Performance Nutrition Series: Hydration, Heat Stress and Kidney Function in the Industrial Athlete

Zachary (Zac) Schlader is an associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology at Indiana University-Bloomington. He came to IUB from the University at Buffalo, where he was an assistant professor in the Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences from 2014-2019. Zac completed his BS in health at Austin Peay State University (2006), his MS in exercise physiology at IUB (2008) and his PhD in sport and exercise science at Massey University (New Zealand, 2011). 

He subsequently completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine (UT Southwestern Medical Center) under the mentorship of Dr. Craig Crandall. The overarching objective of Zac’s research is to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the deleterious impacts of imminent environmental challenges on human health, work that will inform the identification of strategies to prevent and treat threats to health and safety in at-risk populations (e.g., outdoor workers, older adults, etc.). 

His goal is to conduct research that informs occupational and/or public health efforts aiming to protect against the adverse effect of environmental stressors and associated conditions (e.g., dehydration). Current research foci include: (a) examining the impact of occupational heat stress on kidney function and injury, (b) elucidating adaptations and responses to diving related environmental exposures, and (c) understanding the determinants of behavioral thermoregulation during heat stress.