With great sadness, one of our Exercise and Nutritional Sciences faculty members, Dr. Michael J. Buono, passed away Saturday, March 4th, from Legionella pneumonia (Legionnaires’ disease). He was a faculty member at SDSU for more than 40 years. Buono graduated with his Ph.D. in Animal Physiology from the University of Arizona. He began his tenure at San Diego State University as an Assistant professor in 1982. Dr. Buono led the Kasch Exercise Physiology Laboratory and the Rees-Stealy Research Foundation Laboratory and also served as a physiology instructor for the Naval School of Health Science physician assistant program.
Dr. Buono considered himself a Systemic Human Physiologist. He used exercise and environmental perturbations to explain physiological control systems in humans. Over the last 25 years, Dr. Buono has published papers in the American Journal of Physiology, European Journal of Physiology, Applied Physiology, Thermal Biology, and Physical Therapy. He once wrote: “As an educator, I value creative thinking almost as much as content mastery. I want students to value their own ability to think creatively, and I encourage them to use novel ways to demonstrate their knowledge.
Dr. Buono’s family described him as a “wonderful husband, father, brother, son and friend who lived a life full of curiosity, eagerness, kindness, and who had a genuine desire to help all of those around him achieve their very best.”
Students affected by Dr. Buono’s death were urged to use the campus counseling support services. Memorial service is to be determined.
