- Faculty
Stephen Carter
-
Assistant Professor
Open Research and Contributor Identifier
Education
The University of Alabama, Ph.D., 2014
Central Washington University, M.S., 2010
Willamette University, B.A., 2006
Background
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Cancer Prevention and Control Training Program (NCI), University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2016-2018
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Nutrition Obesity Research Center (NIDDK), University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2014-2016
- Most Esteemed Postdoc Award, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2016
- New Investigator Award, Partnership for Clean Competition, American Physiological Society, 2015
Research Interests
Cardiovascular Physiology; Environmental Physiology; Exercise-oncology; Therapeutic utility of hypoxia-/heat-therapy
Much of my recent work has been poised to circumvent barriers of exercise training among clinical populations (e.g., obesity, cancer, CVD) wherein comorbidities and mobility restrictions are commonplace. More specifically, increased adiposity intensifies the mechanical load on lower-extremities, and thus, contributes to difficulty associated with activities of daily-living. To ease this complication, individuals with obesity frequently adopt aberrant walking mechanics that may increase the susceptibility to musculoskeletal pathologies and compromised functional performance. While high-intensity interval exercise is generally felt to be an attractive option for expediting favorable health outcomes, it can be unsuitable for those with lower-extremity ailments (due to the high strain involved). Alternatively, exercise coupled with hypoxia is an innovative approach that may offer clinically meaningful benefits. In this context, the overarching theme of my research efforts are to test the utility of hypoxic-exercise training to improve cardio-metabolic health and immune function in clinical populations. Particular emphasis is placed on understanding how hypoxic-exercise training may differentially modulate blood pressure through the nitrate-nitrite-nitric oxide pathway, glucose regulation, and immune cell function compared to normoxic-exercise. To advance this line of work, both acute and chronic training studies are needed.
Selected Publications
Articles
Carter SJ, Hunter GR, Norian LA, Turan B, Rogers LQ. Ease of walking associates with greater free-living physical activity and reduced depressive symptomology in breast cancer survivors: pilot randomized trial. Supportive Care in Cancer. 2018. 26(5): 1675-1683. PMID: 29243165
Hunter GR, Moellering DR, Carter SJ, Gower BA, Bamman MM, Hornbuckle LM, Plaisance EP, Fisher G. Potential causes of elevated REE following high-intensity interval exercise. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2017. 49(12): 2414-2421. PMID: 28737531
Carter SJ, Plaisance EP, Fisher G, Fernandez JR, Gower BA, Hunter GR. Alterations in hemoglobin and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D are related before and after weight loss independent of African admixture. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 2017. 27(1): 59-66. PMID: 27203820
Carter SJ, Herron RL, Rogers LQ, Hunter GR. Is “high-intensity” a bad word? Journal of Physiotherapy. 2016. 62(3): 175. PMID: 27320829
Carter SJ, Hunter GR, McAuley E, Courneya KS, Anton PM, Rogers LQ. Lower rate-pressure product during submaximal walking: a link to fatigue improvement following a physical activity intervention among breast cancer survivors. Journal of Cancer Survivorship. 2016. 10(5): 927-934. PMID: 27061740
Carter SJ, Goldsby TU, Fisher G, Plaisance EP, Gower BA, Glasser SP, Hunter GR. Systolic blood pressure response after high-intensity interval exercise is independently related to decreased small arterial elasticity in normotensive African American women. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism. 2016. 41(5): 484-490. PMID: 26953821
Hunter GR, Fisher G, Neumeier WH, Carter SJ, Plaisance EP. Exercise training and energy expenditure following weight loss. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2015. 47(9): 1950-1957. PMID: 25606816