Jon Specht
Assistant Professor
Dr. Specht received his Ph.D. from the University of New Mexico, M.S from Western Colorado University, and B.A. from Central College. His current research line focuses on lifestyle agents contributing to occupational heat-related illness and acute kidney injury. Outside of the classroom and lab, Dr. Specht enjoys endurance running and cycling.
I aim to create career-oriented courses focused on individual progress. I find that creating a sense of community within the classroom is essential to foster the education for students of varying backgrounds and career aspirations. Some of my favorite topics to teach include metabolism, cardiovascular physiology, research design, environmental physiology, and ergogenic aids.
Broadly, I research environmental physiology with special interests in heat and high-altitude physiology. Most recently, my focus has been on heat safety and risk of acute kidney injury in occupational workers exposed to hot environmental conditions. I have conducted both field- and laboratory-based studies exploring how lifestyle factors such as alcohol, caffeine, and ibuprofen impact thermoregulation and occupational heat-related kidney injury.
Recent publications:
Siegler J, Butterick B, Freire R, Specht J, & Amorim F (2025). Exploring the effects of outdoor physical work in the heat, with or without sodium bicarbonate supplementation, on markers of acute kidney injury. Physiological Reports. https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.70472
Masoud A, Li Z, Deyhle M, Siegler J, Specht J, McKenna Z, Mermier C, & Amorim F (2025). Acute sodium bicarbonate supplementation reduces the increase in markers of acute kidney injury during physical work in the heat. European Journal of Applied Physiology. 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-025-05850-x
Tourula E, Specht J, Hite M, Walker C, Garcia S, Khandpekar O, Yoder H, Zoh R, Johnson B, Wegman D, Glaser J, Amorim F, & Schlader Z (2025). Hyperthermia predicts cross-shift acute kidney injury risk in construction workers. Kidney International Reports. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ekir.2025.05.044
Specht J, Garcia S, Tourula E, Hite M, Walker C, Yoder H, Wegman D, Glaser J, Schlader Z, & Amorim F (2025). Heat stress and strain in commercial construction workers in the summer: A pilot study. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene. 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1080/15459624.2025.2500613
Ducharme J, Specht J, Bailly A, & Deyhle M (2025). Serum cytokines and their soluble receptors and differently regulated between trained and untrained men after vigorous endurance exercise. American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology. 328(5), 581-587. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpregu.00010.2025
Specht J, Bailly A, Garcia S, Klepacz S, Andrade De Oliveira S, Lucero D, Mckenna Z, Schlader Z, Amorim F (2025). Effect of ibuprofen on markers of intestinal injury, inflammation, and acute kidney injury after running in the heat. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 57(6), 1092-1102. https://doi.org/10.1249/mss.0000000000003659
Ducharme J, Specht J, Bailly A, Fennel Z, Nava R, Mermier C, & Deyhle M (2025). Training status influences regulation of muscle and PBMC TLR4 expression and systemic cytokine responses to vigorous endurance exercise. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 57(4), 767-780. https://doi.org/10.1249/mss.0000000000003618
Specht J, Garcia S, Wegman D, Glaser J, Schlader Z, Amorim F (2025). Heat strain in road construction workers during the summer in New Mexico; A preliminary study. Annals of Work Exposures and Health. 69(2), 225-229. https://doi.org/10.1093/annweh/wxae097
Zuhl M, Specht J, Beatty S, & Mermier C (2024). Glutamine supplementation: a possible strategy to help mitigate health risks of exertional heat stress related illness. Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism. https://doi.org/10.1155/jnme/1638244