Education

• Ph.D., Physiology of Physical Activity, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 1989
• M.A., Exercise Physiology, University of Maryland, 1985
• B.S., Physical Education, Springfield College, 1983

Additional Certifications

• FACSM

Research Interests

Acevedo’s primary research focus is on the impact of mental stress and fitness level on an individual’s health. He has examined the effects of concurrent mental and physical challenges on cardiorespiratory responses, and indicators of inflammation and endothelial wall function. More recently, his research group has conducted a number of research projects focused on telomere length, a biological marker of cellular age. Physical activity prevents the premature shortening of telomere lengths that occurs with chronic levels of psychological stress. By investigating the cellular components attributed to the preservation of telomere length, his laboratory provides a novel approach to examining cellular mechanisms that help to explain the benefits of physical activity to various chronic diseases. He has also investigated the neuromodulation of pain perception. 

Select Publications

• Thakkar, B. & Acevedo, E.O. (2023). BDNF as a Biomarker for Neuropathic Pain: Consideration of Mechanisms of Action and Associated Measurement Challenges. Brain and Behavior. Advance online publication 
• Slusher, A.L., Zuniga, T.M., & Acevedo, E.O. (2019). Inflamm-aging is Associated with Lower Plasma PTX3 Concentrations and an Impaired Capacity of PBMCs to Express hTERT Following LPS Stimulation. Mediators of Inflammation.
• Ameringer, S., Elswick, R. K., Jr, Sisler, I., Smith, W., Lipato, T., & Acevedo, E. O. (2019). Exercise Testing of Adolescents and Young Adults With Sickle Cell Disease: Perceptual Responses and the Gas Exchange Threshold. Journal of pediatric oncology nursing : official journal of the Association of Pediatric Oncology Nurses, 36(5), 310–320. 
• Slusher, A.L., Zuniga, T.M., & Acevedo, E.O. (2018). Aerobic Fitness Alters the Capacity of Mononuclear Cells to Produce Pentraxin 3 Following Maximal Exercise. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 118, 1515-1526.
• Slusher A.L., Patterson V.T., Schwartz C.S., & Acevedo E.O. (2018). Impact of High Intensity Interval Exercise on Executive Function and Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor in Healthy College Aged Males. Physiology and Behavior, 191, 116-122. 

View all publications on PubMed.

Affiliations

• American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)
• American Physiological Society (APS)
• American Psychological Association (APA)
• Association for Applied Sports Psychology (AASP)
• National Academy of Kinesiology (NAK)

Courses

• Psychology of Physical Activity
• Psychobiology of Physical Activity