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About Sara
Dr. Sara Harper is an Assistant Professor of Kinesiology in the College of Education, Sport, and Human Sciences at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, where she has served since 2023. She directs the HARPER laboratory, which conducts research on human factors, healthy age-related physical function, ergonomics, and exercise. Her specializations encompass fall prevention, neuromechanics, perception-action dynamics, neuromuscular research, body composition, exercise physiology in aging, stairway safety, balance recovery, exercise interventions for Parkinson’s disease, sarcopenia, and eccentric resistance training. Harper completed her Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology at Kent State University in 2014, focusing her dissertation on the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism's impact on cognition, depression, quality of life, and motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease patients following dynamic cycling. She also obtained her M.S. in Exercise Physiology in 2013 and B.S. in Physical Education with an Exercise Science concentration in 2008 from Kent State University. Her career includes Postdoctoral Fellow II at Utah State University Department of Kinesiology and Health Science (2019–2023), Postdoctoral Fellow at University of Alabama at Birmingham Division of Gerontology, Geriatrics, and Palliative Care (2018–2019), Visiting Assistant Professor at Tiffin University (2016–2017), and research assistant roles at Case Western Reserve University and Kent State University.
Harper's publications reflect her influence in exercise physiology and gerontology, with standout works such as “Prevalence of hospital-associated disability in older adults: a meta-analysis” (Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 2020; 416 citations), “Circadian rhythms, exercise, and cardiovascular health” (Journal of circadian rhythms, 2018; 179 citations), “Blood-flow restriction resistance exercise for older adults with knee osteoarthritis: a pilot randomized clinical trial” (Journal of clinical medicine, 2019; 126 citations), and “State of knowledge on molecular adaptations to exercise in humans: historical perspectives and future directions” (Comprehensive Physiology, 2022; 85 citations). Recent contributions include “Sensor Fusion for Enhancing Motion Capture: Integrating Optical and Inertial Motion Capture Systems” (Sensors, 2025), “Prefrontal activation when suppressing an automatic balance recovery step” (Gait & Posture, 2024), and “Real-World Stairways: Need for Visual Contrast Enhancement to Mitigate the Hazards of Variable Step Geometry” (Ergonomics in Design, 2024). As principal investigator, she received an American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellowship (2020–2021, $131,356). Honors include the American Society of Biomechanics Faculty Scholars Travel Award (2025), Council on Undergraduate Research Health Sciences Division Innovative Mentor Award (2025), and Utah State University Student Association Distinguished Service Award (2021). At UAH, she teaches Exercise Physiology, Research in Exercise Science I and II, Exercise Prescription & Testing, and Measurement & Evaluation, and chairs the 2026 Slips, Trips, and Falls International Conference. She holds memberships in the American College of Sports Medicine, Gerontological Society of America, and Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.
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