–Adam P. Knowlden, MBA, Ph.D., MCHES®–
Background
Introduction. With a background that bridges public policy, business, and health education, I have developed a nationally recognized, extramurally funded research program focused on the convergent health risks of adipose and sleep-associated risk factors for cardiometabolic disease. My interdisciplinary scholarship addresses pressing public health challenges through theory-based intervention design, robust methodology, and community-engaged research. As I seek promotion to Full Professor, I bring a strong record of independent research leadership, impactful mentorship, and a clear vision for advancing knowledge and improving health outcomes among underserved rural populations.
Professional and Academic Experience. As a first-generation college student, I received my dual baccalaureate of science (BS) degrees in Business Administration and Marketing in 2003. In 2007, I completed my Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Franklin University while employed as a Legislative Analyst for the Columbus City Council (Ohio). Exposure to public health policy during my time with the city council, coupled with my graduate education, led me to modify my professional trajectory towards an academic career in public health education and promotion. To accomplish this goal, I earned my Master of Science (MS) degree from the University of Cincinnati in 2009, focusing my thesis on modeling theoretical correlates of sleep behavior. In 2010, I completed the requirements to become a Certified Health Education Specialist® (CHES®), advancing to Master Certified Health Education Specialist® (MCHES®) status in 2024.
Doctoral Training. In 2013, I earned my Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) from the University of Cincinnati. My dissertation project was funded through a highly competitive research fellowship awarded by the University of Cincinnati Graduate School to develop, implement, and evaluate a novel, family-and-home-based childhood obesity prevention intervention. The randomized controlled trial I conducted was designed to bridge knowledge gaps I identified from conducting a systematic review of childhood obesity prevention programs delivered in family-and-home settings. As part of my research dissemination efforts, I published the trial’s methods, process evaluation findings, as well as post-intervention, one-year, and two-year impact evaluation results in leading health education, peer-reviewed journals.
Current Position and Professional Responsibilities. I currently serve as a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Health Science at the University of Alabama. As a mid-career faculty member, my professional responsibilities include: (1) conducting research, including implementing and submitting grant applications, publishing peer-reviewed journal articles, and presenting at professional conferences; (2) teaching undergraduate and graduate-level courses, mentoring undergraduate and graduate students, serving on dissertation committees; and (3) providing services to the university, profession, and community. These roles complement and support the mission of my research program.
Research Vision and Leadership
Programmatic Focus. My present research agenda integrates my portfolio of obesity and sleep scholarship into a convergent line of inquiry. In this regard, I am eager to expand my active research program, focused on the prevention and treatment of adipose and sleep-associated risk factors for cardiometabolic disease. Obesity and disordered sleep are highly prevalent, interconnected risk factors for cardiometabolic morbidity; however, a theoretical intervention framework merging these health concerns remains elusive. Pursuing this research undertaking has led to peer-reviewed journal publications and book chapters, conference presentations, as well as both internally and externally funded grants.
Foundational Research and Training. From 2016 to 2019, I served as the principal investigator on a pilot study testing social-ecological correlates of obesity and sleep duration, funded by the University of Alabama Research Grants Committee. As well, from 2016 to 2017, I functioned as the principal investigator on a project to specify a social cognitive theory-based model predicting obesity prevention behaviors in overweight and obese men, funded by the University of Alabama Crenshaw Endowed Research Award. In 2017, I completed New York University’s two-year, Institute in Behavioral Medicine and Sleep Disorders Research Training Program, which led to the establishment of a team of mentors dedicated to supporting my goal of research independence.
NIH K01 and SLUMBRx-PONS Research Questions. In 2019, I earned promotion to the rank of Associate Professor with tenure and was concurrently awarded a National Institutes of Health (NIH) K01 Mentored Research Grant (K01HL145128) through the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). This grant supported the launch of the Short Sleep Undermines Cardiometabolic Health-Public Health Observational Study (SLUMBRx-PONS). To further support my funded research, in 2021 I received a Student Loan Repayment Award (L30HL159690) through the NIH’s Student Loan Repayment Program (LRP).
In collaboration with my mentorship team, I designed SLUMBRx-PONS to address four research questions pertinent to the adiposity-sleep hypothesis: relative to normal weight participants, do overweight and obese SLUMBRx-PONS participants exhibit (1) shorter sleep duration; (2) sex-based differences in adipose and sleep duration outcomes; (3) greater cardiometabolic risk mediated by sleep duration; and (4) variations in socio-ecological effect modifiers?
