Stacey Alvarez-Alvarado, Ph.D., M.S.

Stacey Alvarez-Alvarado, Ph.D., M.S., is an assistant professor of neurology at the University of Florida College of Medicine – Jacksonville. Her primary research interest revolves around combating age-related cognitive and physical function decline. Her initial experiences took part in the Cardiovascular Exercise Physiology laboratory at Florida State University under the mentorship of Dr. Arturo Figueroa. Her master’s degree training included extensive training in vascular exercise physiology (e.g., measurements of endothelial function, arterial stiffness, pulse wave analysis, hemodynamics) and cardiovascular adaptations to aging and exercise training. Subsequently, Alvarez-Alvarado pursued her doctoral degree within the Sport and Exercise Psychology laboratory at the Florida State University under the mentorship of Dr. Gershon Tenenbaum. Her research centered on the psychological (e.g., cognitive, affective, motivational) mechanisms underlying the linkage between workload and perceived effort. Specifically, the perceptual-cognitive-affective framework describes the dynamics and adaptations of effort-related components when exposed to incremental physical workloads. Dr. Alvarez-Alvarado completed her postdoctoral associate training with Dr. Adam J. Woods at the University of Florida (Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory) conducting and implementing interventions (tDCS, cognitive training), data analysis (neuroimaging and behavioral), and developing interventions to enhance neurocognitive functioning.