Ray Spradlin
Assistant Professor
JWU Faculty Since 2023
Ray A. Spradlin, Ph.D., is a new Assistant Professor at Johnson & Wales University in the Exercise and Sports Science program and the College of Health and Wellness. Originally from South Florida, Spradlin moved to Gainesville, FL to pursue both his undergraduate and doctoral studies at the University of Florida. While attending UF, he studied the effect endurance exercise has on mitochondrial bioenergetics of prostate tumors and the role insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) plays in muscle disuse atrophy, function, metabolism, and exercise adaptations. In 2020, Spradlin left Florida to work for the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign studying extracellular vesicles (EVs) and assisting in the development of a novel approach to confer exercise benefits and combat muscle wasting utilizing EVs.
Since joining JWU in Fall 2023, Spradlin has been excited to teach students about exercise science and how important of a role it can play in a healthy and fulfilling life. In addition to teaching, he is excited to work with other faculty and collaborators to pursue research interests related to human performance.
Education
- Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology from the University of Florida (2020)
- B.S. in Applied Physiology and Kinesiology from the University of Florida (2015)
Teaching Interests
Exercise Physiology
Kinesiology
Scholarly Interests
Exercise Physiology
Muscle Molecular Biology
Human Performance
Courses
- ESS3010 – Exercise Assessment and Prescription
- ESS3015 – Exercise Assessment and Prescription Lab
- HSC1010 – Introduction to Health Professions
- ESS2010 – Kinesiology
- ESS2015 – Kinesiology Lab
- HSC1020 – Medical Terminology
Publications
- Chrzanowski, SM, Vohra, RS, Lee-McMullen, BA, Batra, A, Spradlin, RA, Morales, J, Forbes, S, Vandenborne, K, Barton, ER, Walter, GA (2017) Contrast-Enhanced Near-Infrared Optical Imaging Detects Exacerbation and Amelioration of Murine Muscular Dystrophy. Molecular Imaging 16: 1-11
- Vassilakos, G, Lei, H, Yang, Y, Puglise, J, Matheny, M, Durzynska, J, Ozery, M, Bennett, K, Spradlin, R, Bonanno, H, Park, S, Ahima, RS, and Barton, ER (2018) Deletion of muscle IGF-I transiently impairs growth and progressively disrupts glucose homeostasis in male mice. FASEB J 2019 Jan;33(1):181-194. doi: 10.1096/fj.201800459R
- Smith, LR, Kok, JH, Zhang B, Chung D, Spradlin, RA, Lei, H, and Barton, ER. Matrix metalloproteinase 13 from satellite cells is required for efficient muscle growth and regeneration (2020) Cell Physiol Biochem. 2020;54(3):333‐353. doi:10.33594/000000223
- Laitano O, Pindado J, Valera I, Spradlin RA, Murray KO, Villani KR, Alzahrani JM, Ryan TE, Efron PA, Ferreira LF, Barton ER, Clanton TL. The impact of hindlimb disuse on sepsis-induced myopathy in mice. Physiol Rep. 2021 Jul;9(14):e14979. doi: 10.14814/phy2.14979. PMID: 34309237; PMCID: PMC8311555.
- Spradlin RA, Vassilakos G, Matheny MK, Jones NC, Goldman JL, Lei H, Barton ER. Deletion of muscle Igf1 exacerbates disuse atrophy weakness in mice. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2021 Sep 1;131(3):881-894. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00090.2021. Epub 2021 Jul 22. PMID: 34292789; PMCID: PMC8461805.