Linda Pescatello

Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor

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Titles:

Professor
CPD

Academic Degrees:

Exercise Science, University of Connecticut, PhD

Exercise Science, University of Connecticut, MA

Biological Sciences, University of Connecticut, BS

Postdoctorate Research, John B. Pierce Foundation, Yale University School of Medicine

Areas of Expertise:

Cardiovascular Physiology

Hypertension

Exercise Prescription for Special Populations

Exercise & Aging

Health Promotion

Industrial Wellness

Biography:

Linda S. Pescatello, PhD, FACSM, CPD, is a Professor in the Department of Kinesiology in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources at the University of Connecticut, Storrs campus. She holds joint appointments in the Departments of Physiology and Neurobiology, Nutritional Sciences, and Allied Health Sciences. She was a member of the Strategic Planning Committee and the Academic Program Development Task Force Subcommittee, and is currently a faculty member of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Concentration of the Center for Public Health and Health Policy. Dr. Pescatello is a principal investigator and member of the executive committee of the Center for Health, Intervention and Prevention (or CHIP), and an affiliate of the Connecticut Center for Excellence for Eliminating Health Disparities among Latinos at the University of Connecticut. She has consultant privileges in the Division of Cardiology, Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT, and is a Research Scientist for the Department of Health Promotion at New Britain General Hospital, New Britain, CT. Prior to receiving an appointment at the University of Connecticut, she directed the Department of Health Promotion and cardiac rehabilitation program at New Britain General Hospital for 10 years, and taught exercise physiology in the Physical Therapy Program at the University of Hartford for 2 years. Her research has evolved from her work with patients in clinical settings.

Dr. Pescatello has been funded by the American Heart Association for her work on exercise and hypertension; Pratt & Whitney Corporation for research relating to comprehensive worksite health promotion interventions; and the United States Department of Agriculture for providing personal training physical activity interventions to adolescent, overweight, minority girls. As a member of the Exercise Science and Genetics Collaborative Research Group, she had been funded by Donaghue Medical Research Foundation for her research related to exercise genomics; and was a site co-principal investigator of a 5 year multi-center grant project entitled, Functional Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms Associated with Human Size and Strength, funded by the National Institutes of Health, Aging and Neurological Disorders and Stroke. She is currently funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute for her research examining the effects of cholesterol medications on exercise-induced muscle injury and the efficacy of contingency management in reducing obesity and improving indicators of cardiovascular health in obese individuals; the National Institutes of Health and National Institutes on Drug Abuse to evaluate a novel contingency management intervention that reinforces participation in low intensity physical activity among HIV and cocaine substance abusers; the National Institutes of Health and National Institutes on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to investigate exercise and contingency management and physical activity as interventions to reduce hazardous drinking among college students; and the National Dairy Council for her investigation of the influence of whey protein supplementation and resistance training on ambulatory blood pressure.

She has authored over 80 scientific publications on exercise and hypertension, exercise prescription for special populations particularly older adults and those with cardiometabolic disease, genetic determinants of the exercise response, and worksite health promotion interventions. Dr. Pescatello was the associate editor for the 8th edition of American College of Sports Medicine’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription and has been named the senior editor of the 9th edition of these guidelines that will be published in 2013. She has been actively involved with the American College of Sports Medicine throughout her career serving as a regional chapter President, Board of Trustee, Vice President of Research, Health and Policy, and Chair of the Pronouncements Committee.

Funded Research:

genetic and clinical determinants of the immediate antihypertensive effects of exercise

genetic determinants of habitual physical activity

genetic determinants of the muscle size and strength response to resistance training

the effect of statins on skeletal muscle function

the influence of whey protein supplementation and resistance training on blood pressure

exercise as an intervention for hazardous drinking among young adults

physical activity and contingency management as an intervention for HIV-positive and cocaine substance abusers

efficacy of exercise interventions following cancer diagnosis: a meta-analysis

the metabolic syndrome, blood pressure and mental health among men at the worksite

the efficacy of contingency management and physical activity in reducing obesity and improving indicators of cardiovascular health in overweight and obese individuals

Selected Publications/Presentations:

Pescatello LS. The promises and challenges of the use of genomics in the prescription of exercise for hypertension. Cur Hypertens Rev 6: 32-34, 2010.

Augeri A, GJ Tsongalis, JL Van Heest, CM Maresh, PD Thompson and LS Pescatello. The Influence of the ENOS 786 T>C Polymorphism on the Blood Pressure and Nitric Oxide Response to Acute Dynamic Aerobic Exercise. Atherosclerosis Dec 16, 2008 Epub ahead of print 204: e28-34, 2009.

Thompson PD, BA Parker, PM Clarkson, LS Pescatello, CM White, AS Grimaldi, BD Levine, RG Galler and EP Hoffman. A randomized clinical trial to assess the effect of statins on skeletal muscle function and performance: Rationale and study design.

Kostek MA, MK Goodspeed, RL Seip, TJ Angelopoulos, PM Clarkson, PM Gordon, NM Moyna, PS Visich, RF Zoeller, S Bilbie, PD Thompson, J Devaney, EP Hoffman and LS Pescatello. Myostatin and follistatin polymorphisms and muscle phenotypes associations are ethnic specific. Med Sci Sports Exerc 41: 1063-1071, 2009.

Pescatello LS, BE Blanchard, JL Van Heest, CM Maresh and PD Thompson. The metabolic syndrome and the immediate antihypertensive effects of aerobic exercise: a randomized control design. BMC Cardiovascular Disorders 8:12, 2008 doi:10.1186/1471-2261-8-12. (highly accessed)

Pescatello LS, BE Blanchard, GJ Tsongalis, CM Maresh and PD Thompson. alpha adducin Gly460Trp polymorphism interacts with exercise intensity to alter the blood pressure response following endurance exercise. Clin Sci 113: 251-258, 2007. First published May 2, 2007 doi:10.1042/CS20060345.

Pescatello LS, M Alonso, R Schaffino and R Leavitt. Determinants of physical activity among urban Puerto Rican women. J Strength Cond Res 22: 1515-5121, 2008.

Pescatello LS, M Kostek, H Gordish-Dressman, PD Thompson, RL Seip, TB Price, TJ Angelopoulos, PM Clarkson, PM Gordon, NM Moyna, PS Visich, RF Zoeller, JM Devaney and EP Hoffman. ACE ID genotype and the muscle strength and size response to unilateral resistance training. Med Sci Sports Exerc 38: 1074-1081, 2006.

Pescatello LS (co-chair), B Franklin (co-chair), R Fagard, W Farquhar, GA Kelly and C Ray. American College of Sports Medicine. Position Stand: Exercise and hypertension. Med Sci Sports Exerc 36: 533-553, 2004.

Pescatello LS, MA Guidry, BE Blanchard, A Kerr, AW Taylor, CM Maresh, N Rodriguez and PD Thompson. Exercise intensity alters postexercise hypotension. J Hypertens 22:1881-1888, 2004.

Honors/Awards:

Citation Award, American College of Sports Medicine, 2011

Golden Apple Award for Teaching Excellence and Dean’s Research Award, University of Connecticut, School of Allied Health 1999-2003

Community Health Charities of Connecticut Workplace Silver/Bronze Award, Pratt & Whitney Corp 2001, 2000

Outstanding Sports/Leisure Professional Award, University of Connecticut Neag School of Education 1999

Honor Award, New England American College of Sports Medicine, 1998

Associations/Committees/Outreach:

American College of Sports Medicine

American Heart Association

American Public Health Association

American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation

Center for Health, Intervention and Prevention (CHIP)