Photo caption: (left to right) Faculty members Xiaolu Liu, Lauren Beasley and Chun Hao (Philip) Huang are earning national recognition for their research in teacher education, sport social work and biomechanics, respectively.
story by Claire Miller
Three early-career faculty members in Georgia State University's Department of Kinesiology and Health are earning national recognition for their research in sport social work, biomechanics and teacher education.
This year, College of Education & Human Development (CEHD) Assistant Professors Lauren Beasley, Chun Hao (Philip) Huang and Xiaolu Liu each received awards from professional organizations in their fields.
Despite their diverse research areas, all three faculty members share a common goal: to address real-world challenges and improve lives.
Lauren Beasley: Prioritizing Mental Health in Sport
Beasley’s research lies at the intersection of social work in sport, with a focus on the social work profession in sport, mental health programming in sport organizations and collegiate athletes’, coaches’ and administrators’ mental health literacy. She’s published articles in several peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Sport and Social Issues, the Journal of Intercollegiate Sport, Sport Social Work Journal and the Journal of Social Work.
Recently, she worked with colleagues in Georgia State’s School of Social Work to establish a new Sport Social Work graduate certificate program. This graduate certificate, which is the first of its kind in the nation to be jointly developed by social work and sport administration faculty, prepares students to address the mental health and well-being of athletes and other sports professionals at the individual and organizational levels.
She received the College Sports Research Institute's 2026 Emerging Scholar Award, which “recognizes a faculty member who is conducting meaningful scholarship in the area of college sport research.”
Beasley, a licensed social worker with a doctorate in sport administration, understands that conducting research in social work and sport can encourage more interdisciplinary collaborations that ultimately improve mental health outcomes.
“The College Sports Research Institute giving this award to someone whose research and practice focus is on social work in sport shows that this topic is a priority,” she said. “The more people who are committed to shifting the culture of sport to one that prioritizes mental health, the more likely we are to see actual change. I am hopeful for a future of college sport where athletes, coaches, employees, fans and anyone else who touches the industry knows that their mental health is a priority.”
Chun Hao (Philip) Huang: Developing Fall Prevention and Rehabilitation Strategies for Older Adults
Huang’s research focuses on better understanding disability in aging adults with musculoskeletal injuries, particularly osteoarthritis (OA). His primary goal is to develop effective intervention strategies aimed at improving physical function and increasing physical activity among OA patients to support their quality of life. He’s published articles in several academic journals, including the Journal of Rheumatology, the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine and the Journal of Orthopaedic Research.
This spring, Huang received the American Society of Biomechanics' 2026 Junior Faculty Research Award, which is given annually to support early-career faculty members’ research.
The $5,000 award allows Huang to conduct a research project to learn how arm and upper-body movements help older adults with knee osteoarthritis maintain balance and prevent falls.
“While knee OA is well known to increase fall risk due to pain, weakness and altered walking patterns, most current research and rehabilitation approaches focus almost exclusively on the lower limbs,” he explained. “However, the arms play an important role in maintaining balance during walking and in helping people recover from unexpected slips or trips.”
Huang will examine how arm movements and upper-body coordination change during normal walking and during recovery from an unexpected slip, and whether upper body control can help predict a person’s risk of falling.
This award funding makes it possible for him to develop fall prevention and rehabilitation techniques to help older adults maintain their mobility and independence.
“This recognition reinforces my commitment to translating biomechanics research into meaningful clinical solutions that can improve health outcomes for aging populations,” he said. “As a junior faculty member, receiving this award is both an encouragement and a responsibility to continue pursuing impactful research that advances the field and benefits the communities we serve.”
Xiaolu Liu: Preparing Physical Education Teachers for a Changing World
Liu’s research focuses on preparing competent and adaptive future physical education teachers to make thoughtful, evidence-informed instructional decisions. Her work centers on two areas: assessment literacy development in physical education teacher education, and integrating AI literacy into teacher preparation.
“Together, these two lines of work reflect my broader commitment to curriculum and instruction in physical education teacher education,” she said. “I am interested in how we can design meaningful learning experiences that help future teachers become reflective, adaptive and responsible professionals who can respond to the changing needs of students, schools and society.”
She has published articles in several key journals in her field, including Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, European Physical Education Review, and Quest. She is also a fellow of the college’s Snap Inc. Center for Computer & Teacher Education, which allows CEHD faculty in teacher preparation programs the opportunity to co-design integrated computing activities for their students.
Liu received the Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE) America's 2026 Helen M. Heitmann Young Scholar Award, which honors early-career professionals who have made exceptional research contributions in physical education curriculum and instruction.
She has been an active member of SHAPE America for almost a decade, and receiving this award from her colleagues in the health and physical education community is a meaningful step in her journey as a scholar and educator.
“As an early-career scholar, receiving this recognition provides both encouragement and motivation,” Liu said. “It reminds me that the questions I am pursuing, the scholarship I am developing and the contributions I hope to make to physical education and teacher education are on a meaningful path. I am truly honored to receive this award and inspired to continue advancing research, teaching and service that support the future of health and physical education.”