CELEBRATING CONHI RESEARCHER FOR CONTRIBUTIONS

Thursday, Aug 04, 2022

 

Rhonda Prisby, professor in the Department of Kinesiology, recently received several recognitions for her research and scholarship. Dr. Prisby was named to the University’s Academy of Distinguished Scholars, selected for a Presidential Lecture at the American College of Sports Medicine Conference (ACSM), had a research image make the front cover of The Official Journal of the Microcirculation Society, and most recently was welcomed by the American Physiological Society (APS) as a Fellow.

Over her career, Prisby has been a UTA professor for 10 years, and has dedicated her knowledge and teachings to influencing students and advancing research. Prisby’s research interests lie within vascular function and dysfunction in bone in health and disease. Her exceptional contributions to the field of kinesiology have brought her several achievements this past year.

This year, Prisby was awarded the most prestigious research and scholarship award within the University. The UTA Academy of Distinguished Scholars consists of faculty members that made significant contributions to research and creative activity and achieved national and international recognition in their field. The Academy represents UTA’s mission to provide quality research and brings recognition to well-deserved scholars.

In line with her scholarly activities, Prisby also had the honor of speaking at the ACSM Conference for a Presidential Lecture.

“The ACSM is a professional society in the sports medicine field with more than 50,000 members worldwide,” said Prisby. “Each year the ACSM holds an annual conference. I was invited to give one of the President’s Lectures and spoke about the influence of the bone vascular system on bone and bone marrow health with aging. I also presented work potentially linking dysfunction of the bone blood vessels with peripheral cardiovascular disease.”

In June 2021, the APS inducted Prisby as a Fellow. This is an elite member status within the society, honoring leaders who demonstrate excellence and have made significant contributions to physiological science. Prisby has been a member of the APS for over 20 years and becoming a Fellow is an honor and privilege for her.

Alongside these incredible accomplishments, Prisby’s article image made the front cover of The Official Journal of the Microcirculation Society.

“The image was generated with a technique we use in the lab to study microcirculatory (i.e., the smallest blood vessels) function,” said Prisby. The image displays a bone marrow blood vessel taken from the femur bone of a small mammal. This is the first depiction of a bone marrow blood vessel living outside of the body where vasoconstriction, the constriction of blood vessels which increases blood pressure, was elicited and measured. Prisby dissected the blood vessel from inside of the mammal’s bone, used lab techniques to prepare it for study, and captured the image during the experiment.

Congratulations to Dr. Prisby for these excellent accomplishments. Her dedication to this field is what drives the advancement of current and future research. “Being immersed in such an environment has been instrumental in helping me work towards my goal of research excellence,” Prisby shared. She commends CONHI and the Department of Kinesiology as they emphasize research and scholarship and acknowledges that her mission aligns with the mission of CONHI and Kinesiology.

- Written by Midori Hrinda, UTA College of Nursing and Health Innovation