Faculty spotlight: Dr. Jeff Mettler, assistant professor of kinesiology

What if a lab became a clinic? What if learning to test cardiovascular endurance also helped a community member understand their health for the first time? Dr. Jeff Mettler is asking and answering those questions — transforming Augustana’s Lindberg Center into a site for both education and service.

Dr. Jeff Mettler's research in gait biomechanics and injury prevention is driven by a simple but powerful goal to solve practical, real-world problems that help people move better, live better and stay injury-free. It’s a trait he also builds in his students—by giving them a way to serve the community in real-time. 

In May 2025, Dr. Mettler’s students led the Augustana College Kinesiology Fitness Clinic in the Peter J. Lindberg, M.D., Center for Health and Human Performance. Community members signed up for professional-grade body composition and VO2 max tests — all administered by trained Augustana students, and offered at an accessible price. Using the college’s state-of-the-art BodPod system, students assessed body composition, including body fat percentage. The VO2 max test assessed endurance capabilities on a treadmill or stationary bike, providing participants with information about their cardiovascular fitness. 

For Dr. Mettler, the fitness clinic is more than a teaching tool — it’s a way for students to turn classroom learning into real-time community impact.

Bold & Boundless in action

Prioritize engaged learning

Students administer VO2 max and body composition tests using state-of-the-art equipment like the BodPod and metabolic carts. Once they are trained, students run every aspect of the clinic, from the moment a participant enters the lab until they leave.

Maximize student potential

“It is one thing to learn how to administer a fitness test on a classmate in a safe and controlled classroom environment,” Dr. Mettler said, “but the stakes become much higher when performing that test on a stranger who expects accurate results. It was rewarding to watch my students rise to the occasion and effectively demonstrate their knowledge and skills in an uncontrolled environment.”

Partner with the community

Welcoming Augie community members and local residents for affordable, professional-grade fitness assessments, the students’ work strengthens community ties and reinforces Augustana’s role as a regional hub for health and wellness education.

Outcomes

With interests in health care careers, kinesiology students running the clinic develop skills operating state-of-the-art equipment, conducting health/fitness tests and interacting with patients/clients. The clinic also provides them a way to demonstrate their abilities in fitness assessment, patient communication, clinical research and analysis — for future employers and graduate schools.

“At Augustana, we want to prepare students for their careers and help them be successful beyond their time at Augie,” Dr. Mettler said. “Experiences beyond the classroom are so important, because they will need to apply this learning in their careers.”

Student perspective: Carly Stone ’26, kinesiology and biology/pre-PT

“The biggest thing I learned, that I wasn’t expecting, was how to change or modify our procedure to fit the different needs of each participant on the fly. Our standard procedure worked but I found myself wondering how I could make the individual participants’ experience better—and those are the adjustments I made along the way, using the tools I have learned this semester in exercise physiology. 

“This was a great hands-on experience for me, to work with people from the community that I am unfamiliar with to truly practice my professionalism and demonstrate my knowledge of kinesiology and exercise physiology.” 

The Bold & Boundless faculty spotlights shine a light on Augustana faculty members whose work embodies the college’s strategic goals and values through research and/or teaching, mentorship, experiential learning and service. 

The spotlights also showcase how Augustana prepares students for dynamic lives and careers, and reinforce the college’s reputation for innovation among private liberal arts colleges.