Dr. Jacob Parson started as an Assistant Professor of Exercise and Director of the Wellness Institute at Schreiner University in August of 2025. Dr. Parson holds a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, a Master of Science in Exercise Physiology from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and a PhD Doctorate in a Movement Science from Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, training in the Integrative Muscle Physiology Laboratory. Prior to his time at Schreiner University, Dr. Parson worked as a Clinical Exercise Physiologist in Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation for 5 years, as well as a Clinical Research Assistant aiding in heart failure, electrophysiology, and heart transplant studies. During his doctoral training, Dr. Parson worked in a basic science muscle physiology lab investigating the crosstalk between exercising skeletal muscle and adipose tissue biology in mice. This tenure at WashU accompanied work both within his own Physical Therapy Department, but also collaboration with those in the fields of cardiovascular engineering, joint, tendon, and bone metabolism, and undergraduate researchers. Dr. Parson has attended conferences, published in affiliated journals, and is a member of the American College of Sports Medicine, Orthopaedic Research Society, and American Physiological Society. His research interests include muscle-adipose crosstalk, as well as student-driven community and campus-based physical activity interventions and promoting exercise as medicine in all populations.
