Rate My Professor Jacob Caldwell

Jacob Caldwell serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science at the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. He holds a Ph.D. in Kinesiology from Kansas State University, an M.S. from Eastern Michigan University, and a B.S. from Eastern Michigan University. Caldwell is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with specialties in clinical cardiovascular physiology and microcirculation. In his role, he contributes to the department's programs in sports management, physical education teaching, coaching, and fitness. He actively mentors undergraduate and graduate students, providing hands-on research opportunities in advanced laboratory settings.

Caldwell's research centers on cardiovascular responses to interventions such as passive stretching, with applications to exercise performance and clinical populations. He is the lead author of a study published online in the Journal of Applied Physiology, which demonstrated that intermittent passive calf stretching prior to treadmill exercise reduces declines in both macrovascular and microvascular endothelial function in healthy young adults. This work compared passive stretching to ischemic preconditioning, showing similar protective effects on blood vessel resilience. Caldwell directs projects in the renovated Human Performance Lab at UW-La Crosse, equipped with tools like environmental chambers, metabolic carts, vascular assessment systems, and cellular analysis capabilities to study sports performance, health monitoring, and disease pathology. He leads an ongoing clinical trial investigating passive stretching interventions for patients with Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD). Additionally, Caldwell is principal investigator on a collaborative research grant with Mayo Clinic Health System, examining the combined effects of long-term passive calf stretching and exogenous nitrate supplementation on functional walking capacity in PAD patients. This initiative includes student training in measuring blood vessel function and muscle oxidative stress and supports a submitted NIH R15 grant for expanded undergraduate involvement.