About Dr. Melissa Thompson
Dr. Missy Thompson is a professor in the Health & Human Performance Department at Fort Lewis College. She holds a B.A. and M.S. in Integrative Physiology from the University of Colorado at Boulder. During her master’s studies, Dr. Thompson gained international research experience at the Laboratoire de Physiologie de l'Exercice at the Université Jean Monnet in Saint-Étienne, France, where she studied sports bra biomechanics for Victoria’s Secret. Dr. Thompson received her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Idaho, where she worked in the Comparative Neuromechanics Laboratory studying locomotion across species, including humans, grizzly bears, and kangaroo rats. Her doctoral work focused on neuromechanics—the intersection of neuroscience and biomechanics.
A primary focus of Dr. Thompson’s research is the role of sensory feedback in human locomotion, with a specific emphasis on how plantar sensory information influences walking and running mechanics. These investigations have contributed to understanding the role of deep dermal and subcutaneous sensory receptors in gait adaptations. She continues to expand this line of work in more clinical directions, particularly investigating gait alterations in conditions such as diabetic peripheral neuropathy that affect plantar sensation.
As a former professional cyclist and member of the U.S. National Cycling Team, Dr. Thompson also integrates her experience as an elite athlete with her academic expertise. She conducts sports biomechanics and physiology research aimed at understanding variables related to performance and injury risk. She and her students have conducted research in this area on cycling, ski mountaineering, ice climbing, and trail running.
Dr. Thompson’s work also includes developing culturally responsive and experiential approaches to undergraduate research, with a particular emphasis on expanding access and opportunities for students in STEM.
Dr. Thompson loves spending time in the mountains of southwest Colorado and is an avid backcountry skier and mountain biker.
Selected publications and presentations
“Physiological and biomechanical mechanisms of distance specific human running performance,” Integrative and Comparative Biology, 57(2), 293-300, 2017
“Superficial plantar cutaneous sensation does not trigger barefoot running adaptations,” co-authored with K. M. Hoffman, Gait & Posture, 57, 305-309, 2017
“Kinematic and Kinetic Comparison of Barefoot and Shod Running in Mid/Forefoot and Rearfoot Strike Runners,” co-authored with S. S. Lee, J. Seegmiller, and C. P. McGowan, Gait & Posture, 2015
“Emerging Insights On Gait Changes in Runners,” co-authored with Kristine M. Hoffman, Podiatry Today, 2015
“Implications of Reduced Stride Length in Running,” co-authored with Kristine M. Hoffman, Lower Extremity Review, 2015
“The Role of Cutaneous Sensory Feedback During Running,” co-presented with M. Chavarria, D. Dasugo, N. DeSouchet, and K. M. Hoffman, Rocky Mountain American Society of Biomechanics Meeting, Estes Park, CO, 2015
“The Effect of Stride Length on the Dynamics of Barefoot and Shod Running,” co-authored with A. Gutmann, J. Seegmiller, and C. P. McGowan, Journal of Biomechanics, 2014
“Development of a Realistic Inertial Load Cycle Ergometer,” co-authored with R. Kram, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 2006
In the media
So, what DOES cause a change in strike pattern with barefoot running?, The Gait Guys, July 2017
Plantar sensation fails to explain shift in foot strike during barefoot running, Lower Extremity Review, June 2017