UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa – Lacy Alexander, professor of kinesiology at Penn State, has been named editor-in-chief of the Journal of Applied Physiology, a leading scientific journal in the study of how organs, tissues, cells and molecular components of humans and animals respond to stressors. Alexander will begin her term as journal editor on July 1.

“This is a huge honor for me,” Alexander said. “The Journal or Applied Physiology is one of the premiere journals in our field, and I am very proud to continue the previous editors' legacy of promoting scholarship and discovery in applied physiology.”

The Journal of Applied Physiology is published by the American Physiological Society, whose mission is to advance scientific discovery, understand life and improve health through physiology. Physiologists investigate the way that living organisms function, from the macro-level of how the environment affects humans down to the micro-level of how biomolecules affect tissue or organ function. Alexander has been active in the American Physiological Society since she was a student, and she credits the society for giving her many opportunities to grow as a scholar and leader.

As editor-in-chief, Alexander said she hopes to continue to increase the influence and quality of the journal.

“In recent years, there has been a lot of attention paid to how exercise can affect the health of the body, and that has led to more attention to the field of applied physiology,” Alexander said. “In coming years, the journal’s contributors will push science forward to create more landmark scholarship in a journal that has been publishing some of the most important studies in the field since 1948.”

Another priority for Alexander is to create opportunities for underrepresented researchers in the field. She wants to create more opportunities for researchers from underrepresented backgrounds to serve as reviewers and authors in the journal. Alexander also noted that she will only be the second woman to serve as editor-in-chief of the journal in its 75-year history.

Alexander’s research focuses on how the environment affects human functioning. Specifically, she studies tiny blood vessels in human skin. By understanding the ways that blood vessels in the skin function at different ages, at different temperatures, or when exposed to different medications, she can gain insights about the entire human circulatory system without invasive experiments, she said.

One of Alexander’s largest current projects is supported by a multi-million-dollar grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, exploring potential treatments and the link between endometriosis and heart disease. The study, which was launched last year, is currently recruiting participants who have endometriosis.

March is endometriosis awareness month. In individuals with endometriosis, tissue that is similar to uterine lining grows outside the uterus, causing pain. Systemic inflammation and scarring make endometriosis one of the leading causes of infertility.

Alexander will serve as editor-in-chief editor of the Journal or Applied Physiology for a three year term and is eligible to serve a maximum of two terms.