Bethany Barone Gibbs, PhD

Dr. Bethany Barone Gibbs joined the department in 2022 and is trained in cardiovascular and physical activity epidemiology and studies the prevention and treatment of cardiometabolic disease through healthy lifestyle behaviors in special populations.

Chair

Organization:

West Virginia University School of Public Health

Department:

Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Classification:

Faculty

• PhD, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, 2010
• MSc, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, 2003
• BS, College of William and Mary, 2001

1. Barone Gibbs B, Perera S, Huber KA, Paley JL, Conroy MB, Jakicic JM, Muldoon MF. Effects of Sedentary Behavior Reduction on Blood Pressure in Desk Workers: Results from the RESET BP Randomized Clinical Trial. Circulation. 2024.

2. Gibbs BB, Kozai AC, McAdoo SN, Davis KD, Savidge MB, Paley JL, Hauspurg A, Catov JM. The sedentary behavior reduction in pregnancy intervention (SPRING) pilot and feasibility randomized trial. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2024 Apr 11;24(1):261. doi: 10.1186/s12884-024-06474-3. PubMed PMID: 38605328.

3. Alansare A, Paley JL, Quinn TD, Gibbs BB. Paradoxical Associations of Occupational and Non-occupational Sedentary Behavior with Cardiovascular Disease Risk Measures in Desk Workers. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 01 May 2023, PMID: 37130827.

4. Whitaker KM, Jones MA, Smith K, Catov J, Feghali M, Kline CE, Santillan M, Santillan D, Zimmerman B, Gibbs BB. Study Design and Protocol of the Multisite Pregnancy 24/7 Cohort Study. Am J Epidemiol. 2024 Feb 5;193(3):415-425. doi: 10.1093/aje/kwad208. PubMed PMID: 37939072.

5. Barone Gibbs B, Muldoon MF, Conroy MB, Paley JL, Shimbo D, Perera S. Influence of Recent Standing, Moving, or Sitting on Daytime Ambulatory Blood Pressure. J Am Heart Assoc. 2023 Sep 5;12(17):e029999. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.123.029999. Epub 2023 Aug 17. PubMed PMID: 37589152.

6. Barone Gibbs B, Diaz KA, Kowalsky RJ, Smith P, Stoner L. Association of standing with cardiovascular disease and mortality in adults. Current Epidemiology Reports. (2021).

For a full list of publications, please follow this link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/bethany.gibbs.1/bibliography/public/

1. Delta Omega Faculty Inductee – West Virginia School of Public Health Chapter (2024)
2. Affiliate Investigator, Magee Womens Research Institute, University of Pittsburgh (2021)
3. Provost’s Women in Academic Leadership (WIN-AL) Program, University of Pittsburgh (2019)
4. Medical Student Research Mentoring Merit Award, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (2019)
5. Fellow of the American Heart Association (2016)

Courses taught (WVU)

• EPID 625: Principles of Clinical Trials (graduate)
• PUBH 796: Graduate Seminar (graduate)

Dr. Bethany Barone Gibbs is trained in cardiovascular and physical activity epidemiology and studies the prevention and treatment of cardiometabolic disease through healthy lifestyle behaviors. Her research has recently focused on sedentary behavior, a behavior distinct from moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity. She recently completed two clinical trials testing whether interventions that target reduced sedentary behavior can improve blood pressure and cardiovascular health in desk workers (NHLBI-funded RESET BP Study) and pregnancy health (AHA-funded SPRING Study). She is the Principal Investigator of an ancillary study to measure objective sedentary behavior and activity, pulse wave velocity, and heart rate variability among young women in the nuMoM2b Heart Health 2 Study cohort. She leads the West Virginia University site for the Pregnancy 24/7 Study linking the 24-hour activity cycle across pregnancy with pregnancy outcomes (NHLBI), and is Co-PI of a follow-up study of the intergenerational effects of prenatal activity on offspring health (Pregnancy 24/7 Offspring Study, NHLBI). She currently serves as the immediate past Chair of the Lifestyle Council Physical Activity Committee and the Physical Activity lead on the Epidemiology Statistics Committee for the American Heart Association. In her free time, Bethany enjoys theater, live music, her cats, vegetarian cooking, and getting outdoors with her husband and two children.

https://publichealth.wvu.edu/research-services/labs/physical-activity-and-sedentary-behavior-research-lab/

Grants and Research:

Effect of Reducing Sedentary Behavior on Blood Pressure

NHLBI R01 HL134809; Role: Principal Investigator; 8/15/2017-6/30/2023 (NCE); $2,400,961

Sedentary behavior, physical activity, sleep, and cardiovascular risk in pregnancy: the Pregnancy 24/7 cohort study

NHLBI R01 HL153095; Role: Co-Investigator (site Principal Investigator); 9/15/2020-8/31/2025; $3,432,188

Sedentary behavior and cardiovascular health in young women

NHLBI R01 HL158652; Role: Principal Investigator;5/20/2022 – 4/30/2027; $3,970,359

Reducing sedentary behavior in pregnancy: a randomized pilot and feasibility trial

American Heart Association 20TPA354909; Role: Principal Investigator; 1/1/2021-12/31/2023; $300,000

Sedentary behavior, physical activity, and 24-hour behavior in pregnancy and offspring health: the Pregnancy 24/7 Offspring Study

NHLBI R01HL164662; Role: Co-Principal Investigator; 4/17/2023 – 2/29/2028; $3,261,303