Brett R Ely

Dr. Romano Ely was one of the first faculty members to join the Department of Health Sciences in 2023, and helped develop and launch the Anatomy and Physiology courses, serving as 'team lead' in the first year of the program. She additionally teaches Nutrition and Disease Prevention, and works in all of her courses to create an environment that fosters curiosity and lifelong learning, and where students feel genuinely supported inside and outside of the classroom. 

Dr. Romano Ely's teaching and research interests encompass human health, from disease prevention to exercise performance. She is particularly interested in the potential of thermal stress, alone or in combination with exercise, to optimize health and performance. Dr. Romano Ely's research work has received numerous awards, including the American College of Sports Medicine President's Cup, the New England ACSM New Investigator award, and the American Physiological Society Environmental and Exercise Physiology Nike Loren G. Myhre Predoctoral Research Award. Her work has been funded by the National Institue of Health, American Heart Association, and several foundation grants. Her favorite part of the research is student mentoring, engaging them in every step of the process from idea generation to publication.

Dr. Romano Ely received her B.S. in Dietetics and her M.S. in Nutrition & Exercise Physiology from James Madison University, and her PhD in Human Physiology from the University of Oregon. Her work experience includes nutrition counseling, physiology research for the Department of Defense, and prior faculty experience at Salem State University.