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About Sara
Sara Harper serves as an Assistant Professor of Kinesiology in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Alabama at Huntsville's College of Education, Sport, and Human Sciences, a position she has held since 2023. In this role, she instructs courses such as Exercise Physiology, Research in Exercise Science I and II, Exercise Prescription & Testing, and Measurement & Evaluation, while directing the HARPER laboratory focused on human factors, healthy age-related physical function, ergonomics, and exercise research. Harper obtained her Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology from Kent State University in 2016, where her dissertation examined the influence of the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism on cognition, depression, quality of life, and motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease patients after dynamic cycling. She also earned an M.S. in Exercise Physiology in 2014 and a B.S. in Physical Education with an Exercise Science concentration in 2012, both from Kent State University. Her postdoctoral training includes a fellowship at the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Center for Exercise Medicine (2018-2019) and a Postdoctoral Fellow II position at Utah State University's Department of Kinesiology and Health Science (2019-2023), emphasizing fall prevention.
Harper's research interests center on exercise physiology, aging, ergonomics, and fall prevention, with specific investigations into stair navigation, visual contrast enhancement for fall reduction, and musculoskeletal health assessments. Notable publications include "Inter-step Variations of Stairways and Associations of High-Contrast Striping and Fall-related Events: An Observational Study" (2025, Interactive Journal of Medical Research), "Validity of A-Mode Ultrasound for Estimating Body Fat Percentage of Young Adult Athletes: A Multicomponent Model Study" (2025, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise), "Potential benefits of a minimal dose eccentric resistance training paradigm to combat sarcopenia and age-related muscle and physical function deficits in older adults" (2021, Frontiers in Physiology), "Resveratrol and exercise combined to treat functional limitations in late life: A pilot randomized controlled trial" (2020, Experimental Gerontology), and "Blood-Flow Restriction Resistance Exercise for Older Adults with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial" (2019, Journal of Clinical Medicine). She has authored 31 peer-reviewed articles, amassing over 1,000 citations and an h-index of 12. Among her honors are the 2025 Faculty Scholars Travel Award from the American Society of Biomechanics and the 2025 Health Sciences Division Innovative Mentor Award from the Council on Undergraduate Research. Previously, she was a Visiting Assistant Professor at Tiffin University (2016-2017) and held various research and fitness roles.
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