Distinguished Alumnus
Jay received his M.A. in Exercise Physiology from San Diego State in 1986. Since that time he has been a research physiologist at the Naval Health Research Center, located in Point Loma. Over the last 30 years, he has been conducting applied research to develop strategies that reduce or prevent heat injuries to keep U.S. service members healthy and mission-ready. Currently, he is the Deputy Department Head of Warfighter Performance.
When a unit loses personnel due to heat injuries, reduced manning can make it difficult to meet operational requirements and negatively impact mission success. In 2013 alone, there were 324 cases of heat stroke and just over 1,700 other heat injuries among active duty service members. That is over 2,000 warfighters who were unable to report for duty, either temporarily or permanently, and support their unit’s mission.
To optimize the operational readiness of our warfighters, Navy Medicine has been proactive in conducting medical research to reduce heat injuries and optimize the safety of military personnel working in hot conditions for decades. Jay conducted his first thermal physiology study in 1989 and, ever since, environmental physiology has been the primary focus of his research. Over the years, he and his research team have conducted numerous studies to prevent service members from incurring heat injuries, which include:
- Evaluating individual thermoregulatory capacity
- Identifying safe heat exposure limits
- Investigating the use of microclimate cooling (ice vests, water cooled vests)
- Developing advanced technologies to monitor environmental conditions and provide current time heat exposure guidance
Jay has published research articles in the Journal of Thermal Biology, the American Journal of Physiology, Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine and the European Journal of Applied Physiology. Dozens of M.S. students have done internships or been employed at NHRC during Jay’s tenure. Jay is a proud alumnus of SDSU and is a big fan of the men’s basketball team.
