Dona J. McCanlies, PhD

Professor, Department of Oral Biology, UNMC College of Dentistry

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Dona J. McCanlies, PhD, FACSM, is a professor in the Department of Oral Biology at the UNMC College of Dentistry. She teaches Human Physiology and General Histology to students across multiple levels, including dental hygiene, dental, doctoral and postdoctoral programs.

In recognition of her excellence in education, Dr. McCanlies has received numerous Outstanding Teaching Awards for her instruction of professional students at UNMC. Dr. McCanlies' research focuses on muscle function, neuromuscular fatigue and hypertrophic adaptations to various resistance training modalities. Her work has been widely published in leading peer-reviewed physiology journals and her research presentations have been well received at the annual meetings of both the American College of Sports Medicine and the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

She has been a Fellow of the ACSM since 1997 and was recognized by the Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal as one of the “most prolific scholars in Exercise Science.” She has contributed to the field through her service on the National Strength and Conditioning Task Force on Women, has served on the editorial board of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, the flagship journal of the NSCA and currently serves as a reviewer for several journals in the fields of physiology and exercise science. She is the co-editor and co-author of ten college textbooks.