Our Mission
Our mission is to improve lives through physical activity and organized sports.
The Human Performance Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin-Madison conducts translational research to broadly understand how sport participation impacts physical and mental health in children and adults. Through strategic collaborations with groups across campus and throughout the country, our research currently focuses on the areas described below.
Our Research
Injury risk prediction
Our work evaluates how factors such as sport specialization, fitness, training load, sleep, and subjective well-being (mood, stress, e.g.) interact to influence injury risk in youth and collegiate athletes. The goal of this work is to develop longitudinal, individualized injury prediction models that can generate actionable information to identify at-risk athletes and intervene in real time to reduce injury risk.
Mental health, well-being and quality of life in athletes
We are working to better understand how sport participation in childhood and adulthood influences mental health and quality of life and how factors such as gender, age, sport specialization, race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status influence this. This work will help identify athletes at higher risk and lead directly to interventional studies to improve psychosocial outcomes in athletes.
Psychosocial impacts of loss of sports
Whether from injury, prolonged illness, or retirement, we are working to understand the impacts that loss of sport has on athletes’ physical and mental health. In addition, we are investigating how this impact is moderated by gender, age, and athletic identity to identify at-risk groups and facilitate early intervention.
Mindfulness in athlete health and performance
Our work evaluates the impact of mindfulness training on well-being, quality of life, performance, and injury risk. In addition, we are evaluating the influence of remote mindfulness training on patient-reported outcomes, mental health, fear of re-injury, and return to sport rates after ACL reconstruction and hip arthroscopy.
Pediatric exercise physiology
Utilizing a combination of exercise testing and advanced cardiac imaging at rest and during exercise, we are working to advance our understanding of how age, physical maturity, fitness, and body composition influence the cardiovascular response to acute exercise and exercise training in children.
