Our graduates at all levels go on to succeed in a wide variety of fields from medicine, to athletic conditioning to research. See their stories.
Mohammed Alkatan
"I obtained my Exercise Science Master's degree at ODU and a PhD at the University of Texas at Austin. [The ODU] professors proved inspiring and immeasurably helpful in guiding my decision to pursue an advanced degree. I feel strongly that I gained from the degree at ODU valuable knowledge that is proving useful for the education, in my home country (Kuwait), of medical students and others in all fields of health education and physiology."
Jacqueline Knox
"Having an advanced degree can open many doors. Upon completing the MS Exercise Science program at ODU, I started my career as an Exercise Physiologist in a cardiac rehabilitation program. With the desire to do more, this led me to Eastern Virginia Medical School Physician Assistant program. Currently, I am a PA in cardiology where I provide care to cardiac patients in a hospital and office setting. Through my journey, I discovered the importance of exercise and I truly believe exercise is medicine, which is something I share and promote with my patients every day. The professors at ODU have created a challenging curriculum which has given me the experience and skills needed to make a difference in peoples' lives."
Joe Mayer
"I am firsthand proof that you can do a lot with the degree, having had many great clinical opportunities. I interned at Massachusetts General Hospital and subsequently received employment in the Nuclear Cardiology Lab as a Stress Technician. I moved on to a position at Brigham and Women's Hospital as a Senior Exercise Physiologist, [and now] as a Cardiovascular Technician in the Catheterization Lab. Throughout my journey, I have been happy to be working with patients to diagnose and improve patients' health, and it all started with ODU."
Andrew Thompson
"My ODU undergraduate experience in Exercise Science motivated me to stay and complete my master's, which has been one of the best decisions I've ever made. I went into a bachelor's program unsure of what I wanted to do for a living. In the master's program, I was afforded the opportunity to expand my knowledge base at a more in-depth and applied level. The diverse and integrative coursework prepared me to pursue a PhD. Upon graduating I was awarded a post-doctoral research associateship with the U.S. Army's Cognitive Science and Applied Research Team. I have been fortunate enough to work as a full-time PI who conducts applied lab and field research with U.S. Army Warfighters."
Kevin Whitesell
"The Exercise Science MS degree program forces you to think critically from the very beginning. Some undergraduate programs allow students to simply regurgitate information. The ODU program pushed me to go beyond the information and examine the body, globally and in isolation, to develop a greater understanding and to maximize training (strength and conditioning) success. This mindset is instrumental in my current role as performance coach/industrial trainer for Pivot Physical Therapy (Formerly Tidewater Physical Therapy)."
Angela Robinet
"I recently accepted a full-time position as an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of North Florida, where I am overseeing 5-7 Division 1 sports teams. Without a doubt, I know that the courses I took (and taught as a GTA) through ODU's Exercise Science faculty have prepared me in countless ways for this career field. I thank the faculty for mentoring me through the program and supporting an excellent Exercise Science staff at ODU."