Department of
mtsu.edu/healthhumanperf
HEALTH AND HUMAN PERFORMANCE The Department of Health and Human Performance (HHP) prepares students for professional careers as teachers of health and of physical education, directors in industry and social agencies, recreation and leisure service professionals in a wide range of settings, and health and fitness professionals in schools, industry, and allied areas. Areas of concentration include Athletic Training, Community and Public Health, Exercise Science, Leisure and Sport Management, Physical Education, Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, and Tourism and Hospitality Management.
Here are some recent updates from the department that portray the sizeable impact the program has on middle Tennessee and beyond.
WALKING ON WATER Ongoing research being conducted at the MTSU Exercise Science laboratory by Sandy Stevens, an associate professor and postdoctoral researcher, is helping people with paralysis to walk again. Under Stevens’ care and watchful research eye, individuals with spinal cord injuries who are training in an underwater treadmill are able to stand and support themselves and are taking steps toward a new beginning. Almost all participants reported greater independence, better general health, and improved mental well-being. “We have participants who have come to MTSU from other states because there is nothing similar,” Stevens said. “When the participants see their legs moving, they believe that anything is possible.”
BUILDING BRIDGES MTSU’s Exercise Science program was recently awarded a three-year sub-grant partnering with Western Kentucky University beginning this past spring. The project allows WKU to partner with faculty and students to implement Bingosize in 40 certified nursing facilities. Bingosize, an exercise program for older adults developed around bingo, features frequent intermissions for simple exercises to improve balance and range of motion—such as reaching upward or rotating wrists or ankles.
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The program, which provides an opportunity for MTSU students to gain the tools needed to positively impact the lives of older adults in long-term care, is in use in more than 30 states across the U.S., as well as in Poland and England.
