Health Sciences (formerly Kinesiology)

The Department of Kiensiology became the Department of Health Sciences in 2025. In its Honors Program the Department of Health Science awards one level of Honors to student research projects. The projects listed below which include include Kinesiology Honors from 2006-2025 have been defended successfully, and a copy of the thesis deposited in Swem Library.

Key:

• Student, "Thesis" (Honors level)
  Committee Chair + Other Committee Members

2024-2025

• Ryan William Shonk, "Frequency Domain Measures of Heart Rate Variability At Sea Level Predict Oxygen Desaturation During Normobaric Hypoxia" (Honors) 
  Brennan Harris + Evie Burnet, Mark Forsyth

2023-2024

• Sarah Rose Brownstein, "A mathematical model of revascularization following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction" (Honors) 
  Evie Burnet + Mainak Patel, M. Brennan Harris 

2022-2023

• Ruth Fikru Hailemeskel, "COVID-19 Stress on College Students Mental Health: An Examination of Socioeconomic Status and Coping Flexibility" (Honors) 
  Adrian Bravo + Iyabo Obasanjo, Jennifer Butler
• Carter Elizabeth Hall, "Emotional Wellbeing in Richmond Public Housing: The Role of Community Health Workers in Accessing Care" (Honors) 
  Danielle Dallaire + Ashleigh Queen, Deborah Hudson

2021-2022

• No Honors students this year.

2020-2021

• No Honors students this year.

2019-2020

• Kalyani Pillai, "Assessing the Implementation of India’s New Health Reform Program, Ayushman Bharat, in Two Southern States: Kerala and Tamil Nadu" (Honors)
   Iyabo Obasanjo + Alison Scott,  Elyas Bakhtiari
• Kelsey Short, "Resting Heart Rate Variability at Sea Level Predicts Arterial Desaturation during Acute Exercise in Hypoxia" (Honors)
   M. Brennan Harris + Ken Kambis, Denise Ridley-Johnston

2018-19

• Grace Becker, "The relationship between acute exposure to hypoxia and heart rate variability in unacclimatized individuals"
  Michael Brennan Harris + Kenneth W. Kambis, Michael Drew LaMar

2017-18

• Morgan Bucknor, "Time-Course of Acute Exercise-Induced Endothelial Dysfunction" (Honors) 
  Michael Brennan Harris + Evie Burnet, Helen Murphy
  
• Erin Heald, "The Effect of Cross-Sloped Surfaces on Running Kinematics" (Honors)
  Raymond McCory + Michael Deschenes, Catherine Forestell 
• Katelyn Rennyson, "Relationship between Injury and Spirituality in Pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago" (Honors) 
  Michael Brennan Harris + James Barber, Kathleen Jenkins, Ben Boone
  

2016-17

• Justin Canakis, "The Efficacy and Safety of Six-Weeks of Pre-Workout Supplementation in Resistance Trained Rats" (Honors) 
  Michael Harris + Randolph Coleman, Ken Kambis 

2015-16

• Muhammad Amjad, "Changes in Health and Exercise Attitudes Among Pilgrims Before and After the Hajj Pilgrimage" (Honors) 
  Michael Brennan Harris + Alison Scott, Kay Jenkins 

2014-15

• Colleen Leathrum, "Muscle Unloading Induced Sex Specific Neurophysiological and Myofiber Profile Adaptions" (Honors) 
  Michael Deschenes + Ray McCoy and Douglas Young

2013-14

• Taylor Hodge, "Effects of Core Temperature on Exercise-Induced Mitochondrial Biogenesis: Potential Role of PGC-1α, AMPK eNOS, SIRT1, and SIRT3" (Honors) 
  Michael Brennan Harris + Randolph A. Coleman, Scott Ickes

2012-13

• Rebecka Hoffman, "Exercise-induced Sirtuin Experssion in Blood Vessels and Skeletal Muscles of Rats" (Honors)
  Michael Harris + Randolph Coleman, Scott Ickes 

2011-12

• No Honors students this year

2010-11

• David Blitzer, "Affective Response and Pain Measurement Correlation in a 500 Mile Pilgrimage: El Camino De Santiago" (Honors)
  Brennan Harris + Larry Ventis, John Riofrio

2009-10

• Stephanie Bomberger, "The Effects of Nintendo Wii Fit on Balance of Elderly Adults" (Honors)
  Raymond McCoy + Brennan Harris, Robert Kohl, Randolph Coleman

• Kyle Horst, "Effects of Cdc37 overexpression and silencing on eNOS phosphorylation and activation in endothelial cells" (Honors) 
  Brennan Harris + Michael Deschenes, Randolph Coleman

2008-09

• Kevin Mutch, "Hemispheric Interaction in Simple and Complex Tasks: A Study of Interlimb Coordination" (Honors)
  Robert Kohl + Larry Ventis, Ray McCoy, Robin Looft-Wilson
  

2006-07

• Lindsay Ambrecht, "Connexin Expression After Femoral Artery Ligation" (Highest Honors)
  Robin Looft-Wilson + Michael Deschenes, David Armstrong, M. Brennan Harris
• Crystal Rader, "Effects of Aging on Bimanual Hand Control" (Highest Honors)
  Robert Kohl + Ray McCoy, David Aday
• Michelle Wolf, "The Relationship Between Changes in Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors and C-Reactive Protein Following a 758 KM, 30-Day Pilgrimage" (Highest Honors)
  Robin Looft-Wilson + M. Brennan Harris, Ingrid Edery