Faculty Research in the News
- Babiak Receives Diaz Fellowship
Amy McClellan, Executive Director
Nonprofit Academic Centers Council
July 21, 2008
The Nonprofit Academic Centers Council (NACC) recently announced that a William Diaz Fellowship was awarded to Dr. Katherine (Kathy) M. Babiak of U-M Kinesiology.
In announcing the 2008 cohort of fellows chosen through a competitive application process, NACC Fellowship Committee Chair David O. Renz noted, “We are delighted to see once again, examples of some of the most exciting and interesting research being undertaken in the field. The work of this team of fellows exemplifies the true spirit of this program and the leaders whom these fellowships honor.” More...
- Program Helps Special Needs Kids Ride Bikes
FOX 2 News, Detroit
July 31, 2008 
Ninety percent of children with Down syndrome, and the vast majority of children with autism, never learn how to ride a bicycle. However, as FOX 2's Lila Lazarus reports, a University of Michigan research project is making a difference. More...
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Exercise reduces hunger in lean women but not obese women
Laura Bailey
UM News Service
June 17, 2008
Exercise does not suppress appetite in obese women as it does in lean women, according to a new study.
“This [lack of appetite suppression] may promote greater food intake after exercise in obese women,” said Dr. Katarina Borer, a University of Michigan researcher in the Division of Kinesiology, and lead author of the study. “This information will help therapists and physicians understand the limitations of exercise in appetite control for weight loss in obese people.”
The results were presented Saturday (June 17) at The Endocrine Society's 90th annual meeting in San Francisco. More…
- New Hints Seen That Red Wine May Slow Aging
as reported by Nicholas Wade
New York Times
June 4, 2008
Red wine may be much more potent than was thought in extending human lifespan, researchers say in a new report that is likely to give impetus to the rapidly growing search for longevity drugs.
A research team, including U-M Kinesiology professor Gregory Cartee and researcher Ed Arias, authored a paper featured in the Science section of the New York Times that describes the effect of an ingredient in red wine on the aging in mice.
The scientists conclude, “… a low dose of resveratrol (a phytoalexin — an antibiotic produced by plants) partially mimics CR (a calorie-restricted diet) at the gene expression level and leads to prevention of some age-related parameters... . Because cardiac disease is a major contributor to age-related mortality, positive findings could lead to a novel and important approach to improve the quality of human life.”
- Racism not an issue in firing of NBA coaches
Laura Bailey
UM News Service
May 13, 2008
Race is not a factor in the firing of NBA coaches, although white coaches with losing records had somewhat longer tenures before being fired than African-American coaches with more losses than wins, a new study shows.
The University of Michigan study looked at differences between firing of African-American and white coaches in the National Basketball Association. The study found no difference in “technical efficiency” by race of coach, and found no evidence that there are differences in firings based on race, says lead researcher Rodney Fort, U-M professor in the Division of Kinesiology. More...
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Big partnerships take effort, but pay off in the end
Laura Bailey
UM News Service
Apr. 29, 2008
Collaboration is a popular buzzword these days but when different sectors work together, do they really get work done?
New research shows that government, corporate and nonprofit groups face special challenges when partnering but the effort is indeed well worth it. The key is developing a formal plan to avoid the pitfalls inherent in large collaborations among different sectors, a University of Michigan researcher says.
Kathy Babiak, assistant professor in the Division of Kinesiology Department of Sport Management, studies the interorganizational partnerships created by sport organizations. Her recent study, which will be published in the Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, looked at 15-20 organizations from different sectors as they worked with a Canadian Sport Center toward the common goal of improving the performance of Canadian Olympic athletes. More...
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The spring in your step is more than just a good mood
Laura Bailey
UM News Service
Apr. 23, 2008
Scientists using a bionic boot found that during walking, the ankle does about three times the work for the same amount of energy compared to isolated muscles—in other words, the spring in your step is very real and helps us move efficiently.
While much has been done measuring the efficiency of individual muscles, this is the first known study to measure the energy efficiency of a body part such as the ankle, said Dr. Daniel Ferris, associate professor with the University of Michigan Division of Kinesiology and lead researcher on the project.
The results suggest manufacturers should rethink prosthesis design so the ankle part can do more of the work, said Ferris, who also holds an appointment in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. It also sheds light on why rehabilitation and mobility is so exhausting for people with unhealthy ankles or neurologic problems. More...
