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Expertise

Sports Medicine and Human Performance; Autonomic Nervous System Function; Enhancement and Promotion of Health and Fitness

Research Interests

• Non-Invasive Autonomic Nervous System Assessment
• Enhancement and Promotion of Human Health and Fitness
• Chronic Disease & Musculoskeletal Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation
• Non-Invasive Monitoring of Training Load and Workload

Education

• Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee - Milwaukee, Wis.
• Ph.D. in Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee - Milwaukee, Wis.
• MS in Kinesiology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee - Milwaukee, Wis.
• BS in Exercise Science, Carroll University - Waukesha, Wis.

Biosketch

David J. Cornell, PT, DPT, PhD, FACSM is an associate professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and Kinesiology at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, where he also serves as the director of the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program and co-director of the Health Assessment Laboratory. Cornell’s interdisciplinary and community-engaged research agenda is concentrated on the optimization of health and human performance across various populations of interest, including: tactical operators (e.g., firefighters, soldiers, etc.); elite athletes (e.g., professional athletes, collegiate student-athletes, etc.); and various clinical populations. To accomplish this agenda, he leverages both laboratory and applied/clinical techniques to facilitate the non-invasive assessment of autonomic nervous system and electro-mechanical muscle function, the investigation of musculoskeletal injury and chronic disease prevention programming, and the enhancement and promotion of human health, fitness and performance within these populations of interest.

As a clinician-scientist, Cornell is a licensed physical therapist (PT) and holds credentials as a Certified Exercise Physiologist (ACSM-EP), a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), and as a certified Tactical Strength and Conditioning Facilitator (TSAC-F). He previously served as the education lead of the Tactical Athlete Special Interest Group for the American Academy of Sports Physical Therapy (AASPT), is a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine (FACSM), and is active within the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) organizations.

Selected Awards and Honors

• Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Specialist of the Year Award (2025) - National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA)
• Jacqueline F. Moloney Honors College Founder Award (2025) - University of Massachusetts Lowell
• Fellow (2023) - American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)
• New Investigator Award (2022) - American College of Sports Medicine New England Regional Chapter (NEACSM)
• Teaching Excellence Award (2022) - Department of Physical Therapy and Kinesiology, University of Massachusetts Lowell
• Graduate Student Writing Award (2018) - American Kinesiology Association (AKA)
• Challenge Scholarship (2017) - National Strength and Conditioning Association Foundation (NSCAF)
• Distinguished Graduate Student Fellowship (2017) - University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
• Outstanding Graduate Student Scholar (2016) - American College of Sports Medicine Midwest Regional Chapter (MWACSM)

Selected Publications

• Rogers DW, Himariotis AT, Sherriff TJ, Proulx QJ, Duong MT, Noel SE, Cornell DJ. Test-retest reliability and concurrent validity of photoplethysmography finger sensor to collect measures of heart rate variability. Sports. 2025;13(2):29.
• Fouhy LE, Mangano KM, Zhang X, Dawson-Hughes B, Cornell DJ, Tucker KL, Noel SE. Associations between urinary catecholamines and glucocorticoids and bone mineral density and osteoporosis among Puerto Rican adults. J Bone Miner Res. 2025;40(4):500-510.
• Flanagan KD, Cornell DJ, Zhang X, Mangano KM, Tucker KL, Noel SE. Adherence to Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet and disability among Puerto Rican adults. Am J Clin Nutr. 2024;120(2):389-397.
• Cornell DJ, Gnacinski SL, Ebersole KT. Changes in dynamic balance ability among firefighter recruits: a longitudinal cohort study. J Strength Cond Res. 2024;38(4):734-741.
• Cornell DJ, Flees RJ, Shemelya CM, Ebersole KT. Influence of cardiorespiratory fitness on cardiac autonomic recovery among active-duty firefighters. J Strength Cond Res. 2024;38(1):66-73.
• Renner MN, Gnacinski SL, Porter FJ, Cornell DJ. The influence of age and dynamic balance on functional movement among active-duty police officers. J Sport Rehabil. 2023;32(3):242-247.
• Himariotis AT, Coffey KF, Noel SE, Cornell DJ. Validity of a smartphone application in calculating measures of heart rate variability. Sensors. 2022;22(4):9883.
• Cornell DJ, Ebersole KT, Azen R, Zalewski KR, Earl-Boehm JE, Alt CA. Measures of functional movement quality among firefighters. Athl Train Sports Health Care. 2021;13(5):262-270.
• Sherriff TJ, Ebersole KT, Cornell DJ. Relationship between gastrocnemius muscle length and overhead squat movement compensations among active-duty firefighters. Int J Athl Ther Train. 2021;26(4):230-235.
• Cornell DJ, Gnacinski, SL, Ebersole KT. Functional movement quality of firefighter recruits: longitudinal changes from the academy to active-duty status. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(7):3656.
• Marciniak RA, Ebersole KT, Cornell DJ. Relationships between balance and physical fitness variables in firefighter recruits. Work. 2021;68(3):667-677.
• Noel SE, Cornell DJ, Zhang X, Mirochnick JC, Mattei J, Falcón LM, Tucker KL. Patterns of change in cardiovascular risk assessments and ankle brachial index among Puerto Rican adults. PLoS One. 2021;16(1): e0245236.
• Cornell DJ, Noel SE, Zhang X, Ebersole KT. Influence of body composition on post-exercise parasympathetic reactivation of firefighter recruits. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(1):339.
• Cornell DJ, Noel SE, Zhang X, Ebersole KT. Influence of a training academy on the parasympathetic nervous system reactivation of firefighter recruits – an observational cohort study. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;18(1):109.
• Cornell DJ, Ebersole KT. Influence of an acute bout of self-myofascial release on knee extension force output and electro-mechanical activation of the quadriceps. Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2020;15(5):732-743.
• Ebersole KT, Cornell DJ, Flees RJ, Shemelya CM, Noel SE. Contributions of the autonomic nervous system to recovery in firefighters. J Athl Train. 2020;55(9):1001-1008.
• Cornell DJ, Ebersole KT. Intra-rater test-retest reliability and response stability of the Fusioneticsâ„¢ Movement Efficiency Test. Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2018;13(4):618-632.
• Cornell DJ, Gnacinski SL, Meyer BB, Ebersole KT. Changes in health and fitness in firefighter recruits: an observational cohort study. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2017;49(11):2223-2233.
• Cornell DJ, Gnacinski SL, Zamzow A, Mims J, Ebersole KT. Measures of health, fitness, and functional movement among firefighter recruits. Int J Occup Saf Ergon. 2017;23(2):198-204.
• Cornell DJ, Paxson JL, Caplinger RA, Seligman JR, Davis NA, Ebersole KT. Resting heart rate variability among professional baseball starting pitchers. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(3):575-581.
• Cornell DJ, Paxson JL, Caplinger RA, Seligman JR, Davis NA, Flees RJ, Ebersole KT. In-game heart rate responses among professional baseball starting pitchers. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(1):24-29.
• Gnacinski SL, Cornell DJ, Meyer BB, Arvinen-Barrow M, Earl-Boehm JE. Functional Movement Screenâ„¢ factorial validity and measurement invariance across sex among collegiate student-athletes. J Strength Cond Res. 2016;30(12):3388-3395.
• Cornell DJ, Gnacinski SL, Zamzow A, Mims J, Ebersole KT. Influence of body mass index on movement efficiency among firefighter recruits. Work. 2016;54(3):679-687.
• Gnacinski SL, Ebersole KT, Cornell DJ, Mims J, Zamzow A, Meyer BB. Firefighters' cardiovascular health and fitness: an observation of adaptations that occur during firefighter training academies. Work. 2016;54(1):43-50.
• Gnacinski SL, Meyer BB, Cornell DJ, Mims J, Zalewski KR, Ebersole KT. Tactical athletes: an integrated approach to understanding and enhancing the health and performance of firefighters-in-training. Int J Exerc Sci. 2015;8(4):341-357.

