When Linda Pescatello began her career as an exercise science researcher, the field was a marginal part of the medical sciences. Over the course of her decades-long commitment to continual learning and research, Pescatello\u2019s work has risen to prominence, making her an internationally recognized expert in exercise prescription and post-exercise hypotension.<\/p>\n
After graduating with a bachelor\u2019s degree from UConn\u2019s Neag School of Education in 1973, Pescatello worked as a biology and chemistry teacher, and coach at Rockville High School.<\/p>\n
One requirement for her to continue teaching was to earn a master\u2019s degree. Pescatello returned to UConn to study exercise science, merging her interests in science and physical activity.<\/p>\n
\u201cAmongst all of us what\u2019s very very clear is we have a love for sports and exercise,\u201d Pescatello says.<\/p>\n
Pescatello has a lifelong passion for physical activity, and played on UConn\u2019s basketball, softball, and tennis teams as an undergraduate.<\/p>\n
When Pescatello was working on her master\u2019s degree in the late 1970s, the exercise science lab at UConn consisted of just a scale and a bicycle ergometer on the top floor of the Hawley Armory.<\/p>\n
Pescatello stayed at UConn and earned her Ph.D. in exercise science in 1986. After managing the Department of Health Promotion at New Britain General Hospital for years, Pescatello returned to UConn as a professor in the Department of Kinesiology in the College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources<\/a>.<\/p>\n Since Pescatello\u2019s time as a graduate student, the exercise science field has seen tremendous growth.<\/p>\n \u201cJust to see the expansion and use of exercise to improve many health outcomes has enabled the growth of our profession,\u201d Pescatello says.<\/p>\n Part of this expansion can be credited to the \u201cexercise is medicine\u201d movement which began in the early 1990s. This movement emphasizes how exercise can be used as part of treatment and prevention plans for a variety of conditions.<\/p>\n Just to see the expansion and use of exercise to improve many health outcomes has enabled the growth of our profession. — Linda Pescatello<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n This movement was spearheaded by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the leading professional exercise science organization in the country.<\/p>\n Pescatello served as associate editor and senior editor for the ACSM guidelines for exercise testing and prescription. She also worked on the development of the 2018 activity guidelines report that served as the basis for the physical activity guidelines for Americans.<\/p>\n Career Making Discoveries<\/strong><\/p>\n Early into her time at UConn, Pescatello worked on several major studies that led to landmark discoveries.<\/p>\n Pescatello worked with Paul Thompson at the Hartford Hospital to study how genetic polymorphisms affect the exercise training response. They were interested in seeing if people with different variations of the same gene would be better suited to certain kinds of exercise training to improve health outcomes. For example, a certain genotype may make someone\u2019s blood pressure improve with endurance training, while another would lend itself to more improvements in muscle size and strength as a result of resistance strength training.<\/p>\n However, the researchers found no such thing. Instead, they discovered many genes account for a small amount of a person\u2019s health outcome response to training.<\/p>\n \u201cWe found no single that could largely explain how we adapt to an exercise intervention,\u201d Pescatello says. \u201cThat was an about-face in the field.\u201d<\/p>\n Pescatello completed another study looking at the immediate effects of exercise on blood pressure. This now-well-known phenomenon called post-exercise hypotension that occurs when, after exercising, a person\u2019s blood pressure decreases for the remainder of the day. In other ways, due to post-exercise hypotension, blood pressure is lower on the days we exercise than on days we don\u2019t. This is especially important for individuals with hypertension (high blood pressure). This effect can last for hours and is an effective hypertension treatment strategy.<\/p>\n These findings launched Pescatello onto the international stage as an expert in post-exercise hypotension and drew attention to how effective exercise can be as lifestyle therapy.<\/p>\n Putting Research into Practice<\/strong><\/p>\n Pescatello\u2019s latest project helps put research on exercise prescription to use in clinical settings.