Establishing the SLUMBRx Laboratory. The underlying logistical support required to coordinate the operational components of my NIH-funded study, led to my establishing the SLUMBRx Laboratory in 2022, marking a pivotal moment in my research career. The lab is structured to collect and manage comprehensive community-based, clinical, epidemiological, and ambulatory data used to model associations among body composition, sleep indices, and cardiometabolic biomarkers. It also serves as a dynamic environment for mentoring students and engaging the community in public health research. To date, the SLUMBRx team has recruited and processed data from over 120 research volunteers, each contributing more than 5,000 individual data points, demonstrating both the scale and depth of my team’s ongoing work.
Preliminary analyses of SLUMBRx-PONS data indicate more than half of the participants meet the clinical criteria for obstructive sleep apnea. Moreover, the SLUMBRx team has uncovered novel cardiometabolic risk factors associated with inadequate sleep, highlighting the need for further investigations. These insights are shaping the development of future intervention targets and are central to the SLUMBRx Laboratory’s long-term mission: to create evidence-based public health strategies and interventions that address the dual risks of obesity and sleep disturbances in cardiometabolic disease prevention.
Mentorship and Collaborative Philosophy
Throughout my academic career I have maintained a track-record of funding to support my research initiatives. From 2016 to 2019, I served as the principal investigator on a pilot study testing social-ecological correlates of obesity and sleep duration, funded by the University of Alabama Research Grants Committee. As well, from 2016 to 2017, I functioned as the principal investigator on a project to specify a social cognitive theory-based model predicting obesity prevention behaviors in overweight and obese men, funded by the University of Alabama Crenshaw Endowed Research Award. My doctoral dissertation was also funded through a highly competitive research fellowship awarded by the University of Cincinnati Graduate School in 2012.
As both a graduate student and early career academic, I received multiple awards for my research including the 2020 Society for Public Health Education Presidential Citation for Research, 2017 Human Environmental Sciences Leadership Board Excellence in Scholarship & Research Award, 2016 American Academy of Health Behavior Judy K. Early Career Research Award, 2015 Society for Public Health Education Horizon Award, and the 2012 University of Cincinnati Graduate Student Award for Exemplary Scholarship in the Behavioral Sciences. These accolades support my dedication to pursuing my research vision. My productivity in disseminating my findings, as well as my experience as a principal investigator on grant-funded projects, underscores my dedication and commitment to scholarship and provides evidence of my potential to become an independent and productive federally funded research scientist.
Mentoring Perspectives
Reflecting upon my research tenure, I have come to recognize that I have only succeeded in my present pursuits as a result of the support and guidance of my mentors and colleagues. Subsequently, I view collaboration for the advancement of science in a manner reflective of Sir Isaac Newton’s sentiment in his letter to Robert Hooke:
“If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants” (Newton, 1675, p. 366).
In pursuing my research agenda, it is my goal to leverage cooperative opportunities with researchers from a variety of fields for the overall betterment of public health and health behavior scholarship. Throughout my academic journey, I have been surrounded by individuals who have bolstered my research potential. As a research scientist, I desire to return the good fortune bestowed upon me by serving as a resource to students. As noted by Walter Isaacson in his biography of Albert Einstein:
“An appreciation for the methods of science is a useful asset for a responsible citizenry” (Isaacson, 2008, p. 6).
Accordingly, I am interested in advancing my research agenda in collaboration with students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Based on my experience as a research mentor, undergraduate advisees are particularly well-suited to assist with data collection and study logistics. Concurrently, graduate students benefit from managing research projects and disseminating study findings through conference presentations and peer-reviewed publications. Pedagogically, I have found robust, mentored research experiences promote community engagement and the applicability of public health to solving complex societal health problems.
I have been fortunate to have had mentors that have guided me through a wide range of research inquiry. These undertakings have provided me with an appreciation for the usefulness of scientific research across a spectrum of discovery and application. I find that employing the principles of research to the study of social problems strikes an important balance between scientific discovery and the practical use of knowledge. I am committed to building upon our ever-expanding knowledge base by conducting my work in a manner that maintains the integrity of science and the ethics of responsible citizenry.
Concluding Considerations. I have built a productive, theory-driven research program with sustained extramural funding, interdisciplinary collaboration, and demonstrable impact on both science and public health practice. My mentoring and leadership reflect a commitment to community, discovery, and ethical scholarship. I am well-positioned to expand these contributions as an independent investigator and to continue advancing knowledge at the intersection of sleep, obesity, and cardiometabolic health.
References
Isaacson, W. (2008). Einstein: His life and universe. Simon & Schuster.
Newton, I. (1675). Letter from Sir Isaac Newton to Robert Hooke. In: H.W. Turnbull, J.F. Scott, A.R. Hall, and L. Tilling (Eds.), The Correspondence of Isaac Newton. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
Research Philosophy and Statement by Adam P. Knowlden, MBA, MS, Ph.D. – Last Updated: 12/2022