Dr. Ben Gordon is an Assistant Professor in the department of Health and Human Development. His research focuses on simple and convenient exercise interventions to manage and lower blood pressure. Specifically his research alongside his collaborators explores the effect of isometric handgrip exercise in adults with and without hypertension as a supplemental antihypertensive lifestyle strategy. Dr. Gordon has also taken interest in the unique physiological phenomenon of the interarm difference in blood pressure that occurs during both rest and exercise as increased cardiovascular risk may be associated with a widened pressure between arms. Finally, Dr. Gordon also has an athletic performance focused research interest in studying the effects of carbon fiber-plated running shoes on race performance in recreational and competitive runners.
Raised in Michigan for most of his life, Dr. Gordon earned his BS in Exercise Science from Western Michigan University, MS in Clinical Exercise Physiology from East Stroudsburg University, and his PhD in Biological Sciences from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Before joining the faculty at Pitt, Dr. Gordon spent four years as an Assistant Professor of Exercise Science at Slippery Rock University.