The Science of Human Performance: Part 2 with Dr. Rachele Pojednic

Jun 22, 2025

Dr. Rachele Pojednic, an expert in nutrition and physical activity from Restore Hyper Wellness and Stanford, dives into the critical gap between human performance research and practical application. She discusses the complexities of research funding, the hype versus reality of CBD, and the importance of rigorous studies on supplements. Rachele highlights the need for collaboration between scientists and practitioners to improve health communication. She also advocates for reform in physical education, emphasizing engaging methods to enhance youth health.

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ANECDOTE

Challenges Studying Cryotherapy

Dr. Rachele Pojednic shared her experience trying to study cryotherapy for muscle recovery using IRB approval.
She faced strict requirements like needing a physician on site, while athletes were already using the therapy unsupervised.

INSIGHT

Bridging Science & Practice Gap

Effective human performance science must be communicated bi-directionally between scientists and practitioners.
Coaches' field insights and approachable science translation are both necessary to advance practical applications.

INSIGHT

Foundations Trump Fancy Therapies

Foundational lifestyle habits like exercise, diet, and sleep have exponentially bigger effects than trendy recovery modalities.
The problem is poor socialization of this core message, leaving many unaware of its importance.

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In part 2 of this 3 part series we finally get to the primary topic we invited Rachele onto the podcast to talk about: the gap between human performance research and the practitioners who work to implement it every day.

Some specific topics include the the state of human performance research, consumer trends, recovery modalities, supplements, and how all these things get funded.

Rachele Pojednic, PhD, EdM, FACSM, is the Director of Scientific Research & Education at Restore Hyper Wellness, an Adjunct Lecturer at Stanford University and the Director of Education at Stanford Lifestyle Medicine. In addition, she serves as a Research Associate at the Institute of Lifestyle Medicine at Harvard Medical School and is an award-winning Instructor at the Harvard Extension School. Previously, she was a tenure-track faculty member at Norwich University and Simmons University.

For the past decade, Dr Pojednic’s work has examined nutrition, supplementation and physical activity interventions on muscle physiology, performance and recovery, as well as muscle related chronic disease. She has received research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the Vermont Biomedical Research Network (VBRN) an NIH IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) program. She has published extensively on vitamin D and cannabidiol (CBD) supplementation and their effects on skeletal muscle in health and disease, muscle physiology and aging with a focus on sarcopenia, physiologic metrics of muscle recovery in warfighters, the effects of nutrition and exercise interventions on diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes, and educational models for healthcare professionals focused on nutrition and exercise.

Dr. Pojednic received her PhD in Biochemical and Molecular Nutrition & Exercise Physiology from Tufts University. She also holds a Masters in Education in Physical Education and Coaching from Boston University and a BS in Cardiopulmonary and Exercise Science from Northeastern University.

She holds a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) certification from National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and is board certified Health Coach from the National Board of Health and Wellness Coaches (NBHWC).