Nicole Wood, PhD

Biography

I completed my PhD at the University of Northern Colorado in the School of Sport and Exercise Science after taking a 6-year hiatus following my master’s education at California State University, Fullerton. While my undergraduate and master’s studies were largely concentrated in clinical exercise science and human performance, my doctoral studies focused more on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for physiological adaptations to exercise. The emphasis of my graduate research was using exercise to mitigate the cardiotoxic effects of chemotherapy drugs and the musculoskeletal alterations (i.e. cancer cachexia) associated with certain cancers. This research sparked my interest in exercise as a means to increase quality of life and diminish physiological impairments in diseased populations (cancer, cardiac, diabetes, etc.) and to get individuals to understand the drastic decrease in disease risk that accompanies regular physical activity.

I believe wholly in the importance of work/life balance (or school/life balance as a student). As such, I make time to step away from work and get outside. I enjoy weightlifting, rock climbing, hiking, and paddle boarding the most, but really, as long as I’m outside, in the mountains or on the water, I’m a pretty happy camper!