Our laboratory currently includes an associate scientist, research specialist, two PhD students, a Master’s student and a Post Doc. In addition, several undergraduate students participate in both credit and non-credit programs — all contributing to the research process. The Cook lab also has collaborations with colleagues at UW Hospital and Clinics, UW School of Medicine and Public Health, the Waisman Center, and UW Department of Psychiatry.
Research Staff
Dane Cook, PhD
Dr. Dane B. Cook is a Professor of Kinesiology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a Health Science Specialist/Research Physiologist at the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital. He also holds an adjunct appointment within the War Related Illness and Injury Study Center of the New Jersey VA Health Care System. Dr. Cook is Director of the Exercise Science laboratory at the VA Madison and Co-Director of the Exercise Psychology laboratory at UW–Madison. He is the current sitting Chair and Director of the Marsh Center for Research in Exercise and Movement.
Dr. Cook’s research focuses on the psychobiology (i.e. the relationships between biology and behavior) of exercise with a specific focus on how exercise influences the central nervous system in both health and disease. Much of this research uses functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), in conjunction with biological and behavioral outcomes, to understand central nervous system mechanisms of pain and fatigue in patients with fibromyalgia (FM), myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and Veterans with Gulf War illness (GWI). These studies combine exercise science and brain imaging methods to better understand these diseases. More recently, Dr. Cook’s research has begun to incorporate additional biological systems, such as the immune, autonomic and gut microbiome to better understand how distinct yet related physiological responses interact to maintain illness.
Dr. Cook’s research has received continuous federal funding for the past 15 years principally from Department of Veterans Affairs and the National Institutes of Health. His laboratory is currently testing how acute exercise influences autonomic, immune and brain responses during pain and cognitive challenges – a mechanistic study of post exertion malaise in Gulf War Illness (Merit Review Grant Award: I01CX0011329-01). In a separate project (Merit Review Award: Grant # 1I01CX000383-04), Dr. Cook’s lab is examining symptom, physical activity and brain responses to resistance exercise training in Gulf War Veterans with chronic musculoskeletal pain. This randomized controlled trial aims to determine whether weight-training is an effective treatment for Veterans with chronic muscle pain and whether treatment effects are related to changes in brain structure and function. Dr. Cook’s students study a range of exercise psychology topics including aging and dementia, depression and athlete overtraining and staleness.
Aaron J. Stegner, Associate Scientist
I have been a Badger and member of the Exercise Psychology Laboratory for over 20 years. Prof. William Morgan served as my graduate advisor and I received my PhD from UW–Madison in 2004. After a short stint as a Lecturer in the Educational Psychology and Kinesiology Departments, I began a postdoctoral appointment with Prof. Dane Cook working on two federally funded projects designed to better understand pain processing and modulation in patients with chronic medically-unexplained muscle pain. In my current position, I have served as the administrator of a series of projects funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs, including an ongoing exercise intervention trial. These studies were intended to further elucidate the mechanisms of chronic pain maintenance in Gulf War Veterans with medically-unexplained muscle pain and to explore the impact of physical activity, or lack thereof, on this condition. When I am not in the lab, I enjoy spending time with my family, cheering on Badger athletics, getting outside, reading and drinking good beer.
Neda Almassi, Research Specialist
I received my BS in Kinesiology from UW–Madison in 2015. I initially began working in the lab as an undergraduate volunteer. As a research specialist, I focus on recruiting participants for our current VA-funded exercise training trials so we can expand the reach of our research efforts. Outside of the lab, I can usually be found playing soccer, enjoying live music, or exploring Madison with my dog.
Current Students
Ryan Dougherty, Doctoral Student
I received my BS in Kinesiology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2013. My primary research interests are focused on investigating the potential beneficial effects of physical activity and exercise on delaying age-related cognitive decline, particularly in Alzheimer’s disease. Currently, I am working with researchers at the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center to further explore the relationship of exercise on brain health in those at risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease. If I’m not in the lab, I can be found at one of the local disc golf courses or a Badger sporting event.
Stephanie Van Riper, Doctoral Student
I am a Wisconsin native, and I received my BS in Kinesiology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2007. As a graduate student, my primary goals have been to immerse myself in exercise psychology topics that will help me work toward becoming an effective research scientist and educator. The three areas of exercise psychology I am most interested in are the effects of exercise on brain function, pain regulation, and mental health in individuals with chronic pain conditions such as fibromyalgia. Working closely with patient populations for the purpose of evaluating and developing treatment plans that improve their health and quality of life is of utmost importance to me. In order to build the foundation that will lead to treatment plan development, understanding the mechanisms by which chronic pain is maintained and how exercise may influence that mechanism is crucial. Investigating these mechanisms has therefore been the focus of my past, present, and future educational goals. When I’m not working, I enjoy going to new restaurants, playing golf and tennis, and going to Packer games.
Jacob Ninneman, Masters Student
I received my BS in Kinesiology from UW–Madison in 2014. Because of my time here at UW–Madison as a student athlete, my research interests are centered around exercise and brain health. I am very excited in the coming years to further specify my research interests. I am currently working on both of Dr. Cook’s active studies. If not in the lab or class, I can be found weightlifting, playing with my two dogs or enjoying the diverse food scene in Madison.