Ellen Evans, Ph.D.

• Assistant Professor
• Department of Kinesiology and Community Health
• College of Applied Health Sciences
• Division of Nutritional Sciences
• College of ACES
• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Director, Bone and Body Composition Laboratory
• Director, Lifetime Fitness Program (older adult exercise program)
• Download Curriculum Vitae (PDF)

Background

• Degree
• Ph.D., Exercise Physiology, University of Georgia, Athens, 1998
• Area of Professional Interest
• As an applied exercise physiologist, the primary goal of Dr. Evans’ research program is to investigate exercise and nutritional strategies to optimize body composition, including bone, with a special interest in women’s health and the elderly.
• Research Interests
• Exercise physiology with a specialization in body composition and bone
• Physical activity and nutrition interventions and behaviors that reduce risk for obesity, sarcopenia and osteoporosis, especially in women and the elderly
• Clinical research that has high potential for translation into public health practice
• The translation of her research findings into public health practice is particularly important. Relationships exist among the three main constituents of the body (bone, fat and lean mass). Soft tissue mass is a primary predictor of bone mass with the relative importance of fat and lean mass changing across the lifespan. Paradoxically, in adults, fat mass is beneficial for bone health and detrimental for metabolic health. Weight loss reduces bone and lean mass. Interventions that reduce fat mass without increasing risk for osteoporotic fracture and sarcopenia and concomitant loss of independence are of increasing public health importance due to the obesity epidemic and changing societal aging demographics. Moreover, the relative importance of habitual physical activity and adiposity (fitness vs. fatness) for disease prevention is of high public health interest. In her research program, interventions that have been shown to optimize body composition change and reduce risk of disease include estrogen therapy, soy protein (phytoestrogens), higher protein (meat and dairy) diet and differing modes of exercise. Secondarily, as an extension of her research program and as a disuse model, several projects in the Bone and Body Composition Laboratory explore similar research questions in spinal cord injured individuals. Finally, Dr. Evans contributes her expertise as a clinical exercise physiologist to other research teams in the department.
• Visit Dr. Evans’ research lab.
• Publications
• See curriculum vitae for list of publications, proceedings, books, and articles.
• Professional Associations and Certifications
• See curriculum vitae for professional associations and certifications.
• Awards, Academic and Professional Honors:
• National Institute on Aging Summer Institute on Aging Research (2003)
• Fellow, American College of Sports Medicine (2002)
• National Research Service Award, National Institutes of Health (1999-2001)
• Valedictorian, Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL (1987)