William Neises
Will Neises is studying Kinesiology and Health with a Pre-Physical Therapy option. After graduation, he plans to attend physical therapy school to pursue a Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree. He is interested in connecting metrics of physical health to mental wellness and using that data as a way to justify treating major depressive disorder with exercise.
William Phan
William Phan is a Sophomore who is currently studying Kinesiology with a Pre-Physician Assistant track. After graduation, he plans to attend Physicians Assistant school to pursue a master’s in physicians assistants studies under pediatrics. He is interested in ways how exercise relates to mood and anxiety, and how exercise can improve and treat anxiety and depression.
Mariana Gonzalez
Mariana is currently a junior at ISU majoring in Kinesiology and Health. After ISU, she plans on getting her Masters of Physician Assistant Studies, wishing to pursue a career in pediatrics. She joined the lab through LSAMP and is currently helping with the ActiveCBT study. Mariana is interested in exploring the effects physical activity has on people that suffer from depression.
Jake Brown
Jake Brown double majored in Biology and Kinesiology and Health, pre-PT. He plans to pursue physical therapy school to earn his Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree. Jake is interested in working with patients with disabilities and helping people use exercise to become their best selves!
Grant Clark
Grant Clark graduated with a degree in Kinesiology and Health, specifically the Pre-Physician Assistant track. He plans to attend PA school and get his Masters of Physician Assistant Studies degree. Grant is interested in chemical/hormonal physiology in the brain and body, making exercise a normalized prescription in medicine, and the effects of exercise on neural functions. He is involved with the RET study and is very motivated to apply learned skills to future career opportunities!
Faviola Morales
Faviola Morales is double majoring in Biology and Kinesiology and Health with a Pre-Human Medicine option, pursuing her pre-medicine requirements. After earning her undergraduate degree, she plans to go to medical school and obtain her doctorate in Diagnostic Radiology. As for her research interests, she is invested in learning more about how the mind and body relate to each other, such as how physical activity could improve mood disorders.
Ethan Kiehne
Ethan graduated with a degree in Kinesiology with a pre-physical therapy option and a minor in Spanish. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in Physical Therapy. One thing he’s interested in with regards to kinesiology & health is the different physiological effects of exercise on the body as well as the mind. Also, looking at how a person’s body and mind are affected during recovery to find the best way for athletes, manual laborers, or any other active person to recover from an injury.
Julia Slocum
Julia Slocum earned her BA in International Studies and Spanish from the University of Iowa. After several years of running an organic vegetable farm, Julia returned to ISU to explore a growing interest in psychology, during which she volunteered with the ActiveCBT Study. She’s now a first-year doctoral student in Counseling Psychology at ISU. Among her many interests are the effectiveness of walk-and-talk therapy and outdoor therapy approaches.
Zach Schreck
Zach Schreck was an undergraduate research assistant studying Kinesiology with a Pre-Physical Therapy option. After graduation, he will attend Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences in Rochester to begin working toward his Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. He is interested in the ways injuries can onset depressive symptoms and how a return to exercise may differ psychologically from regular exercise.
Maria Perez
Maria Perez defended her dissertation on April 10th, 2020, successfully becoming Dr. Perez! She earned her master’s degree in Exercise Science from The University of Texas at El Paso and is a Kinesiology doctoral candidate with a focus in Exercise Psychology. Her research interests are focused on the use of exercise, physical activity, and decreasing sedentary behavior to reduce depressive symptoms and prevent depression. She is also interested in researching individual differences, attitudes, and preferences toward physical activity behaviors to better target and improve adherence to behavior change interventions.
Gabriel Cruz
Gabriel Cruz defended his thesis on April 22nd, 2020, successfully earning his Masters in Exercise Psychology. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Kinesiology from Iowa State University in Fall 2017. He is interested in exploring the use of exercise, physical activity, and sedentary behavior interventions in the treatment of depression and other mental health conditions. His goal is to target lifestyle behaviors that could prevent mental illness or facilitate the treatment of it.
Allison Buckert
Allison Buckert is an undergraduate research assistant majoring in Kinesiology and Health. She plans on getting her Masters of Physician Assistant Studies after graduation at Iowa State University. Allison is wishing to pursue a career in dermatology or family medicine. She is also interested in how different blood biomarkers are affected during Physical Activity.