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Treadmill training helps Down syndrome babies walk months earlier
Laura Bailey
UM News Service
Oct. 30, 2007
Starting Down syndrome infants on treadmill training for just minutes a day can help them walk up to four or five months earlier than with only traditional physical therapy, a new study from the University of Michigan says.
The study also suggests that infants who do high intensity treadmill training may walk even sooner.
Getting infants walking is critical because so many other skills arise from locomotion: social skills, motor skills, advancement of perception and spatial cognition, says professor Dale Ulrich of the University of Michigan Division of Kinesiology and principal investigator on the treadmill training project. More...
- Muscle patterns in women may be linked to at risk positioning for ACL tears
Laura Bailey
UM News Service
Sept. 18, 2007
Research suggests that training programs for females to restore balance between hamstring and quadriceps muscles to better support knee joints could help reduce the disproportionately high number of ACL tears in female athletes.
A new study shows that the amount of preparatory muscle action in the muscles spanning the knee joint prior to landings is associated with knee positions that are considered at risk for ACL rupture, said Riann Palmieri-Smith, lead author and assistant professor at the University of Michigan Division of Kinesiology. More...
- Artificial Muscles
Terry Knight
Engineering TV
Episode 62, Aug. 13, 2007
A robotic exoskeleton controlled by the wearer's own nervous system could help users regain limb function, according to U-M Kinesiology Researcher Dan Ferris, Associate Professor of Movement Science and director of the Human Neuromechanics Laboratory. Video.
- Dramatic health benefits after just one exercise session
Laura Bailey
UM News Service
May 18, 2007
New research shows that just one session of exercise can prevent a primary symptom of type 2 diabetes by altering fat metabolism in muscle.
Researchers from the University of Michigan discovered that a session of aerobic exercise increases storage of fat in muscle, which actually improves insulin sensitivity. Low insulin sensitivity, or insulin resistance, is an impaired ability of the body to take up sugar from the blood, which can lead to high blood sugar and diabetes.
Jeffrey Horowitz, associate professor in the U-M Division of Kinesiology, and his former doctoral student, Simon Schenk, now a post-doctoral fellow at the University of California, San Diego, conducted the study, which appears online in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. More...
- An ULTrA idea:
Connect adults with cerebral palsy to virtual trainers at home
Krista Hopson
UMHS press release
Apr. 2, 2007
 Through seed funding provided by the 2004 Movement for Life Invitational, Susan Brown, Ph.D., director of the Motor Control Laboratory, and Dr. Edward Hurvitz, M.D., chair, UMHS Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, developed a pilot study that yielded a three-year grant from the US Department of Education to develop the Upper Limb Training and Assessment (ULTra) Program. The 10-week home-based training and assessment initiative is linked via the internet to researcher-therapists in Brown’s laboratory.
ULTra addresses the issue of aging with disability and provides adults with Cerebral Palsy specialized therapeutic techniques. Often considered a non-progressive condition, CP can cause a decline in motor skills long after childhood. Full story, including video.
- Study takes next step: Why women suffer more knee injuries
Laura Bailey
UM News Service
Mar. 7, 2007
 Before joining U-M Kinesiology, assistant professor Scott McLean, Ph.D. collaborated with Cleveland Clinic researchers on studies that are helping to determine why women athletes suffer more ACL tears than their male counterparts. McLean now directs the Injury Biomechanics Laboratory. Full story.
- Robotic exoskeleton replaces muscle work
Laura Bailey
UM News Service
Feb. 8, 2007
Dan Ferris, Ph.D., director of the Human Neuromechanics Laboratory, has been developing a robotic ankle exoskeleton that can be controlled by the wearer's own nervous system. It may have promising applications for rehabilitation and physical therapy for people with partial nervous system impairment, such as stroke patients.
Full story, including videos.
- Who Are the Intended Beneficiaries (Targets) of Employee
Health Promotion and Wellness Programs?
North Carolina Medical Journal
Nov./Dec. 2006
 Medical journals and the popular press are filling pages with news about the increasing levels of obesity, diabetes and other health-related behaviors, risks and diseases. Some companies are now doing something about it — nearly 20 years after these issues were first addressed by the Health Management Research Center. Dee Edington, Ph.D., HMRC director, questions who are the intended beneficiaries of employee health promotion programs in an article that recently appeared in the North Carolina Medical Journal.
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