Alba Hernandez-Martinez

I am a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain). My work focuses on exercise science, cardiovascular health, and the role of physical activity in the prevention and management of chronic diseases.
I received a BSc in Physical Activity and Sport Sciences from the University of Almería (Spain) in 2017, followed by an MSc in Research in Physical Activity and Sport Sciences in 2018. I completed my PhD at the University of Almería in 2024, where my research focused on exercise interventions and cardiovascular health.
Throughout my academic career, I have completed international research stays at the Faculty of Sport of the University of Porto (Portugal), the University of Queensland (Brisbane, Australia), and the Aging Research Center (Stockholm, Sweden). 

My research focuses on understanding how physical activity and structured exercise can be used across the continuum of prevention, from primary prevention to clinical rehabilitation, to improve health outcomes and promote healthy ageing. I am particularly interested in optimising exercise prescription and developing evidence-based rehabilitation strategies for people living with cardiovascular and other chronic conditions.
My work combines clinical trials, epidemiology, and implementation research to investigate how different exercise modalities influence functional capacity, cardiovascular health, quality of life, and long-term clinical outcomes. A particular focus of my research is resistance training in cardiovascular populations and its role in improving functional status and reducing disease burden. I also have a growing interest in sex-specific responses to exercise and advancing women's cardiovascular health through tailored exercise interventions.
Throughout my research career, I have contributed to multidisciplinary projects involving clinical populations, including the development and evaluation of exercise-based rehabilitation programmes for people recovering from stroke. My long-term goal is to generate evidence that supports more effective, personalised, and implementable exercise interventions for both prevention and rehabilitation.

I have teaching experience across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, with a particular focus on physical activity, health promotion, and exercise science. At the University of Almería, I have taught undergraduate courses within the Bachelor's Degrees in Physical Activity and Sport Sciences and Primary Education.
I have also supervised undergraduate and master's dissertations in the field of physical activity and health at the University of Almería, as well as master's dissertations in the Master's Programme in Epidemiology at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.