Michael Oldham, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Dr. Michael Oldham grew up around the country playing any sport available to him, from soccer to baseball to football. From that life around sport, he found coaching. Oldham has coached soccer at various levels, including youth, high school, junior college and Olympic developmental programs, with a brief stint on the U.S. Women's national team as guest coaching staff before the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta, GA.  He continues his love for sport by competing in Ironman triathlons nationwide.  

A Conversation with Dr. Michael Oldham

Besides teaching in the classroom, how are you involved in helping students succeed?

I am the kinesiology program director and coordinator for the allied health track of the B.S. in Kinesiology and Sports Studies degree. I can answer questions related to the coursework and potential career paths after graduation, such as becoming a physical or occupational therapist, chiropractor, and more. I am also one of the researchers in athletics and tactical populations in the ROARHP Lab. Additionally, I am one of the faculty members of the summer travel abroad research program. 

What has been your favorite course to teach?

Biomechanics studies how the body moves and how that movement is applied to all aspects of sport and life.  We study muscle contractions and physics in a combined format that allows students to better train athletes, return people to functional living and improve work settings in human performance.

What is going on in the lab right now?

On any given day, you will see our graduate assistants and faculty researchers working with athletes for performance testing, working with police and fire cadets in physical preparation or professional athletes getting specific testing done for their sport. We even work with Olympic athletes!

Education

• Ph.D., Exercise Physiology and Nutrition, Texas Woman's University, 2020
• M.S., Physical Education – Biomechanics Concentration, Texas Woman's University, 1997
• B.S., Exercise Science, University of Texas at Arlington, 1994

Featured Courses

• HHPK 335: Kinesiology
• HHPK 593: Biomechanics

Research Areas

• Human performance in athletics
• Human performance in tactical operators
• Sleep and recovery
• Fitness and performance measurements

Awards

• 2023 TAMUC, Faculty Development Grant
• 2019 TAMUC, Phi Pi Delta “Lion Heart” Award

Professional Organizations

• American College of Sports Medicine
• American Physiological Society
• National Strength and Conditioning Association
• National Association of Health and Kinesiology Educators

Recent Publications

• Oldham, M.D. The Effect of Whey Protein Isolate on Cortisol Awakening Response, Profile of Mood States, and Heart Rate Variability in Recreationally Active Women, Dissertation, https://twu-ir.tdl.org/handle/11274/12316, 2020.
• Cavazos, Raquel J.; Meek, B. Greg; Jabai, Hussien K.; and Oldham, Michael D. (2023) “The Effect of Mobility and Strength Training on Firefighter Cadet Functional Mobility,” International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings: Vol. 2: Iss. 15, Article 153. https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol2/iss15/153
• Gordon RA, Sokoloski ML, Zumbro EL, Irvine CJ, Oldham M, Morgan N. Skeletal muscle fitness and physiology as determinants of firefighter performance and safety: a narrative review. Ergonomics. 2024 May 14:1-11. doi: 10.1080/00140139.2024.2352719. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38742476.