dietary changes may favorably influence adipocyte metabolism and promote weight loss. Sarah’s additional research interests include the influence of omega-3 fatty acids on insulin sensitivity and adipocytokine production, as well as other nutrition- or exercise-related interventions aimed at reducing the risk of development of Type 2 diabetes and metabolic disease, particularly in minority populations.
Alex Fernandez MS, MPH, CSCS, CPH joined the University of North Texas as a lecturer in the fall of 2022. He earned his BS and MS in Kinesiology from the University of North Texas and his MPH from the University of North Texas Health Science Center. He is board-certified in Public Health through the National Board of Public Health Examiners and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Alex has work experience in clinical exercise physiology and research, public health programming, personal training, and fitness center management. He strives to bridge the gap between the classroom and practical application to best prepare students for their next steps professionally and academically. He has a passion for health and an innate drive to serve others in any way he can. He hopes to add value and serve as a resource to students and the UNT community. His interests are health and fitness, lifting weights, and learning new things.
David W. Hill is Regents Professor in the Department of Kinesiology, Health Promotion, and Recreation at the University of North Texas. Dr. Hill earned his BA and BS at Southern Illinois University, MAPE at The University of Florida, and PhD at The University of Georgia. He has served as a faculty member at UNT since 1988.
Barb is the Administrative Coordinator for the Kinesiology, Health Promotion and Recreation department, assistant to the Chair and handles payroll, budget and provides support to students.
Dr. Jerraco Leontae Johnson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Kinesiology, Health Promotion, and Recreation. An overarching theme of his research is health disparities among young, underserved children. Johnson's primary research aims are to develop and improve childhood health behaviors (i.e., fundamental motor skill competence, physical activity promotion) in young children from under-represented backgrounds. These children are highly at-risk for poor health trajectories (e.g., obesity, cardiovascular disease) and motor developmental delays. He specializes in implementing mastery motivational climate movement and health interventions in Preschool and Head Start settings, primarily for low-income children of color. A major emphasis of his research is on addressing and combating ethnic/racial, gender, and socioeconomic related disparities for this population. Justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) is an integral component of his research.During his graduate studies he was the recipient of several awards from the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA) including the Graduate Student Dissertation Research Grant, Outstanding Student Paper Award, and Graduate Student Award for International Conference Travel.
Dr. M. Jean Keller is a professor in the University of North Texas Department of Kinesiology and Health Promotion and chair of the North Texas Regional P-16 Council. She recently served as the UNT interim vice president for community engagement and equity and diversity. She supported UNT Dallas as provost and vice chancellor as the institution transitioned to an independently accredited university in the UNT System. She served as dean of the College of Education at UNT for 15 years. Prior to her career at UNT, she was a department chair at the University of Georgia and a member of the faculty at Indiana University.
She has written or edited 11 books and 18 refereed chapters, and authored more than 100 articles. Dr. Keller has given more than 300 presentations in the United States and several countries. She was awarded more than $6 million of funding by external agencies for research and innovative projects. Dr. Keller is a fellow in the Academy of Leisure Sciences and the Academy of Park and Recreation Administration. She has received recognition for extensive work related to health disparities, persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and the North Texas Region P-16 Council, a regional, data-driven collaborative focused on education access and success for all students leading to meaningful employment and quality of life.
Dr. Kim joined the University of North Texas as an Assistant Professor in Fall 2017. He received his Bachelor of Science in Physical Education from Yonsei University in 2008, Master of Science in Sport Management from the University of Florida in 2011, and Ph.D. in Kinesiology (Sport Management and Policy) at the University of Georgia in 2016. He previously held a position at the University of Georgia as a full-time lecturer. His research primarily focuses on sport philanthropy, especially marketing and management of sport-related charitable nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations from consumer behavior and organization theory perspectives.
