Ph.D. Alumni

Ken Ildefonso, PhD, LAT

Ken Ildefonso completed his Ph.D. in May 2023 and is currently an Associate Athletic Trainer for the football team at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. In this role, he works to optimize the performance of Miami University student athletes and mentors athletic training students and student workers. Ken is also working on becoming a certified American Heart Association instructor and submitting his dissertation research for publication.

This is a headshot of Carly Wahl, Ph.D. The image shows a woman from the waist up, wearing a green shirt and black jacket. She is crossing her arms and standing next to a brick wall. She has blonde hair and is smiling for the camera.

Carly Wahl, PhD, CMPC, CSCS

Carly Wahl completed her Ph.D. in May 2022 and is currently an Assistant Professor of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation at Eastern Illinois University (Charleston, IL). In this role, Dr. Wahl teaches core coursework (e.g., exercise psychology, physical fitness, assessment, and resistance training principles) at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Dr. Wahl has continued her research on the psychosocial aspects of recovery in collegiate athletes and tactical populations. She also serves athletes in the community as a mental performance consultant.

Jessica Ford, PhD

Jessica Ford completed her Ph.D. in May 2020 and is currently an Assistant Professor of Kinesiology at McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. In this role, Dr. Ford teaches courses associated with her area of specialization (e.g., sport, exercise & performance psychology) and continues her line of research exploring novel applications of sport psychology to non-traditional populations, such as performing artists. She is also in the process of finishing her clinical mental health internship hours in pursuit of gaining licensure as a counselor.

Stacy Gnacinski

Stacy L. Gnacinski, PhD, CMPC, CSCS

Stacy completed her Ph.D. in May 2017 and is currently an Associate Professor of Health Sciences at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. Her research work primarily focuses on two areas – integrated aspects of health and performance in tactical occupations and the psychophysiological aspects of recovery in elite sports and tactical populations such as firefighters and police officers. She teaches various core courses in the undergraduate health sciences program at Drake University including statistics in health sciences, values and ethics in health sciences, and behavioral and sport psychology. Additionally, Stacy works as a performance consultant to help athletes in the community achieve their goals.

William V. Massey, PhD, CMPC

Will completed his Ph.D. in May 2013 and is currently an Associate Professor in the College of Health at Oregon State University. Dr. Massey’s line of research focuses on the intersection of sport, play, and child development. His current research is focused on youth sport program quality, mental health in sport, and coach education and training.

Read Will’s Alumni Spotlight – posted March 27, 2023

Sasha Karnes

Sasha Karnes, PhD

Sasha completed her Ph.D. in May 2013 and is currently an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Dr. Karnes’ research interests include disease prevention and health promotion, specifically development and testing of web-based programming to increase health behaviors such as physical activity.

See M.S. Alumni