Austin Castillo
Austin Castillo was an undergraduate research assistant who majored in Kinesiology and Health on the Human Medicine track. He is planning on attending medical school and pursuing a career as an orthopedic surgeon. He is interested in exploring the effects exercise has on people who suffer from depression because depression is becoming more prevalent amongst college students and he thinks that exercise would be a beneficial way to help ease symptoms of depression. He enjoyed being able to interact with participants during visits and being part of the WellEx team.
Joe Welling
Joe Welling is a senior at Iowa State this year. He is currently majoring in Kinesiology, with a minor in Chinese Studies. He hopes to be able to live abroad and run his own physical therapy clinic. Growing up, he moved around quite a bit, so he doesn’t really consider himself to have a true “hometown.” He graduated from high school and lived in Nanjing, China for five years. His favorite hobby is traveling, but his more affordable pastimes include cooking and being involved in the Sorority and Fraternity Community.
Michael Gibson
Michael Gibson was a research associate in the WellEx Lab. He received his Associate of Liberal Arts degree from DMACC and then transferred to Iowa State University to major in Kinesiology. His goal is to get his doctorate in Occupational Therapy. He is interested in how different mindsets and moods can affect the body, blood, and cognitive function during exercise.
Marisol Meza
Marisol Meza is an undergraduate research assistant pursuing a degree in Education. She is interested in how different factors such as BDNF and sleep affect cognitive function in Major Depressive Disorder individuals after exercise.
Reed Tisdell
Reed Tisdell is an undergraduate research assistant studying Biology on the pre-medical track. He is planning on attending medical school for orthopedic surgery or anesthesia after graduation from Iowa State University. He is interested in the cognitive effects exercise has on the brain.
Sara Bennett
Sara Bennett is an undergraduate research assistant pursuing a degree in Kinesiology and Human Medicine. She is planning on attending medical school for emergency medicine or general surgery after obtaining a bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University. She is interested in how education level influences cognitive function post-exercise in individuals with MDD.
Tristen Williams
Tristen Williams is an undergraduate research assistant pursuing a degree in Kinesiology with a focus in Pre Health Professions. In the WellEx lab, she has worked with the SPARC study to look at the association between stress and sedentary time in individuals with MDD. She plans to attend medical school and afterward she wants to use her degree to bring medical care to underprivileged communities.
Andrew Farrell
Andrew Farrell is an undergraduate research assistant pursuing a degree in Kinesiology, specifically focusing on the Exercise Science option. He is interested in Kinesiology research and is planning to continue onto graduate school after he obtains a bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University. He is interested in the mechanics of exercise, maximizing exercise performance, and the effects exercise has on a person’s hormonal profile, as well as its effects on the brain.
Madison Abraham
Madison Abraham is a senior studying Kinesiology and Health at Iowa State University with a goal of pursuing her master’s in physician assistant studies. Madison contributed most of her tome to EBH and SUMIT. She has a strong desire to bridge the world of research, exercise, and mental health. Her focus is to use nutrition and physical activity as tools and apply them to improving mental health conditions.
Libby Elliott
Libby Elliott is studying Occupational Therapy at Drake University.
Madigan Koneval
Madigan Koneval is studying Occupational Therapy at Drake University.
Jenna King
Jenna King graduated from Iowa State in 2019 with a degree in Kinesiology and Health – Exercise Science. Jenna is now a Corporate Sales Representative at YETI in Austin, Texas. She is hoping to get into medical device or pharmaceutical sales in the future. During her time in the lab, she worked on EBH and was in charge of recruitment, and was the primary contact person for participants.
David Gray
David Gray is studying at Palmer College of Chiropractic.
Bennett Luedtke
Bennett Luedtke is currently working towards a Masters of Public Health in Policy (MPH) at the University of Iowa and plans to add a medical school. When done with his education, he would like to be a practicing physician with involvement in either administration, public health, or both. During his time in the lab, he assisted Dr. Meyer in writing proposals for new studying by sifting through existing exercise psychology literature to find empirical support and background information for his proposals.