Baylor Professor Selected as National Institutes of Health Study Section Member

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Media contact: Terry Goodrich, (254) 710-3321

WACO, Texas (Aug.10, 2016) — Paul Gordon, Ph.D., chair and professor of Baylor University’s health, human performance and recreation department in the Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, has been selected as a member of the National Institutes of Health’s Common Fund study section review.

The NIH Common Fund, started in 2006, is designed to help fund health and biomedical research in high-priority research areas. Study section members are responsible for reviewing grant applications relevant to the Common Fund’s current initiatives, and members are selected based on their previous training and research.

“I have served as an NIH study section member in the past, and it is truly an honor and indeed a blessing to be considered an expert by the most prestigious U.S. health and biomedical agency,” Gordon said. “In the present situation, it is exciting to work with other experts across the U.S. to set the stage for achieving landmark scientific discoveries that will empower the future of health care.”

In fall 2015, NIH announced the development of a Common Fund focused on researching the health benefits of physical activity.

“Over the past several years, it has become well-established that a physically active lifestyle has a multitude of health benefits. However, we really don’t know the underlying mechanisms that are affected by exercise,” Gordon said. “Thus, the goal of the program, which is entitled ‘Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity in Humans,’ is to catalog the biological molecules that underlie the systemic effects of physical activity and to characterize their function. This molecular map will help us understand how physical activity translates into better health.”

The study section members are reviewing program grants from clinics seeking to carry out human data collection for the project, Gordon said.

For more information, visit the National Institutes of Health Common Fund website.

by Karyn Simpson, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 16,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.

ABOUT THE ROBBINS COLLEGE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SCIENCES
After more than three years of evaluation and input from Baylor regents, deans, faculty and staff, and external entities, the Baylor Board of Regents approved the creation of the Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences on May 16, 2014. This was also a direct result of identified priorities for strengthening the health sciences through Baylor’s strategic vision, Pro Futuris, which serves as a compass for the University’s future. The anchor academic units that form the new College – Communication Sciences and Disorders, Family and Consumer Sciences and Health, Human Performance and Recreation – share a common purpose: improving health and the quality of life. The new College is working to create curricula that will promote a team-based approach to patient care and will establish interdisciplinary research collaborations to advance solutions for improving the quality of life for individuals, families, and communities. For more information visit www.baylor.edu/chhs/