Tactical Athlete Initiative Research

The faculty research team is composed of faculty in the Waters College of Health Professions, the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, and the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health. The faculty work in a collaborative effort to take on health and wellness in a holistic approach by implementing programming, presenting and publishing research, and preparing grants geared toward improving the health of our first responders.   

“It is critical for us to use evidence-based research when making changes to our physical training program.  The GS Tactical Athlete program was key in assisting us in updating our training practices to be more effective and reduce injuries..” – Major Hal Braswell, GPSCT

Grant Funded Projects

Improving De-escalation Skills Among Recruits Through Mental &
Physical Training

The integrated mental health initiative creates a wellness curriculum for use with cadets that frames officer mental health through the perspective of resiliency, mindfulness, awareness, physical training, injury-prevention and occupational task preparedness.

Sponsored By: Criminal Justice Coordinating Council Grant in partnership with Georgia Public Safety Training Center GPSTC

Principle Investigator: Bridget Melton, Ed.D.

Rural Regional Mental Health & Wellness Training Program

The goal of the Statesboro-Bulloch County Rural Regional Mental Health & Wellness Training Program is to increase awareness and access to mental health and wellness resources for law enforcement officers and non-sworn personnel.

Sponsored By: Department of Justice Community Office of Policing COPS grant in partnership with Statesboro Police Department

Principle Investigator: Richard Cleveland, Ph.D.

Student Research

• Nicholas Hunt (in progress): “Occupational Apparatus and Fatigue Among Firefighters”
• Petra Kiss (in progress): “Occupational Task in Firefighters and Blance”
• Alyssa Fail (in progress): “Chronotypes and Law Enforcement Officers”
• Kayden Lowe (in progress): “Hypertension Among Municipal Workers”

Completed Student Research

• Tom Nagel, 2022: “The Role of Cardiorespiratory Fitness to Attenuate Arterial Stiffness in Firefighters”
• Marissa Villafuerte, 2021: “Firefighters Self-Efficacy of Injuries and Willingness to Report Injuries with the Southeastern Region of the United States“
• Catherine Gallagher, 2021: “The Relationship Between Emotion Regulation and Health Status in Southeast Rural Firefighters“
• Brandon Loewen, 2020: “Cardio-Metabolic and Perceived Demands Comparison of Circuit Training and Fireground Suppression Tasks“
• Macy Weeks, 2020: “Effectiveness of Wellness Programming to Improve Health and Fitness Metrics in Rural Firefighters“