He trained in exercise physiology at Illinois State University and worked in cardiac rehabilitation and the health and fitness profession before earning his doctorate in biomedical sciences from East Tennessee State University. His research focuses on understanding why exercise is such a potent stimulus for good health. Applications of his findings reveal how an exercising muscle “talks” to the heart through chemical signals that promote better health. His current research projects apply these and related findings to diseases that include heart failure, heart attacks, muscular dystrophy, and environmental challenges, such as pollution.