Michael Berry
Chair, Department of Health & Exercise Science
More information
Expertise
- Exercise and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Factors that control respiration during exercise
- Effects of exercise on individuals with respiratory diseases
- Delivering exercise interventions to patients with acute respiratory failure
Current Research
- The effects of dietary nitrates (beet juice) on exercise performance in patients with COPD
- How resistance exercise interventions affect hospital length of stay and physical function in acute respiratory failure patients
Teaching
- Data Analysis and Interpretation
- Human Physiology
Education
- B.A., Jacksonville State University
- M.A., Southeastern Louisiana University
- Ph.D., Texas A&M University
- Post-doctoral research fellowship, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
Selected Publications
- “A lifestyle activity intervention in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,” Respiratory Medicine, June 2010
- “The relationship between exercise tolerance and other outcomes in COPD,” COPD, September 2007
- “Use of peak oxygen consumption in predicting physical function and quality of life in COPD patients,” Chest, June 2006
An interest in mountain climbing during his undergrad years led Michael Berry to his current research focus – the interaction between exercise and the respiratory system. He was aware that the respiratory system was a limiting factor when climbers ascended to high altitudes. However, attending graduate school in Louisiana and Texas did not afford the opportunity to do much research on this topic. So he began to focus on the control of respiration during exercise, and that led to his research on exercise and lung disease.
Berry was the principal investigator on the landmark Exercise and Disability in COPD Patients study funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. This five-year study examined the role that lifestyle interventions can play in keeping COPD patients active. His teaching and research focuses on the interactions among exercise, the respiratory system and disease.
Michael Berry on:
Improving outcomes in patients on ventilators with resistance training …
“When these patients leave the hospital, the biggest problem they have is severe skeletal muscle weakness. If we help them with resistance training – from passive range of motion exercises to working with a resistance band – we hope to rehabilitate that weakness. Hopefully, the patients can leave the hospital sooner and be active when they do leave.”
How beetroot juice might help patients with COPD …
“COPD is a progressive disease that presents later in life – usually when patients are in their 50s and 60s. This disease compounds the effects that the normal aging process has on the body, and one of the consequences is that these patients are severely deconditioned. Therefore, we need to find treatments that might negate this problem. Research with young, healthy people has shown the beetroot juice can improve exercise capacity. We would like to show the same results in COPD patients.”
Squeezing in exercise when you’re tied to a desk most of the day …
“A colleague removed his desk from his office. He had a treadmill and an elevated platform installed, where he could access his phone and computer while walking. That’s an option. However, it’s probably not an option for everyone. If you’re at a desk, and you need to contact a colleague, get up and walk to see them instead of calling or emailing. If you can get up every 30 to 45 minutes and walk for three to five minutes, then come back and sit down again, adding those little bits of physical activity could be beneficial to your overall health.”
