Paula began her career at Hope as an assistant professor in 2021. Her research is aimed at understanding college athletes’ retirement experiences after graduation and maintaining their long-term health by promoting exercise and health behaviors post-grad. Paula teaches various courses in human physiology, exercise physiology, clinical exercise physiology and adjacent subjects across the kinesiology and biology departments.

Paula has contributed to various events at Hope College through the Catholic Campus Ministry and St. Benedict Institute. Specifically, she has spoken on dating and navigating relationships as a young adult in and out of college from the Christian perspective. She also serves as the Kinesiology Majors Club faculty advisor, which she took over in 2022.

Areas of Expertise

• Clinical exercise physiology
• Exercise testing & prescription
• Cardiac, pulmonary, renal and Parkinson’s rehab
• Community wellness
• Athlete health & fitness research
• Long-term fitness interventions

Education

• Ph.D., kinesiology and sport studies, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 2021
• M.S., clinical exercise physiology, University of Delaware, 2017
• B.S., exercise science, University of Delaware, 2016

Selected Honors, Grants, and Awards

• The Association for Applied Sport Psychology Seed Grant, 2023
• Jacob E. Nyenhuis Faculty Development Grant, 2023, 2024

Selected Publications

• “Quality of Reporting for Single-Case Designs Targeting Exercise and Physical Activity Behavior in Adults: A Systematic Review,” with C.T. Beaumont and K. Strohacker, Translational Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, 4(23), 2019
• “Measurements of Acute Affective Responses to Resistance Exercise: A Systematic Review,” with C.T. Beaumont and K. Strohacker, Translational Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, 5(11), 2020
•  “Determining the Acceptability of Electronically-Delivered, Personally-Adaptive, Multimedia Exercise Prompts for Middle-Age Adults,” with E.T. Schaltegger, C.T. Beaumont and K. Strohacker, The International Journal of Exercise Science, 13(5), 2020
• “Exploring Determinants of Recalled In-Task Affect During Recreational Exercise,” with C.T. Beaumont and K. Strohacker, Physiology & Behavior, 230, 2021
• “Promotion of Leisure-Time Physical Activity by Craft Breweries in Knoxville, Tennessee,” with K. Strohacker, E.C. Fitzhugh, A. Wozencroft and C.T. Beaumont, Leisure Studies, 40(6), 2021 
• “Exploring Former NCAA Division I Athletes’ Experiences with Post-Sport Physical Activity: A Qualitative Approach” with R.A. Zakrajsek, M.R. Eckenrod, C.T. Beaumont and K. Strohacker, Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 35(2), 2023
• “Exploration of Parental Rewards in Incentivizing Children’s Physical Activity,” with T.J. Kybartas and D.C. Coe, Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 48(5), 2023
• “Former NCAA Division I Athletes’ Perceptions of Intervention Components to Improve Post-Sport Physical Activity,” with R.A. Zakrajsek, M.R. Eckenrod, C.T. Beaumont and K. Strohacker, Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 2024