Kelley Gabriel

Dr. Kelley Gabriel is a Professor and Associate Dean in the School of Public Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), with a primary appointment in the Department of Epidemiology. She holds additional roles as a Senior Scientist in multiple UAB research centers, including the Nutrition Obesity Research Center (NORC) and the Integrative Center for Aging Research. Her research focuses on optimizing physical activity and sedentary behavior measurement in large epidemiological studies, with a particular emphasis on cardiorespiratory fitness, chronic disease prevention, and life-course health trajectories.

Dr. Gabriel earned her PhD in Public Health (Epidemiology) from the University of Pittsburgh, an MS in Exercise Physiology from Northeastern University, and a BS in Athletic Training and Sports Medicine from Ithaca College.

Her research interests include developing methodological strategies for precise physical activity measurement, examining the timing of physical fitness and disease risk, and leveraging cohort studies like CARDIA and SWAN. She has secured grants from NIH, NHLBI, and other agencies to support studies on the 24-hour movement paradigm, cognitive health, and cardiovascular outcomes.

Key collaborations involve large-scale epidemiological cohorts such as the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) and the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Her over 200 peer-reviewed publications and four book chapters reflect expertise in physical activity epidemiology and translational research.

Grants include NIH-funded projects on cognitive resilience to Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular health trajectories, and the role of activity patterns in aging populations. Her work emphasizes translational strategies to improve public health through evidence-based lifestyle interventions.

Dr. Gabriel leads multidisciplinary teams at UAB, contributing to initiatives like the Osteoporosis in Men (MrOS) Study and the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study. Her research integrates wearable technologies, biomarker analysis, and advanced statistical methods to address global health challenges related to physical activity and chronic disease.