Dr. Padua is an Associate Professor in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science and Director of the Sports Medicine Research Laboratory.  He is an adjunct faculty member in the following Departments at UNC: Orthopaedics, Biomedical Engineering, and Allied Health Sciences.  Dr. Padua serves as the Director of the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) Research Institute, whose mission is to provide scientifically valid, evidence-based assessments and interventions for the effective promotion of physical fitness, performance enhancement, injury prevention, injury rehabilitation and post-rehabilitation conditioning.  In addition, he is the acting Chair of the Research Committee for the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Foundation.

Dr. Padua received his B.A. and M.A. degrees in Athletic Training from San Diego State University (1996) and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1998), respectively.  He earned his PhD in Sports Medicine from the University of Virginia in 2001. 

His primary research interests focus on neuromuscular control of knee and lumbo-pelvic stability, identification of risk factors associated with knee injury, identification of evidence based prevention strategies for ACL injury, and validation of performance enhancement training techniques. Current research includes investigating predictive factors for ACL injury, biomechanical comparison of ACL injury prevention interventions, examination of modifiable neuromuscular factors that contribute to knee valgus angle and anterior tibial shear force, validation of clinical movement assessment techniques to predict muscle imbalances and injury risk, and validation of corrective exercises commonly used for injury prevention and performance enhancement.

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Kevin M. Guskiewicz, PhD, ATC, was hired by the Department Exercise and Sport Science in July 1995, and was appointed Department Chair in July 2005. Kevin heads up the sport concussion program at UNC, while also serving as the Research Director for the Center for the Study of Retired Athletes. Kevin's research is focused on the assessment of sport-related concussion and the long-term effects of concussion. He has been the recipient of over 15 funded research grants on this topic, and has published over 45 journal articles and five textbook chapters related to concussion in sport . He serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Athletic Training, and is on the editorial boards of two other journals. Kevin was the recipient of the 1997 Kenneth Knight Outstanding Research Manuscript for the Journal of Athletic Training, the recipient of the 1999 NATA-Research & Education Foundation New Investigator Award for Athletic Training Research, and the 2006 Medal for Distinguished Athletic Training Research. He was awarded Fellowship in the American College of Sports Medicine in May 2003, and was inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education in September 2006. He and his wife Amy have 4 children: Jacob, Nathan, Adam, and Tessa.    (CV - 92.3 kb)

Troy Blackburn joined the Department of Exercise and Sport Science as an assistant professor in the fall of 2006.  He currently serves as the director of the Neuromuscular Research Laboratory, and teaches courses in Research in Exercise and Sport Science (EXSS 273), Neuromuscular Control and Learning (EXSS 380), and Laboratory Techniques in Sports Medicine (EXSS 739).  

Dr. Blackburn received a B.A. in Exercise and Sport Science (Athletic Training Concentration) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1998), a M.S. in Sports Medicine from the University of Pittsburgh (2000), and a Ph.D. in Human Movement Science (Biomechanics Concentration) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2004).  His primary research interests lie in neural and biomechanical contributions to joint injury and disease, particularly in the lower extremity.  His current focus is on the influence of musculotendinous stiffness on knee joint stability and neuromechanical function.

Dr. Blackburn was the recipient of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Research and Education Foundation 2007 David H. Perrin Outstanding Dissertation Award and 2009 Freddie H. Fu New Investigator Award.

Stephen Marshall is an Associate Professor of Epidemiology in the UNC School of Public Health. He holds a joint appointment in the Department of Orthopedics in the School of Medicine and is Core Faculty in the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center. Stephen completed his undergraduate studies in Mathematics at the University of Canterbury (Christchurch, New Zealand) in 1987. In 1989, he completed his Master's Degree in Biometrics and Field Experimentation at Lincoln University (Canterbury, New Zealand). He completed his PhD at the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill, NC) in 1998.

He has expertise in epidemiologic studies of sports injury and in the statistical analysis of sports medicine data. His areas of research within sports medicine include baseball injury, injury surveillance, high school injury, concussion, ACL injury, and falls in older adults. He has expertise in biostatistics, epidemiological methods, and epidemiologic data analysis. He consults with the NCAA on their Injury Surveillance System and is PI of the JUMP-ACL study, a prospective cohort study of neuromuscular risk factors for ACL injury. He is director of the injury program within the Department of Epidemiology at UNC's School of Public Health. 

