DEO Newsletter

A message from the DEO

May 2026

Dear HSHP Faculty and Staff:

You made it! Congratulations on making it to the end of the spring semester and 2025-26 academic year! A lot of exciting things are happening in HSHP, including, as all of you know, the move into the new Health Sciences Academic Building (HSAB) in 10 days beginning on Tuesday, May 26! Which means all offices, labs, and teaching labs need to be packed up by next Friday, May 21! See all of the information about the move into the HSAB that you need to know below.

Some of the other highlights and success stories of faculty, staff, and students are in this issue of the HSHP DEO Monthly Newsletter, including tenure-track and instructional-track faculty hiring updates, upcoming and fall departmental events, and celebrating faculty and student achievements, fellowships, publications, and grants!

Before we move on from the spring semester, I wanted to pass along some impressive data highlighting some of what the faculty and staff accomplished in the classroom and research labs this past academic year (summer 2025, fall 2025, winter 2025, and spring 2026):

Delivered a total of 43,809 student credit hours to students (up from 42,902 in 2024-25)
Instructed a total of 14,362 students in HSHP courses (up from 14,026 in 2024-25)
Taught a total of 542 courses across all programs
Applied for 47 external research grants for a total of $9.86 million (up from 31 grant proposals in 2024-25)
Total new and ongoing external grant funding for FY26 was $3.96 million (up from $2.31 million in FY25)

Enrollments for the fall 2026 semester look very strong compared with last fall. Some data for the six HSHP majors are provided below by the CLAS Admissions staff:

Health Studies: 54 students (up from 32 students last year at this time)
Exercise Science: 159 students (up from 155)
Health Promotion: 1 student (down from 4)
Human Physiology: 116 students (up from 90)
Therapeutic Recreation: 1 student (down from 2)
Therapeutic Recreation (NCTRC Certification): 10 students (up from 3)
SRM: 93 students (up from 73)

The Office of Admissions and CLAS are appreciative of HSHP’s representation at recruitment events over this past cycle, including Hawkeye Visit Day, Admitted Student Day, and Top Scholar Visit Day.

Thank you to all faculty and staff for your continued dedication to educating HSHP students in the classroom, in teaching labs, in research labs, in guided practicums and field trips, or in independent studies! As always, reach out to me with any questions or concerns!

Best wishes for a wonderful summer!

Gary L. Pierce
Professor and Chair, Department of Health and Human Physiology
Russell B. Day and Florence D. Day Endowed Chair in Liberal Arts and Sciences

Departmental updates

HSHP Communications Request Form

The CLAS Marketing and Communications team, with support from our communications student, is now managing the department's Communications Request Form.

Please bookmark the form for convenient access and use it for all requests. Note that email submissions will be redirected to the form. You can also find the form labeled “Marcom Request” at the very bottom of the HSHP website.

Health Sciences Academic Building (HSAB)

With only days remaining before the move, it is hard to believe that nearly seven years have passed since the department first participated in a space study that set this transition in motion.

The department entered the final phase of HSAB transition planning during April and early May, with preparations focused on readiness, access sequencing, and coordinated move execution. Monthly portfolio reviews continued to finalize unit‑specific moving plans and confirm readiness across research, instructional, student support, and administrative spaces. Final furniture installations were completed across most areas, with equipment installations and IT preparations continuing in alignment with the broader project schedule.

Key Dates at a Glance

Final Packing Week: May 18–22
- All Field House (FH), IBIF, and CCOM spaces must be fully packed, labeled, and cleared.
- Computers decommissioned & prepped for movers: (in order of phased moves) Thurs 5/21-Fri 5/29
Physical Move Window: Tuesday, May 26 – Friday, June 5
FH & IBIF Space Return to CLAS: June 15

Move Order (Phased)
Moves will occur in the following sequence:

Research
Instructional
Student Support
Administrative / Office Spaces

Move Process: Rolling Pattern

Movers begin at 8:00 AM on Tuesday, May 26 with all research areas.
They will concentrate on each area and advance as soon as an area is completed.
Dates on the moving schedule are ranges, not fixed dates. IT systems will be decommissioned the week before your scheduled move. Contact Genette with any scheduling conflicts.
Areas will be cleared for occupancy as soon as they are fully moved.
- Daily updates posted to the HSAB Teams site.

