SPOKANE, Wash. — The Washington State University graduate program in Exercise Science completes its move to WSU Spokane this fall with the transfer of associate professor E. Carolyn Johnson from Pullman.
Johnson received her Ph.D. in exercise physiology from the University of New Mexico in 1986. Prior to joining WSU in 1995, she held a National Institutes of Health post-doctoral fellowship for three years at the University of California-San Diego School of Medicine. Johnson previously was on the faculty of Northern Arizona University, and was a research scientist at the Lovelace Medical Foundation in Albuquerque, N.M., for seven years. She is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine. Recently, she has been appointed adjunct research scientist at The Heart Institute of Spokane.
Johnson’s research focuses on cells from the small blood vessels of the heart and kidney, with emphasis on events underlying atherosclerosis and a similar process in the kidneys (glomerulosclerosis). Her recent work at the cellular and molecular level focuses on factors involved in the microvascular complications of diabetes, as well as the effects of alcohol on microvascular cells from the heart. Her research interests also include angiogenesis (growth of new blood vessels), adenosine biology, aging, oxygen transport to tissue, and the hemodynamic, cardiorespiratory, and microcirculatory effects of acute and chronic exercise, hypoxia, and other stressors,.
She also conducts research on educational technology in teaching and learning. She recently published a paper with two co-authors in “Advances in Physiology Education,” on the enhancement of student critical thinking skills through use of online learning modules.
Johnson has conducted a number of funded research projects. Most recently, she was awarded a $40,000 grant by the Diabetes Action Research and Education Foundation. With Katherine Tuttle, M.D., research professor at WSU Spokane and director of research at The Heart Institute of Spokane, Johnson will conduct research on the regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor by glucose and excess amino acids in kidney microvascular cells . Preliminary research in this area was also funded by the Fraternal Order of the Eagles, Aerie and Auxiliary #2.
About the MS Exercise Science
The MS Exercise Science at WSU Spokane is the only research-based exercise science graduate program in the state of Washington that focuses on clinical and experimental exercise physiology with an emphasis on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of the physiological response to exercise.
The graduate program in exercise science moved from the Pullman campus to Spokane to take advantage of opportunities for clinical collaborations and the new facilities of the Health Sciences Building.
About Washington State University Spokane
WSU Spokane is the urban campus of Washington State University, a land-grant research university founded in 1890. The campus features advanced studies in health sciences, the design disciplines, education, criminal justice, business, and engineering. Washington State University is ranked by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education as a research extensive and doctoral-granting university.
Web sites:
WSU Spokane: www.spokane.wsu.edu
MS Exercise Science: www.exercisescience.spokane.wsu.edu
