Director: Dr. Sandra Hunter, Ph.D., FACSM  

sandra.hunter@marquette.edu

Dr. Hunter is a professor in the Exercise Science Program, in the Department of Physical Therapy and a fellow in the Research and Innovation Office at Marquette. Her research focus includes understanding the mechanisms for differences in motor control and performance fatigue between males and females, with aging and in people with diabetes. She currently is funded by the National Institutes of Health to examine fatigability of limb muscle in old adults and the protective effects of exercise. In addition to driving the strategic planning and initiatives of the AHPRC, Dr. Hunter coordinates programming and the AHPRC grant awards to develop collaborative team science between Marquette researchers, athletics, and external partners. 

 

Research Lab Manager: Dr. Mike Haischer, Ph.D., CSCS

michael.haischer@marquette.edu

• Mike is an NSCA-Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and completed his PhD in Exercise and Rehabilitation Science at Marquette in 2023. As lab manager of the AHPRC, Mike serves to facilitate collaborative team science and assist investigators in realizing their research goals. He is also committed to making a positive impact on Marquette Athletics by helping to conduct applied research based on the performance goals of the teams, coaches, and individual athletes. In addition to working at AHPRC, Mike is a postdoctoral research associate in Dr. Sandra Hunter’s Neuromuscular Physiology Lab. Previously, Mike obtained his Master’s (Florida Atlantic University ’17) and Bachelor’s (Marquette University ’14) degrees in exercise physiology.

Director, HPAC: Toni D. Uhrich, M.S., EP-C

toni.uhrich@marquette.edu

Since its opening in 2016, Toni has been the Director of the Human Performance Assessment Core (HPAC), a free-standing, fee for service, state of the art exercise physiology lab located in Cramer Hall in the Program in Exercise Science. The HPAC also serves as a teaching facility and was a proto-type for the AHPRC. The HPAC serves the community, local teams, and scientists across campus and the broader academic community. Toni has been teaching at Marquette for 24 years, 3 of them full time and supervises interns in the HPAC and AHPRC. She recently started an Exercise is Medicine – On Campus program at Marquette. Toni’s primary research interests are in Exercise as Medicine and injury prevention. She is thrilled to be part of the AHPRC Team.

 

Graduate Staff: Hannah Greving, EXPH ‘23

hannah.greving@marquette.edu

Hannah is a currently a student in the Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) program. She graduated in May of 2023 with a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Physiology. Hannah first began as an intern at the AHPRC where she primarily contributed to the COVID-19 Survivor Study but currently handles the AHPRC social media platforms. Hannah is also a 5th year member of the Marquette Women’s Lacrosse Team. Her background in athletics and interest in exercise is what initially made her interested in the AHPRC.

 

Affiliate Faculty: Dr. Christopher Sundberg, Ph.D.

christopher.sundberg@marquette.edu

Dr. Sundberg is an Assistant Professor of Exercise Science in the Department of Physical Therapy. His research focuses on identifying the etiologies of muscle fatigue and the physiological processes that limit neuromuscular performance in health, aging, and disease. Dr. Sundberg's lab adopts an integrative and translational approach employing multiple cutting-edge techniques to study fatigue and the limits of human performance in the whole limb down to the cellular and molecular levels. He also investigates the adaptive response to exercise training with the goal of developing targeted exercise interventions to improve muscle power output and fatigability in both healthy and clinical populations. His research has been supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), American Heart Association (AHA), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). As an affiliate faculty of the AHPRC, Dr. Sundberg coordinates the AHPRC seminar series and assists the team in strategic planning to advance the research mission and outreach of the AHPRC.

 

AHPRC Research Fellow: Dr. Linda Piacentine, Ph.D., RN

linda.piacentine@marquette.edu

Dr. Piacentine is an acute care nurse practitioner and a nurse researcher in the College of Nursing. She earned her PhD at Marquette in 2010 and her research has focused on methods individuals employ to self-manage symptoms that develop from chronic disease or related treatments. Dr. Piacentine has also co-led interdisciplinary teams using interviews and focus group methodology to understand the effects of team triathlon training to mitigate symptoms in breast cancer survivors. As the AHPRC fellow, Dr. Piacentine brings her clinical knowledge and qualitative methodology expertise to the team to further understanding of how disease impacts quality of life and exercise.