Packing & Preparation

Packing supplies (boxes, labels) are staged on FH and IBIF floors.
Every item being moved must be clearly labeled with:
- HSAB floor
- HSAB Room number
Items occupants plan to move themselves must be clearly marked and set aside.
Surplus, shredding, and disposal staging has been coordinated across legacy spaces.
Unmarked items will not be moved or removed.

Access, Keys, and Safety

FH & IBIF brass keys should be returned to front desk (E102 FH) by end of day Friday, 6/5
HSAB access is granted by area, not by individual. Daily updates will report the status of areas cleared for occupancy & access. Access will be delivered once an area is cleared for occupancy.
Access is provided only after a phase and associated areas are fully cleared and approved for occupancy.
There is no early access to HSAB spaces to ensure the moving team can work efficiently and safely.
Faculty and staff may need to work remotely or from temporary locations until their spaces are released.
All IBIF & FH electronic access will be removed 6/15/2026.

Move Coordination & Communication

Moves follow a rolling pattern: crews concentrate on one area at a time and advance once spaces are completed.
Scheduled move dates are ranges, not fixed days.
Daily updates, move schedules, and floor plans are posted to the HSAB Teams site, which serves as the central communication hub throughout the transition.

For real-time updates, floor plans, moving schedule & more visit the HSAB HHP Project HQ Teams site.

Faculty searches and hires

The department is conducting several faculty searches. An update on the searches is below:

Open-Rank Instructional Track faculty in Health Coaching: The search committee, Amy Fletcher (chair), Megan Lewey, Lauren Tetmeyer & Grace Maurer, have chosen their top candidate & she has accepted. Jenna Springer will start in August 2026.
Open-Rank Instructional Track faculty in Exercise Science: The search committee, Andrea Short (chair), Clay Peterson, Charlie Jedlicka, Amy Fletcher & Garrett Steinbrink, have chosen their top candidate and he has accepted the position. Josh Stice will start in August 2026.
Tenure-Track Faculty: Dr. Nick Fears (from Louisiana State University) and Dr. Jeremy Bigalke (from Baylor University) will start as Assistant Professors in HSHP in August 2026.

Events

TR/CL & SRM Convocation Celebrations (2 Events)

📅 Date: Friday, May 15, 2026

🕒 Time:

1:00 – 3:00 pm Therapeutic Recreation/Child Life

4:00 – 6:00 pm Sport and Recreation Management

📍 Location: The University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame, 2425 Prairie Meadow Drive, Iowa City, IA 52242

Another beloved spring tradition, these events celebrate graduates from the Therapeutic Recreation, Child Life, and Sport and Recreation Management programs. Families, faculty, staff, and special guests come together to recognize and honor the achievements of our students.

Save the Date!

Fall Semester All HSHP Faculty and Staff Meeting

📅Friday, August 21, 2026

🕒Time: 9:00-10:30am

📍Location: HSAB TBD

Save the Date!
Health Sciences Academic Building UI Dedication

📅 Wednesday, September 2, 2026

🕒 Time: 3:00 - 5:00pm

Save the Date!
Health Sciences Academic Building Open House

📅 Friday, September 18, 2026

🕒 Time: TBD

Save the Date!
TENTATIVE: Health Sciences Academic Building Family Tailgating Weekend

📅 Saturday, September 19, 2026

🕒 Time: TBD

Celebrating achievements and recognitions

SRM Students Participate in Mock NFL Draft

Students in Adam Kempenaar's Sports Analytics for Decision Maker course participated in a full-scale NFL draft simulation broadcasted for Daily Iowan Television. KCRG also did a feature on the event, you can watch their story here.

Genette Campbell was awarded the Mary Louis Kelley Staff Excellence Award for her extensive coordination, attention to detail and expertise as final preparations & move-in to HSAB get closer. Congratulations Genette!