Selected Presentations

• Validity of photoplethysmography derived heart rate variability data during slow-paced breathing - American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, May 2025 - Atlanta, GA
• Serving those who serve: physical therapists working with tactical athletes - American Physical Therapy Association Combined Sections Meeting, February 2024 - Boston, MA
• Right versus left differences in heart rate variability metrics collected via photoplethysmography - American Physical Therapy Association Combined Sections Meeting, February 2024 - Boston, MA
• Heart rate recovery: physiology, assessment, and insight it can provide regarding the autonomic recovery of firefighters - American College of Sports Medicine New England Regional Chapter Conference, October 2023 - Springfield, MA
• Validity of a smart garment to collect measures of heart rate variability during rest and post-exercise recovery - National Strength and Conditioning Association National Conference, July 2023 - Las Vegas, NV
• Validity of a smart garment to collect heart rate data during rest, exercise, and recovery - American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, May 2023 - Denver, CO
• Structural versus wildland firefighters: what do I need to know when treating these tactical athletes? - American Physical Therapy Association Combined Sections Meeting, February 2023 - San Diego, CA
• Musculoskeletal injury risk among firefighters: movement quality isn’t the only factor - National Strength and Conditioning Association Tactical Annual Training, August 2022 - San Antonio, TX
• Influence of cardiorespiratory fitness on heart rate recovery metrics of male firefighters - National Strength and Conditioning Association National Conference, July 2022 - New Orleans, LA
• Test-retest reliability of devices used to collect heart rate variability data - American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, June 2022 - San Diego, CA
• Firefighter task analysis: understanding the occupational needs of these tactical athletes - American Academy of Sports Physical Therapy Annual Meeting and Scientific Conference, September 2021 - Indianapolis, IN
• Validity of a finger sensor device and smartphone application to collect heart rate variability data - American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, May 2021 - Washington, DC
• Influence of an online-delivered corrective exercise program on movement compensations of male career firefighters - American Physical Therapy Association Combined Sections Meeting, February 2021 - Orlando, FL
• Influence of an online-delivered corrective exercise program on the functional movement quality of male career firefighters - National Strength and Conditioning Association National Conference, July 2020 - Las Vegas, NV
• Influence of aerobic fitness on heart rate recovery among active-duty firefighters - American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, May 2020 - San Francisco, CA
• Relationships between resting heart rate variability, maximal heart rate, and VO2peak among active-duty firefighters - American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, May 2020 - San Francisco, CA
• Relationship between musculoskeletal injury risk assessments among career active-duty firefighters - American Physical Therapy Association Combined Sections Meeting, February 2020 - Denver, CO
• Relationship between gastrocnemius muscle length and single-leg balance ability among male career active-duty firefighters - National Strength and Conditioning Association National Conference, July 2019 - Washington, DC
• Longitudinal changes in health, fitness, and musculoskeletal injury risk among firefighter recruits - Northeast Physical Therapy Symposium, April 2019 - Hartford, CT
• Fitness level and autonomic nervous system influence on recovery in firefighters - Tactical Athlete Human Factors Summit, September 2018 - Auburn, AL
• Physical factors associated with tower stair climbing in firefighter recruits - American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, June 2018 - Minneapolis, MN
• Influence of a corrective exercise program on functional movement quality among active-duty firefighters - National Strength and Conditioning Association National Conference, July 2017 - Las Vegas, NV