Advanced Cardiovascular Exercise Physiology

Denise L. Smith, PhD, is the Tisch Family Distinguished Professor in the department of health and human physiological sciences and the director of the First Responder Health and Safety Laboratory at Skidmore College. She also holds an appointment as a research scientist at the University of Illinois Fire Service Institute. For nearly three decades, Smith has conducted scientific research on cardiovascular responses to exercise, with a focus on the physiological strain associated with heat and occupational stressors in firefighters. She has led several federally funded research projects investigating the intersection of cardiovascular disease and the cardiovascular strain of firefighting. Smith has conducted over 40 fatality investigations of firefighters who died in the line of duty due to cardiovascular causes.

Smith has published over 100 peer-reviewed scientific papers, coauthored Exercise Physiology for Health, Fitness and Performance, and contributed chapters to several textbooks. She has collaborated extensively with fire service organizations, has served in leadership roles in the American College of Sports Medicine, and is a member of the American Physiological Society and the American Heart Association. She has received multiple awards, including the Dr. John Granito Award for Excellence in Fire Leadership and Management Research and NIOSH’s Alice Hamilton Award for Excellence in Occupational Safety and Health.

Bo Fernhall, PhD, is a professor of kinesiology and nutrition in the College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he founded the Integrative Physiology Laboratory and co-developed the physical therapy faculty clinic. Fernhall has nearly 40 years of experience in cardiovascular research, with a current focus on how exercise and diet affect heart, arterial, and autonomic function. He also directed cardiovascular rehabilitation programs for over 20 years, combining research and clinical experience.

Fernhall is a fellow of the American Heart Association, the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation, and the American College of Sports Medicine. He was elected to the National Academy of Kinesiology in 2005, and he currently serves as president-elect of the organization. He has won several national research awards, including the G. Lawrence Rarick Research Award in 2006 for his research on the benefits of exercise in people with disabilities. Fernhall has published over 370 peer-reviewed manuscripts in scientific journals and has contributed to several books and book chapters. He serves as an associate editor for Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews and is an editorial board member of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.