Research Associate Professor, Dept of Physiology and Aging,  Adjunct Faculty, Dept of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation University of Florida (2017 – current); Myology Institute

Research Interest: For over 25 years, Dr. Taivassalo’s research has addressed the critical and longstanding gap in health care for individuals with rare neuromuscular disorders by establishing exercise as a safe, effective, and scalable therapeutic strategy. Despite extensive evidence supporting “exercise as medicine” across clinical populations, its adoption in neuromuscular disease has historically been limited by concerns that physical activity could exacerbate muscle pathology. Through sustained, partner-engaged research spanning academia, clinical care, industry, and patient organizations, her work has helped shift this paradigm by developing and validating precision exercise interventions that target disease-specific pathophysiology. These efforts have translated into improved functional outcomes and quality of life, and informed clinical practice positioning exercise as a complementary therapy alongside emerging genetic and pharmacological treatments for neuromuscular disorders.

She completed her Ph.D. at the Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University in 2001 under the mentorship of Dr. D. Arnold, assessing the safety and efficacy of aerobic cycling and high intensity strength training in patients with primary mitochondrial myopathy. Postdoctoral studies at the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine in Dallas, Texas with Dr. R. Haller advanced her knowledge of cardiovascular physiology and molecular biochemistry in conditions of rare muscle metabolic diseases. Her research integrated whole body and in vivo measures with muscle biopsies to detect the cellular/molecular impact of exercise. Dr. Taivassalo returned to McGill University in 2005 where she expanded her research to include Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) ⁶, investigating the nature of mitochondrial dysfunction in locomotor muscles of patients with COPD, and testing eccentric cycling as a novel therapeutic modality for countering muscle weakness. In 2017 Dr. Taivassalo joined the University of Florida and the Myology Institute and set up the Precision Exercise for Neuromuscular Disease Lab (PE for NMD) where she is currently exploring the potential of exercise training in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and Friedreich’s ataxia.