Assistant Professor, Kinesiology
Other Affiliations: Other
Campus: UMD | Building: SPH | Room: 2134D
Phone: 301-405-2483 |
Office Hours: 

By appointment

Biography

Aging and a sedentary lifestyle lead to changes in skeletal muscle and the vasculature that result in insulin resistance and an increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes. This places older adults at substantially greater risk for diabetes-associated cardiovascular disease, microvascular complications, and impaired angiogenesis. My research is focused on conducting exercise intervention studies to determine mechanisms by which the risk for aging-associated vascular impairments and cardiometabolic diseases may be reduced in older adults.  My laboratory uses state of the art techniques to assess angiogenesis and skeletal muscle capillarization, as well as in vivo vascular function and glucose metabolism. We have also developed basic science and cell culture techniques to study the number and function of circulating angiogenic cells that may contribute to improvements in angiogenesis and vascular function in older adults.

I am currently funded by the National Institutes of Health and Department of Veterans Affairs for my research examining mechanisms underlying abnormal angiogenesis and vascular dysfunction in aging and age-associated cardiometabolic diseases such as diabetes and peripheral arterial disease, as well as how exercise training may restore normal angiogenesis, metabolism and physical function in these individuals.

Education and Training

2008 - Postdoc - University of Maryland School of Medicine

2005 - Ph.D. - University of Maryland College Park

2001 - M.A. - Ohio State University

1999 - B.S. - University of Pittsburgh

Courses

KNES 694 - Exercise Metabolism

Honors and Awards

2007 New Investigator Research Award, The Obesity Society

2012 Paul B. Beeson Scholar, NIH-NIA and the American Federation for Aging Research

Publications: 
  1. Landers-Ramos, R.Q., R.M. Sapp, E.V. deWater, J. Macko, S.W. Robinson, Y. Wang, E.R. Chin, E.E. Spangenburg, S.J. Prior, J.M. Hagberg. Investigating the extremes of the continuum of paracrine functions in CD34-/CD31+ CACs across diverse populations. American Journal of Physiology: Heart and Circulatory Physiology 312:H162-172, 2017. doi:10.1152/ajpheart.00342.2016. PMCID: PMC5283912.
  2. Addison, O., R. Kundi, R. Patel, A.S. Ryan, A.P. Goldberg, B.K. Lal, S.J. Prior. Clinical relevance of the modified physical performance test vs. the short physical performance battery for detecting mobility impairments in older men with peripheral arterial disease.  Disability and Rehabilitation. In Press. doi: 10.1080/09638288.2017.1367966.
  3. Lutz, A., J.B. Blumenthal, R.Q. Landers-Ramos, S.J. Prior. Exercise-induced endothelial progenitor cell mobilization is attenuated in impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes. Journal of Applied Physiology 121:36-41, 2016.
  4. Landers-Ramos, R.Q., K.J. Corrigan, L.M. Guth, C.N. Altom, E.E. Spangenburg, S.J. Prior, J.M. Hagberg. Short-term exercise training improves endothelial function and circulating angiogenic cell number in older sedentary adults.  Applied Physiology Nutrition and Metabolism 41:832-841, 2016.
  5. Prior, S.J., A.S. Ryan, J. Watson, J.B. Blumenthal, L.I. Katzel, A.P. Goldberg. Sarcopenia is associated with lower skeletal muscle capillarization and exercise capacity in older adults.  Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences 71:1096-1101, 2016.
  6. Prior, S.J.  A.P. Goldberg, H.K. Ortmeyer, E. Chin, D. Chen, J.B. Blumenthal, A.S.Ryan.  Increased skeletal muscle capillarization independently enhances insulin sensitivity in older adults after exercise training and detraining. Diabetes 64:3386-3395, 2015. PMCID: PMC4587640.
  7. Landers-Ramos, R., N.T. Jenkins, J.M. Hagberg, E.E. Spangenburg, S.J. Prior.  Circulating angiogenic and inflammatory cytokine responses to acute aerobic exercise in trained and sedentary young men. European Journal of Applied Physiology 114:1377-1384. 2014. PMCID: PMC4048778.
  8. Prior, S.J., J.B. Blumenthal, L.I. Katzel, A.P. Goldberg, A.S.Ryan.  Increased skeletal muscle capillarization after aerobic exercise training and weight loss improves insulin sensitivity in adults with IGT. Diabetes Care 37:1469-1475, 2014. PMCID: PMC3994928.
  9. Prior, S.J., T.G. Stevenson, A.S. Ryan, A.P. Goldberg.  Metabolic inflexibility during submaximal aerobic exercise is associated with glucose intolerance in obese older adults.  Obesity 22:451-457, 2014.  PMCID: PMC3875833.
  10. Prior, S.J. and A.S. Ryan.  Low clonogenic potential of circulating angiogenic cells is associated with lower skeletal muscle capillarization in impaired glucose tolerance. Diabetes/Metabolism Research and Reviews 29:319-325, 2013. PMCID: PMC3715125.
  11. Prior, S.J., M.J. McKenzie, L.J. Joseph, F.M. Ivey, R.F. Macko, C.E. Hafer-Macko, A.S. Ryan. Reduced skeletal muscle capillarization and glucose intolerance. Microcirculation 16:203-12, 2009. PMCID: PMC2990692

Click here for a full list of publications.