Paula-Marie Ferrara

Assistant Professor of Kinesiology
616.395.7070ferrara@hope.edu
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Paula began her career at Hope as an assistant professor in 2021. Her research is aimed at understanding college athletes鈥� 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.

Areas of Expertise

  • Clinical exercise physiology
  • Exercise testing & prescription
  • Cardiac, pulmonary, renal and Parkinson鈥檚 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

  • 鈥淨uality of Reporting for Single-Case Designs Targeting Exercise and Physical Activity Behavior in Adults: A Systematic Review,鈥� with C.T. Beaumont and K. Strohacker, Translational Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, 4(23), 2019
  • 鈥淢easurements of Acute Affective Responses to Resistance Exercise: A Systematic Review,鈥� with C.T. Beaumont and K. Strohacker, Translational Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, 5(11), 2020
  •  鈥淒etermining the Acceptability of Electronically-Delivered, Personally-Adaptive, Multimedia Exercise Prompts for Middle-Age Adults,鈥� with E.T. Schaltegger, C.T. Beaumont and K. Strohacker, The International Journal of Exercise Science, 13(5), 2020
  • 鈥淓xploring Determinants of Recalled In-Task Affect During Recreational Exercise,鈥� with C.T. Beaumont and K. Strohacker, Physiology & Behavior, 230, 2021
  • 鈥�,鈥� with K. Strohacker, E.C. Fitzhugh, A. Wozencroft and C.T. Beaumont, Leisure Studies, 40(6), 2021 
  • 鈥溾�� with R.A. Zakrajsek, M.R. Eckenrod, C.T. Beaumont and K. Strohacker, Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 35(2), 2023
  • 鈥�,鈥� with T.J. Kybartas and D.C. Coe, Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 48(5), 2023
  • 鈥�,鈥� with R.A. Zakrajsek, M.R. Eckenrod, C.T. Beaumont and K. Strohacker, Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 2024
 

Outside the college

As an exercise scientist, Paula is passionate about movement, especially aquatic and endurance sports. Paula holds a professional certification as a SCUBA Divemaster and is an avid triathlete and open-water swimmer. In 2023, she successfully swam eight miles around Mackinac Island, a feat she was happy to complete and never have to repeat! Anytime she is not in the office or in the lab, you can most likely find her around a beach on Lake Michigan鈥檚 coast.

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Paula-Marie Ferrara

Phone Number616.395.7070

DeVos Fieldhouse 222 Fairbanks Avenue Holland, MI 49423
Kinesiology Department
DeVos Fieldhouse 222 Fairbanks Avenue Holland MI 49423