Janet L. Larson

Biography

Education: PhD, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 1985 MN, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 1978 BSN, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, 1975 Teaching: Dr. Larson mentors students in her research laboratory and regularly teaches research seminars for graduate students as well as lectures on topics of respiratory physiology and respiratory pathophysiology at the undergraduate and graduate level. She lectures on topics related to conducting exercise research in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and measurement issues related to tests of functional performance. In addition, Dr. Larson (in collaboration with Marie Driever, PhD, RN) has regularly conducted research workshops for nurses in Russia, sponsored by the Russian Nurses Association.

Research Interest

Dr. Larson is an expert in the pulmonary rehabilitation of people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). She maintains an active program of research, studying factors that influence symptoms, physical activity, and quality of life for people with COPD. Most of her research focuses on exercise interventions for people with COPD and includes a series of studies to examine the effects of inspiratory muscle training and cycle ergometry training (NIH NR01428). In the past, Dr. Larson has conducted a prospective longitudinal study to examine factors that influence deterioration of respiratory muscle strength and functional status in people with COPD (NIH NR04129). More recently, she completed a randomized controlled trial of upper body strength training with a self-efficacy enhancing intervention to promote exercise adherence in people with COPD (NIH NR 08037). She is currently conducting studies to examine daily physical activity and the effects of an exercise intervention to increase physical activity in people with COPD.