Scott Martin received his doctorate of philosophy degree in Physical Education with an emphasis in Sport and Exercise Psychology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He is a fellow of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, a member of the United States Olympic Committee's Sport Psychology Registry, and an invited member of the Texas Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke Partnership. His extensive knowledge in sport, physical fitness, and health psychology has provided him opportunities to interact with numerous coaches, athletes, musicians, military personnel, and business leaders about their performance. His research interests include examining attitudes toward and effectiveness of mental skills services, psychosocial factors associated with health-related fitness — cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, and body composition — and effective coaching behaviors and leadership styles. He has authored or co-authored more than 80 refereed professional articles, 10 non-refereed articles, five book chapters, and 200 presentations at state, national, and international conferences. Dr. Martin has received more than $2 million in funding from organizations such as the National Institutes of Health (Science Education Partnership Award), Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, National Association for Sport and Physical Education, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, The Cooper Institute, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, and Girls in the Game.
Brian McFarlin earned his BS and MS degrees at Texas Christian University and his PhD at Purdue University. After graduation, he completed a Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Nutrition at Purdue University before becoming an Assistant Professor at The University of Houston. Dr. McFarlin joined the UNT faculty in the Fall of 2012. He is a Professor with tenure at the University of North Texas.
Dr. McFarlin’s research focuses on the use of natural products and exercise to reduce disease risk and improve muscle recovery following injury and strenuous training sessions. Since 2004, he has published more than 115 peer-reviewed articles and obtained more than $3.5 million in externally funded research grants. His research methodology expertise includes flow cytometry and multiplex analysis among other common biological techniques.
Dr. McFarlin is co-director of the University of North Texas’s Applied Physiology Laboratory. He is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine and an editor for the journal METHODS. Dr. McFarlin was recognized as the 2019 UNT Teacher-Scholar and regularly teaches courses in Healthy Lifestyles, Sport Nutrition, and Exercise Physiology. He is considered an expert in the design and implementation of high-quality online and blended courses.
Ryan Olson joined the University of North Texas as an Assistant Professor in fall 2016. He received his B.S. in Kinesiology and Health Promotion from the University of Wyoming prior to completing his Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences at Rutgers University. His research interests center on the fields of Sport and Exercise Psychology, with an emphasis on implementing psychophysiological techniques, including electrocardiography and electroencephalography, to identify neural biomarkers of disease. Specifically, Olson focuses on the effects of acute and chronic exercise for improving neurocognitive function and mental health and examining neurocognitive deficits and autonomic function in at-risk populations, especially in concussed and obese individuals.
Kelly Perez earned her M.Ed. from Northern Arizona University and worked as a teacher in a K-12 setting in her early career. Her passion for health and fitness led her to obtain her personal training, health coaching, and group exercise instructor certifications. She has taught various formats of fitness such as Pilates, HIIT, step, and indoor cycling for over two decades and worked with a variety of clients. Kelly earned her Master’s in Public Health (MPH) from the University of Arizona and worked in the Department of Health Sciences at Northern Arizona University for twelve years as a teacher and program coordinator. She developed course such as Healthy Lifestyles and Worksite Wellness and coordinated the FIT program which served over 6000 students annually.
Dr. Sprick is an integrative physiologist whose research program is broadly focused on understanding mechanisms of vascular dysfunction with disease and developing therapeutic strategies to improve vascular health. Specific research interests include cerebrovascular regulation in chronic kidney disease and the use of remote ischemic preconditioning to improve vascular health. Outside of work, he enjoys, cooking, being outdoors, and spending time with his family.
Valerie Stevenson began her education at the University of Memphis, where she started to develop a passion for sports science, Kinesiology and sports medicine. She continued her Master’s education at the University of Arkansas and received a terminal clinical doctorate from the University of Idaho.
As a practicing athletic trainer for more than 10 years, she developed a clinical practice philosophy that involves collecting patient specific outcomes of each patient interaction and basing my clinical decision making on evidence and individual patient needs. As a result of her personal clinical philosophy, she utilized the same approach in teaching both athletic training and pre-occupational therapy students.
Scholarly dissemination of her patient care outcomes has been a priority in her career, as her evidenced-based action research peer-reviewed published manuscripts will show. Using that knowledge and proficiency in research and manuscript composition has also allowed for mentorship opportunities with athletic training doctoral candidates as well as serving as an expert committee member for masters level student research. Her experience using several advanced practice manual therapy techniques in her patient care and her strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) certification both contribute to her clinical expertise in therapeutic intervention, rehabilitation and differential diagnosis.