<\/p>\n Pescatello has developed an algorithm known as P3EX<\/a>. This decision support tool helps doctors and other health care professionals prescribe a customized exercise plan for patients at risk for cardiovascular disease.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have found that on the current market there is no exercise app that does what P3-EX does,\u201d Pescatello says.<\/p>\n P3-EX is a unique tool that helps practitioners determine which risk factor to target to see the greatest benefit to the patient. For example, aerobic activity can help increase HDL or \u201cgood\u201d cholesterol levels, whereas resistance or strength training is more effective for lowering LDL or \u201cbad\u201d cholesterol levels.<\/p>\n Pescatello is currently testing the tool\u2019s feasibility in a large study. Three hundred professionals will use the tool in their practice and provide the research team with feedback. She is also interested in turning P3-EX into a mobile app with her research team.<\/p>\n Pescatello is also working on a study using Tai-Chi as an intervention for older adults with hypertension, led by postdoctoral researcher Yin Wu.<\/p>\n This work, supported by the Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy (InCHIP<\/a>) and the Brain Imaging Research Center (BIRC<\/a>), will examine Tai-Chi\u2019s impact on blood pressure and brain structural function, both of which are important risk factors for dementia.<\/p>\n In an upcoming interuniversity study, Pescatello will look at exercise and stress management for people taking prescription medication for chronic pain and who have opioid use disorder.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s another exciting area to develop strong collaborations with and we\u2019ll see where it brings us,\u201d Pescatello says.<\/p>\n This will not be the first time Pescatello has applied her expertise in exercise prescription to a daunting public health crisis. Pescatello worked with Nancy Petry at UConn Health to study the impact of exercise interventions for people with HIV and substance use disorder.<\/p>\n You need to know your strengths and weaknesses and you build your team to complement those. — Linda Pescatello<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Pescatello says this kind of team science approach is becoming increasingly important.<\/p>\n \u201cYou need to know your strengths and weaknesses and you build your team to complement those,\u201d Pescatello says.<\/p>\n An Impact for the Future<\/strong><\/p>\n As the U.S. faces an aging population and increasing rates of obesity and diabetes, exercise will become an even more important part of regular health care, Pescatello says.<\/p>\n \u201cExercise is almost going to become a fundamental skillset for all of us because of the way we live our lives and the increase in sedentary and sitting time,\u201d Pescatello says.<\/p>\n To address this growing challenge, another arm of Pescatello\u2019s research focuses on how to keep people active through collaborations with clinical psychology researchers.<\/p>\n \u201cI think exercise professionals also have contributed to the high amounts of physical inactivity in our country because we often don\u2019t combine exercise interventions with behavioral strategies to increase exercise adherence,\u201d Pescatello says.<\/p>\n As the challenges Pescatello works to solve have only grown over the years, so has her commitment to research and teaching the next generation.<\/p>\n Research, for Pescatello, calls for curiosity and thinking independently, something she imparts on her students through an experiential learning and problem-solving approach.<\/p>\n \u201cThe students are learning current, state-of the art knowledge in our teaching and I take pride in that,\u201d Pescatello says.<\/p>\n Pescatello has been a critical force in growing the curriculum at UConn focused on the evidence-based health benefits of exercise.<\/p>\n \u201cLeaving that as a growing venture to the university is something I can give back,\u201d Pescatello says.<\/p>\n Pescatello says her intrinsic desire to always learn more and the impact her work and the students she has mentored has keep her motivated.<\/p>\n \u201cI do feel that the research I’ve been involved with has positively impacted the way people lead their lives which is ultimately the motivation for staying in the field as long as I have,\u201d Pescatello says.<\/p>\n Follow UConn Research on\u00a0<\/em>Twitter<\/em><\/a>\u00a0&\u00a0<\/em>LinkedIn<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Pescatello\u2019s career as a kinesiology researcher grew out of an enduring desire to learn coupled with her lifelong passion for physical activity and 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