Research Team

Our research team has the expertise to uniquely assess physical functioning, energy production, fatigue and changes in health parameters within both humans and animals using a variety of laboratory-based assessments. We have extensive experience in receiving IRB and IACUC approval for the use of our models and protocols. If appropriate and necessary based on the research question, cell culture studies can also be performed.

Richard J. Bloomer, PhD is a professor and director of the Cardiorespiratory/Metabolic Laboratory at the University of Memphis. His research is focused on the use of nutraceuticals, dietary supplements and dietary strategies aimed at improving cardiovascular and metabolic health. He is internationally recognized as an expert in the field of oxidative stress and nutraceutical research.

Shirley Renee Brown, EdD, MSN, APRN, RN is a clinical assistant professor within the College of Health Sciences. Her experience in Critical Care, Interventional Procedures and Post Anesthesia Care assists researchers with reviewing subject health history, medication/dietary supplement questionnaires, test results, and notifying subjects regarding abnormal lab results.

Allyson Davis is a research associate in the Center for Nutraceutical and Dietary Supplements Research.  Her role includes the recruitment of study subjects, study coordination and assisting with data collection.  She is currently obtaining her master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and aims to focus on the research and treatment of eating disorders within the athletic population.

Tara Hunter, MS, RN is a clinical assistant professor within the College of Health Sciences. Her role as registered nurse is to provide support to investigators in the selection and care of research participants. Her experience in nursing, specifically emergency medicine, provides a variety of clinical skills useful in various research studies.

Keith R. Martin, PhD is a research assistant professor in the College of Health Sciences and the Center for Nutraceutical and Dietary Supplements Research. His research focuses on the effects of dietary supplements as purified bioactive agents or functional foods on risk factors associated with chronic disease (cardiovascular disease, cancer, and inflammation). He has expertise in cell culture, rodent models and human research.

Amr Mohamed, PhD is an assistant professor in the College of Health Sciences. His research interests are broadly focused applied statistics and data analysis. His research interests include, but not limited to: high-dimensional statistical inference, statistical machine learning and data mining, variable selection, classification and clustering. His research applications are largely in the area of biostatistics and health sciences.

Patricia Newman, PhD, BSN, RN is a Research Associate I and Clinical Coordinator in the College of Health Sciences. Her MS and PhD degrees in Physiology with experience in nursing, especially in ICU, has allowed her to strengthen her clinical skills with basic and molecular sciences with many laboratory techniques, developing her passion for teaching, improving patient care and research in physiology/pharmacology. 

Max R. Paquette, PhD is an associate professor in the College of Health Sciences. His research interests are largely focused on the biomechanics of the lower limb for performance enhancement and injury prevention. He is interested in the interplay between nutraceuticals and physical recovery following exercise, as well as the anti-inflammatory effect of dietary ingredients.

Brandt Pence, PhD is an associate professor in the College of Health Sciences. His research focuses on changes in immune function and inflammation in response to physiological stimuli such as exercise and nutritional interventions. He has experience in cell culture, rodent models and human research.

Jacquelyn Pence, PhD is a research assistant professor in the College of Health Sciences. Her research focuses on human health benefits from dietary supplements/nutraceuticals. Her current work is mainly in human research with previous experience in cell culture and rodent models.

Chida Ramanathan, PhD is a research assistant professor in the College of Health Sciences. His research focuses on molecular mechanisms underlying the reciprocal regulation of the circadian clock and cellular metabolism, oxidative stress and aging. He has expertise in functional genomic research, gene editing (CRISPR/Cas9), high-throughput assay, bioluminescence technology, RNAi (shRNA and siRNA), lentivirus and adeno-associated virus (AAV) mediated gene delivery, cellular genetics, human and mammalian cell culture, and rodent models research.

Helen Sable, PhD is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology. Dr. Sable is a behavioral pharmacologist and toxicologist. Her research investigates the impact of exposure to teratogens and the effects of nutritional interventions during early development and aging on behavioral health.

Michelle B. Stockton, PhD is an associate professor in the College of Health Sciences. Her research is focused on the identification, prevention and reduction of health risks and incorporates the design, implementation and treatment fidelity of community-based health behavior interventions/programs specifically targeting obesity prevention. Her expertise is in the methodological design and statistical analyses of health-related studies, including bi- and multivariate inferential statistics, degree of relationships, and prediction of group memberships.

Aaryani Tipirneni-Sajja, PhD is an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Memphis. Her research focus is on developing and investigating quantitative metabolomics techniques using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. She has expertise in quantifying metabolites in biofluids and tissue samples for assessing the effects of nutritional interventions on the metabolome.

Marie van der Merwe, PhD is an associate professor in the College of Health Sciences. Her research focus is on the interaction between nutrition and the immune system, focusing particularly on the regulatory mechanisms that counteract inflammation. She has expertise in both cell culture experiments and the use of animal models.

Yufeng Zhang, PhD is an assistant professor in the College of Health Sciences. His research is focused on organismal and mitochondrial bioenergetics, reactive oxygen species production in aging and age-related diseases. He has expertise in pharmaceutical development related with aging and oxidative stress-related diseases.