Dr. Jakob Vingren received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Kinesiology from the University of North Texas before pursuing a Ph.D. in Kinesiology at the University of Connecticut (currently ranked the #1 doctoral program in the country). During his undergraduate education he was a walk-on on the UNT football team as a tight end and took part in the Developing Scholars Mentor Program within the College of Education. Dr. Vingren’s research interests include resistance exercise and the effect of alcohol on hormones, muscle and athletic performance. One of the more out of the ordinary research projects he has worked on included resistance training of chronically intoxicated rats.
Joseph Thomas Walker
Kinesiology Undergraduate Program Coordinator PhD 1986 - Texas Woman's University - Humanistic Foundations of Physical Education Specialization in Elementary Physical Education, Sociology of Sport, and Women in Sport Former Chair of the Sport Sociology Academy Former Southern District Representative to the Council on Physical Education for Children Former Editorial Board of Strategies: A Journal for Physical and Sport Educators Authored or Co-Authored 26 peer-reviewed papers, plus various other publications. Presented more than 50 papers at professional meetings. Research interests: Gender issues in sport across the lifespan, with a focus on media representation women in sport; Youth pedagogy
Dr. Young's research focuses on neural control of the circulation in human health and disease. Particular emphasis is places on the autonomic adjustments to acute cardiovascular (e.g., exercise) or metabolic (e.g., hyperglycemia) stressors and alterations that occur in chronic cardiovascular or metabolic diseases.
Dr. Young is originally from Pennsylvania, where he completed his Bachelor of Science at Pennsylvania State University before moving to the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex. Prior to joining faculty at UNT, he completed his doctorate at UT Arlington under Dr. Paul Fadel, and subsequently, a Postdoctoral Fellowship at UTSW medical center in Dallas under the supervision of Dr. Scott Smith and Dr. Wanpen Vongpatanasin.
Sue Young finished a bachelor’s degree at TCU while working full-time for the Neeley School of Business, and after graduating as a TCU Development Officer. She started working at UNT in 1998, and has worked for the North Texas Community College Consortium, the Faculty Senate, the Bill J. Priest Center for Community College Education, and currently for the KHPR Dept.
Sue endowed the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Ally Scholarship here at UNT, and was among the core group that started the UNT Ally Program, which later paved the way for the UNT Pride Alliance, a gender & sexuality resource center and a safe space for all. Sue has served as a UNT Staff Senate Executive Officer, has won multiple university diversity & volunteer awards, the UNT Staff Excellence Award, and is a member of the UNT President’s Council.
Dr. Tao Zhang earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Kinesiology from Shanghai University of Sport, and his Ph.D. in Kinesiology from Louisiana State University in 2009. He has been at the University of North Texas (UNT) since that time.
Dr. Zhang is a tenured Full Professor and serves as the Director of the Pediatric Movement and Physical Activity Laboratory at UNT. As a Kinesiology scholar, Dr. Zhang has made more than 170 research presentations at international, national and state conferences, published about 100 refereed research articles and book chapters, authored about 110 peer-reviewed research abstracts and conference papers, and secured about 20 funded research grant projects from federal agencies and research foundations, including Project HSHL and Project MOVE. His research focuses on supportive physical activity environments, achievement motivation, motor skills, and physical activity and health promotion in underserved children and families from psychological, pedagogical, and behavioral perspectives. Dr. Zhang is currently the Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, and the Fellow of SHAPE America Research Council.
Dr. Zhang earned the Mabel Lee Award from SHAPE America in 2013, won the Joy of Effort Award from SHAPE America in 2020, and earned the Curriculum and Instruction Honor Award from SHAPE America in 2022. Since 2010, he has already mentored both undergraduate and doctoral students who have received over 25 state, national, and international awards for their research. He earned the Outstanding Mentor of the Year Award from SHAPE America in 2017 and won the Toulouse Scholar Award in 2022 at UNT. Dr. Zhang serves as the Editor-in-Chief for Journal of Teaching, Research, and Media in Kinesiology, Associate Editor for Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, and Editorial Board Members for multiple journals such as International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity and Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal. He has also served on several committees of professional organizations (American College of Sports Medicine, SHAPE America, International Chinese Society for Physical Activities and Health, and American Educational Research Association). Recently, Dr. Zhang was inducted as a Fellow of American Kinesiology Association Leadership Institute.