DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRAM
Bioenergetics is the science of energy transposition under varying metabolic conditions. Metabolic conditions which will be studied in the proposed program will include rest, differing intensities of exercise and work, and pathological states such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other disease states. The essence of bioenergetics is to determine how energy produced and released by the metabolic process is harnessed to perform the cellular work and activities necessary to sustain the life process 1. Bioenergetics thus ultimately seeks to link cellular or molecular events to how an organism survives in a given environment. The field of bioenergetics is therefore inherently interdisciplinary and incorporates many of the basic science areas. Some of the best examples of bioenergetics research are studies detailing the linkage between metabolism and mechanical events leading to muscle contraction and movement. Findings from these studies led to such notable advancements such as the sliding filament theory of muscle contraction2, which is presented in virtually every biology class at high school to university levels. Such inherent broad implications emphasize the importance of the bioenergetics field and it's interdisciplinary approach.

Each student will receive unique interdisciplinary training integrating exercise physiology, basic physiology, and biochemistry. The goal of the training is to enable graduates to address research questions at the level of the whole body to the gene using a variety of research approaches. Some relevant research areas in the proposed bioenergetics program will include the mechanistic linkage between energy intake, post-prandial metabolism, and responses to physical activity in terms of energy production and utilization when dealing with the metabolic stresses of disease, inactivity, and aging. Graduates from the program would be employed in health care, government, academic, research and service institutions such as the Human Performance Laboratory, and private institutions with the aim to investigate and promote the role of a physically active lifestyle in disease prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery.
1. The Vital Force: A Study of Bioenergetics, Franklin M. Harold, pgs. IX-XI, 1986.
2. Nobel Laureate A.F. Huxley and H.E. Huxley, series of studies between 1956 and 1969.

PROGRAM JUSTIFICATION
Despite inroads against disease, this nation continues to be burdened by preventable illness. In 1960 the share of the gross domestic product (GDP) directly consumed by medical services was 5 percent; by 1995 this nearly tripled to approximately 14 percent. When expenses associated with diseases such as cancer, obesity, osteoporosis, diabetes, hypertension and other illnesses are added, total annual health care expenditures are approximately $1 trillion. The morbidity and mortality associated with cardiovascular disease alone accounted for over $259 billion in 1997. A relatively controllable disease such as diabetes afflicted nearly 16 million individuals with an associated cost of $91.1 billion; in contrast, AIDS and breast cancer combined afflicted 3.4 million citizens at an estimated cost of $16.9 billion. Fortunately, many of the expenses and the risk for developing disease can be reduced if one engages in regular physical activity. Thus, the benefits of an active lifestyle have been presented to the American public in a variety of programs such as Healthy People 2010 and in recommendations from the Surgeon General and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Although the benefits of a physically active lifestyle are widely recognized, the underlying biological and cellular mechanisms which mediate these positive changes are less well known. By integrating recent advances in biochemistry, molecular biology, and physiology, the discipline of exercise physiology is poised to take a more mechanistic approach to the study of the health-related benefits of regular physical activity. Such an approach, however, requires non-traditional interdisciplinary training that is not widely available. Typically, doctoral-level training in exercise physiology has been limited to a disciplinary approach within an exercise science department. Relatively few programs utilize an interdisciplinary curriculum and course of study to attack problems related to physical activity and disease prevention. The doctoral program outlined in this proposal is designed to train individuals to address these issues in an interdisciplinary fashion by providing an education in the field of bioenergetics.