Jason P. Mihalik, MS, CAT(C), ATC (jmihalik@unc.edu)

Jason Mihalik joined the Department of Exercise and Sport Science as a visiting assistant professor in the fall of 2009. He currently serves as the director of the Cadaver Anatomy Laboratory, and will teach courses in Neuromuscular Control and Leanring (EXSS 380) and Graduate Laboratory Techniques in Sports Medicine, and assists with the Graduate Statistics and Research Methods courses in EXSS. Dr. Mihalik completed his undergraduate degree in Exercise Science with a specialization in Athletic Therapy at Concordia University (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) in 2001. He completed his graduate work in Sports Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA), earning his Master's Degree in December 2004. He was a recipient of the Dr. Thomas S. and Mrs. Caroline H. Royster, Jr. fellowship, allowing him to complete his doctoral work at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the summer of 2009.  

Jason’s primary research interests include studying the biomechanics related to head trauma and studying the common pathways to managing head trauma from the sideline through the emergency department. His secondary research interests include the neurocognitive and postural deficits associated with sports related mild traumatic brain injury, analyzing postural control strategies, investigating the sequellae associated with MTBI in athletes (i.e. postconcussion syndrome, posttraumatic migraine, etc.), and exploring the potential for concussion rehabilitation in virtual reality environments.

Joseph B. Myers, PhD, ATC is an Associate Professor of Exercise and Sports Science, and an Adjunct Associate Professor of Orthopaedics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Myers received a B.S. and M.A. degrees in Athletic Training and Sports Medicine from West Chester University of Pennsylvania (1996) and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1998) respectively. Dr Myers received a Ph.D. in Sports Medicine from the University of Pittsburgh in 2001.  Dr. Myers currently directs the Human Movement Science Doctoral Program as well as is the co-clinical coordinator for the undergraduate athletic training education program. Dr. Myers’ research over the past  10 years has focused on assessment of shoulder dysfunction using neuromuscular and biomechanical measurement models. Dr. Myers was 2005 recipient of the Freddie H. Fu, MD Young Investigator Award presented by the National Athletic Trainers Association Research and Education Foundation. In 2007, Dr. Myers completed a Visiting Scholar Fellowship at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra Australia.

Michael D. Lewek, PT, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Allied Health Sciences, Division of Physical Therapy at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He also holds an adjunct position in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science. Michael received his undergraduate degree in Exercise Science from Ithaca College (Ithaca, NY), a Masters in Physical Therapy and a PhD in Biomechanics and Movement Science from the University of Delaware (Newark, DE). He has also completed a post-doctoral fellowship in neuromechanics at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago/Northwestern University (Chicago, IL).

Michael’s primary research involves improving functional mobility in individuals following stroke. Specifically, he is interested in how peripheral sensory input is integrated to influence motor commands during gait, and the specific role of muscle dysfunction on locomotion following neurological injury. Current projects involve an optimization of muscle activation during a sit-to-stand task and characterizing the role of limb load on muscle function during gait.

Meredith completed her undergraduate degree in 1993, at the College of Wooster (Wooster, OH). In 1996, she completed her Master's Degree at the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill, NC) in Athletic Training from the Department of Exercise and Sport Science. She received her PhD from the University of North Carolina (Greensboro, NC) in Biomechanics.

In addition to teaching Biomechanics and Athletic Training classes, she coordinates the clinical experience for the Undergraduate athletic training students and directs the honors program for the department. Her research interests include three-dimensional motion analysis of the head and cervical spine motion during immobilization following injury in lacrosse and ice hockey.

Meredith currently resides in Cary with her husband (Greg), her two children (Madison and Grant), her dog (Summit), who is kept company by her bird Willie.

William E. Prentice received both BS and MS degrees from the University of Delaware (Newark, DE), a PhD degree in Sports Medicine and Applied Physiology from the University of Virginia (Charlottesville, VA), and BSPT degree in Physical Therapy from the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill, NC). He is a Professor in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science, a Clinical Professor in the Division of Physical Therapy, and has served as the Program Director of the NATA Accredited Graduate Athletic Training Education Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill since 1980.

Prentice is the author of eight textbooks, has published more than 50 journal articles and abstracts, and has made more than 150 lectures and presentations. His research interests are functional performance enhancement and therapeutic modalities.

Steve Zinder received his BS in 1990 in Physical Education from the University of Arizona, an MS in 1992 in Exercise and Sport Sciences with an emphasis in Athletic Training at the University of Arizona, and a PhD in 2002 in Sports Medicine at the University of Virginia. Following his PhD, Dr. Zinder spent one year as an Assistant Professor in the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia teaching and conducting clinical research in the Sports Medicine and Athletic Training Program areas and four years as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Kinesiology and Health Science and Clinical Coordinator of the California State University, Fullerton Athletic Training Education Program.

Prior to obtaining his doctorate, he was the Associate Athletic Trainer at Bucknell University from 1992 to 1999. His primary research interests focus on in-vivo ankle system dynamics and their effect on ankle stability. Dr. Zinder is a member of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, American College of Sports Medicine, National Strength and Conditioning Association, and the International Society of Biomechanics.