Mission: Enhancing Pregnancy Outcomes with Exercise Research

Vision: Improve the lives of women and children through effective lifestyle interventions.

Dr. Rachel Tinius is an Associate Professor at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky. She originally came to WKU as an undergraduate student in 2006 to play soccer and receive her undergraduate degree in Exercise Science. She continued her collegiate athletic and academic careers at WKU playing soccer as well as running track and cross country while completing her Master’s degree in Kinesiology. She then moved back to her hometown of St. Louis, MO and obtained a Master’s Degree in Science and Clinical Investigation and a PhD in Movement Science at Washington University School of Medicine. While at Wash U, she began her work investigating the role of obesity, physical activity, and maternal metabolic health on maternal and infant outcomes. Upon completion of her PhD, she returned to WKU as an Assistant Professor in Exercise Science. Since arriving at WKU, she has secured continuous external funding through the KY INBRE network and the NIH to study physical activity during pregnancy and postpartum. Dr. Tinius is an American College of Sports Medicine-Certified Exercise Physiologist who has 12 years of experience conducting clinical research with pregnant and postpartum women. She has studied the many effects of exercise during pregnancy on maternal and infant outcomes, as well as designed community-based interventions for pregnant and postpartum women, particularly in marginalized populations. She has published over 45 peer-reviewed articles on the topic of physical activity during pregnancy, and she presents annually at the American College of Sports Medicine’s National Conference, serving as the president of the Pregnancy and Postpartum Special Interest Group.

Over the past 5 years, her research has led her down the path of innovation as she discovered a need for evidence-based exercise interventions among pregnant and postpartum women. Because of this, she has developed a mobile app, BumptUp®, and started a company, BumptUp Labs, with the mission to bring trustworthy physical activity guidance to all women during and after pregnancy.

 

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• 270-745-5026

• rachel.tinius@wku.edu

• 2355 Nashville Rd Bowling Green, KY 42101

EMPOWER Lab Directions

Located at Western Kentucky University's
Community Health Sciences Complex
2355 Nashville Rd Bowling Green, KY 42101
(directly across from Potter Children’s Home and next to the Community Farmers Market)

• The lab is located in room C121
• WKU South Campus is on the left about one block from Campbell Lane.
• Once you turn left onto Storey Avenue turn right at the stop sign into the parking lot.
• Walk across the cross walk and enter the second door to the left.
• Once inside, turn right, and the lab is the first door on your left, room C121.