Human Performance Laboratory

The Human Performance Laboratory (HPL), developed and directed by Ann Brown, Ph.D., is an applied research laboratory in the Department of Movement Sciences. The HPL is a comprehensive research space that regularly collaborates with faculty and graduate and undergraduate students from the Integrated Sport Medicine Movement Analysis Laboratory (ISMMAL), the UI Dance program, Family and Consumer Sciences, the Exercise, Sport and Health Sciences and the WWAMI medical education programs. In addition, Ann Brown operates as co-director of the Vandal Athletics Fueling Center, opening additional research collaborations and nutritional consultations with Vandal student-athletes. 

The HPL focuses on Normal Weight Obesity (NWO), female health, athletic populations and specializes in dance science. The HPL focuses its research interests on the optimization of human performance through utilization of dietary and exercise interventions manipulating body composition, metabolism, performance, and overall health. A primary goal of the HPL is to continue investigating the relationship between NWO and the menstrual cycle and to identify hidden etiologies and potential solutions to optimize female health throughout the lifespan. The HPL is unique because it is one of the only exercise science labs co-located in the same department as the dance program – allowing for robust dance science research opportunities.