B.S. Austin Peay State University 2006
M.S. Indiana University-Bloomington 2008
Ph.D. Massey University 2011

• Associate Editor (2020- ) American Journal of Physiology—Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology
• Assistant Professor, Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, University at Buffalo (2014–2019)
• Thermal Councilor, Environmental and Exercise Physiology Section, American Physiological Society (2019– )
• New Investigator Award, Environmental and Exercise Physiology Section, American Physiological Society (2019)
• Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine (2018– )
• Editorial Board, American Journal of Physiology—Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology (2015– )
• Postdoctoral Fellowship, Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine, Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas and University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (2012–2014)
• Academic All-American (3rd Team), NCAA Division I College Basketball, ESPN The Magazine (2006)

Scholarly Interest

Our research interests involve identifying the implications of thermal stress (i.e., heat, cold, humidity) and other related stressors (e.g., dehydration, hypoxia) on integrative physiology. In laboratory-based studies, the overarching goals of our research are twofold - (1) Understand and mitigate deleterious effects of environmental stressors on health-related outcomes; and (2) Identify and harness health benefits associated with acute or chronic exposures to extreme environments. Our current research foci include - (a) Understanding the mechanisms of autonomic and behavioral thermoregulation during exercise and/or heat exposure; (b) Examining the impact of heat exposure, dehydration and/or exercise on renal function and injury; and (c) Elucidating adaptations to diving related environmental exposures. We conduct these studies in younger and older adults, and with relevance to other at-risk populations (e.g., military, manual laborers, etc.). The overarching goal of our research is to generate knowledge that translates to improvements in health and safety in occupational and military settings, and during extreme weather events (e.g., heat waves).

• Integrative physiology
• Exercise physiology
• Environmental physiology
• Cardiovascular physiology
• Renal physiology

Google Scholar Profile »

Schlader ZJ, Hostler DC, Hostler D. Heat strain is exacerbated on the second of consecutive days of fire suppression. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 49: 999-1005, 2017.

Schlader ZJ, Chapman CL, Sarker S, Russo L, Rideout TC, Parker MD, Johnson BD, Hostler D. Firefighter work duration influences the extent of acute kidney injury. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 49: 1745-1753, 2017.

Schlader ZJ, Sackett JR, Sarker S, Johnson BD. Orderly recruitment of thermoeffectors in resting humans. American Journal of Physiology – Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology 314: R171-R180, 2018.

Vargas NT, Slyer J, Chapman CL, Johnson BD, Temple JL, Mietlicki-Baase EG, Schlader ZJ. The motivation to behaviorally thermoregulate during passive heat exposure in humans is dependent on the magnitude of increases in skin temperature. Physiology and Behavior 194: 545-551, 2018.

Chapman CL, Johnson BD, Sackett JR, Parker MD, Schlader ZJ. Soft drink consumption during and following exercise in the heat elevates biomarkers of acute kidney injury. American Journal of Physiology—Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology 316: R189-R198, 2019. (selected for APS Select, March 2019)

Vargas NT, Chapman CL, Johnson BD, Gathercole R, Schlader ZJ. Exercise intensity independently modulates thermal behavior during exercise recovery, but not during exercise. Journal of Applied Physiology 126: 1150-1159, 2019.

Schlader ZJ, Vargas NT. Regulation of body temperature by autonomic and behavioral thermoeffectors. Exercise and Sport Science Reviews 47: 116-126, 2019.

Schlader ZJ, Hostler D, Parker MD, Pryor R, Lohr JW, Johnson BD, Chapman CL. The potential for renal injury elicited by physical work in the heat. Nutrients 11: 2087, 2019.

Chapman CL, Grigoryan T, Vargas NT, Reed EL, Keuck PJ, Pietrafesa LD, Bloomfield AC, Johnson BD, Schlader ZJ. High fructose corn syrup sweetened soft drink consumption increases vascular resistance in the kidneys at rest and during sympathetic activation. American Journal of Physiology—Renal Physiology 318: F1053-F1065, 2020.

Chapman CL, Johnson BD, Vargas NT, Hostler D, Parker MD, Schlader ZJ. Both hyperthermia and dehydration during physical work in the heat contribute to the risk of acute kidney injury. Journal of Applied Physiology 128: 715-728, 2020.

Schlader ZJ, Johnson BD, Pryor RR, Stooks J, Clemency BM, Hostler D. Human thermoregulation during prolonged exposure to warm and extremely humid environments expected to occur in disabled submarine scenarios. American Journal of Physiology—Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology 318: R950-R960, 2020.

Vargas NT, Chapman CL, Ji W, Johnson BD, Gathercole R, Schlader ZJ. Increased skin wetness independently augments cool-seeking behavior during passive heat stress. The Journal of Physiology 598: 2775-2795, 2020.

Chapman CL, Johnson BD, Parker MD, Hostler D, Pryor RR, Schlader ZJ. Kidney physiology and pathophysiology during heat stress and the modification by exercise, dehydration, heat acclimation and aging. Temperature 8: 108-159, 2021.