Paula began her career at Hope as an assistant professor in 2021. Her research is aimed at understanding college athletes’ retirement experiences after graduation and maintaining their long-term health by promoting exercise and health behaviors post-grad. Paula teaches various courses in human physiology, exercise physiology, clinical exercise physiology and adjacent subjects across the kinesiology and biology departments.

Areas of Expertise

• Clinical exercise physiology
• Exercise testing & prescription
• Cardiac, pulmonary, renal and Parkinson’s rehab
• Community wellness
• Athlete health & fitness research
• Long-term fitness interventions

Education

• Ph.D., kinesiology and sport studies, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 2021
• M.S., clinical exercise physiology, University of Delaware, 2017
• B.S., exercise science, University of Delaware, 2016

Selected Honors, Grants, and Awards

• The Association for Applied Sport Psychology Seed Grant, 2023
• Jacob E. Nyenhuis Faculty Development Grant, 2023, 2024

Selected Publications

• “Quality of Reporting for Single-Case Designs Targeting Exercise and Physical Activity Behavior in Adults: A Systematic Review,” with C.T. Beaumont and K. Strohacker, Translational Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, 4(23), 2019
• “Measurements of Acute Affective Responses to Resistance Exercise: A Systematic Review,” with C.T. Beaumont and K. Strohacker, Translational Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, 5(11), 2020
•  “Determining the Acceptability of Electronically-Delivered, Personally-Adaptive, Multimedia Exercise Prompts for Middle-Age Adults,” with E.T. Schaltegger, C.T. Beaumont and K. Strohacker, The International Journal of Exercise Science, 13(5), 2020
• “Exploring Determinants of Recalled In-Task Affect During Recreational Exercise,” with C.T. Beaumont and K. Strohacker, Physiology & Behavior, 230, 2021
• “Promotion of Leisure-Time Physical Activity by Craft Breweries in Knoxville, Tennessee,” with K. Strohacker, E.C. Fitzhugh, A. Wozencroft and C.T. Beaumont, Leisure Studies, 40(6), 2021 
• “Exploring Former NCAA Division I Athletes’ Experiences with Post-Sport Physical Activity: A Qualitative Approach” with R.A. Zakrajsek, M.R. Eckenrod, C.T. Beaumont and K. Strohacker, Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 35(2), 2023
• “Exploration of Parental Rewards in Incentivizing Children’s Physical Activity,” with T.J. Kybartas and D.C. Coe, Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 48(5), 2023
• “Former NCAA Division I Athletes’ Perceptions of Intervention Components to Improve Post-Sport Physical Activity,” with R.A. Zakrajsek, M.R. Eckenrod, C.T. Beaumont and K. Strohacker, Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 2024