HSHP Staff Member Receives Improving Our Workplace Award

Justin Kahler was awarded an I.O.W.A. for his work as part of the Administrative Leadership Team Executive Committee

HSHP Faculty Awarded the Early Career Scholar of the Year Award

Jess Gorzelitz was honored with this award for her research in how physical activity can improve health outcomes for cancer survivors.

HSHP Faculty Honored by Graduating Students

Several HSHP faculty members were recognized by graduating students for making a lasting impact during their time at the University of Iowa.

Dan Matheson served as panelist during Greater Iowa City, Inc.'s recent Entrepreneurial Lunch Program, titled 'Turning Pressure into Performance', at MERGE in downtown Iowa City.

Aaron Schneider received a Career Impact Award from the Pomerantz Career Center as recognition to faculty who have gone above & beyond to provide Hawkeyes and career resources, guidance, and opportunities in support of career success.

HSHP Faculty Interviewed on College Coach Employment Contracts

Josh Lens was interviewed for, and quoted in, an article by Matt Baker of The Athletic regarding trends in college coach employment contracts.

Adam Kempenaar received the 2025-26 Easton Achievement Award for Teaching from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The award recognizes "exceptional teaching and pedagogical innovation."

Rachel Hamling was awarded an ICRU Summer and Fall Research Fellowship from the Office of Undergraduate Research to work in the Physical Activity and Women's Health Lab with Kara Whitaker.

Nathan Anderson and Karim Eldadah were awarded ICRU Summer Fellowships from the Office of Undergraduate Research to work in the Translational Vascualar Physiology Lab with Gary Pierce.

Gyurin Kim was awarded a University of Iowa Summer Fellowship and the Post-Comps Graduate Fellowship for her dissertation work focused on postpartum multidimensional sleep health.

Dr. Lucas Carr has been invited to co-chair the Exercise is Medicine Research and Learning Collaborative, which is an international committee that includes over 400 members. Dr. Carr will spearhead an effort to advance research related to integrating physical activity into primary care.

The University of Iowa Exercise is Medicine Program Received Gold Level Recognition from the American College of Sports Medicine. The program, led by Luc Carr, Amy Fletcher and Andrea Short, with Trish Welter serving as a committee member, received this recognition for its efforts in creating a culture of health and wellness on campus.

Gary Pierce Co-Chaired the 14th Annual North American Artery (NAA) Meeting on May 8-9, 2026, at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia, in collaboration with the U Penn Institute on Aging (IOA) and Cardiovascular Institute (CVI). The meeting consisted of 135 NAA attendees, 80 CVI/IOA attendees, and 64 abstract presentations!

Publications, Abstract Presentation, and Grants

Recent peer-reviewed research publications by HSHP faculty members (in bold) and students/postdocs (in italics) are listed below:

Abstract Presentations at Conferences

Whitaker, KM. University of Iowa, Board of Regents Invited Presentation. 24-hour Activity and Maternal Cardiovascular Health. February, 2026.
Conference presentations at the recent AHA Epi|Lifestyles conference (March 17-20) in Boston, MA from the Physical Activity & Women's Health Lab.
Whitaker KM. Sedentary behavior and light-intensity physical activity during pregnancy and cardiovascular health: a science advisory from the American Heart Association. Invited professional talk at American Heart Association Epi|Lifestyle Annual Meeting; March 17-20, 2026; Boston, MA.

Grants

Sara Hussain was awarded a 3-year Carver Trust grant for a project titled "Corticoreticulospinal control of poststroke grasping." Total costs = $426,396 (direct costs).
Objectively Assessed Occupational Physical Activity and Maternal Mental Health across Pregnancy. Heartland Center for Occupational Health & Safety. Award amount: ($19,709). Duration: 12 months. Investigators: Jaemyung Kim (principal investigator) & Kara Whitaker (Co-Investigator/Mentor)

Submit news

Have news to share? We’d love to highlight your accomplishments in next month’s DEO Newsletter update. Submit your news through the HSHP Communications Request Form.

Newsletter archive

Missed last month's update? View past issues to catch up on the exciting news and recognitions in the department.