Skip to main content

Amal
Asiri
Wanigatunga
,
PhD

Assistant Professor
Wanigatunga

Departmental Affiliations

Primary
Division
Epidemiology of Aging

Center & Institute Affiliations

Amal Wanigatunga, PhD, MPH, FACSM, is an epidemiologist who studies physical activity and emerging technology to improve quality of life as we age.

Contact Info

2024 E. Monument Street, Suite 2-700, Room 2-726
Baltimore
Maryland
21205
US        

Research Interests

aging; disability; dementia; physical function; physical activity; sedentary behavior; wearables; digital health

Experiences & Accomplishments
Education
PhD
University of Florida
2016
MPH
University of Florida
2011
BS
University of Florida
2006
Overview

Dr. Wanigatunga's primary focus is to investigate the intersection of the aging process and physical activity, a topic that broadly touches all aspects of health. He is currently exploring the interactions among the brain, physical activity, and mobility with aging. Dr. Wanigatunga's ultimate goal is to promote the infusion of healthy levels of physical activity back into the public's routine lifestyle in an effort to increase quality of life, prevent disease and disability, and positively shift the perspective of aging independently as a welcomed stage of life.

Honors & Awards

2023 American College of Sports Medicine Fellow



2019 Gerontological Society of America Health Sciences Section Research Award



2018 National Institute on Aging Butler-Williams Scholar

Select Publications

Publications that report on how physical activity both affects and is influenced by different states of disability and disease that typically occur during the aging process.

  • Marino, F. R., Chen, X., Deal, J. A., Simonsick, E. M., Ferrucci, L., Schrack, J. A., & Wanigatunga, A. A. (2023). Perceived Fatigability, Fatigue, and Mortality in Mid-to-Late Life in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.

  • Wanigatunga, A. A., Liu, F., Urbanek, J. K., Wang, H., Di, J., Zipunnikov, V., ... & Schrack, J. A. (2022). Wrist-Worn Accelerometry, Aging, and Gait Speed in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Journal of aging and physical activity31(3), 408-416.

  • Wanigatunga, A. A., Cai, Y., Urbanek, J. K., Mitchell, C. M., Roth, D. L., Miller, E. R., ... & Schrack, J. A. (2022). Objectively Measured Patterns of Daily Physical Activity and Phenotypic Frailty. The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences77(9), 1882-1889.

  • Wanigatunga, A. A., Wang, H., An, Y., Simonsick, E. M., Tian, Q., Davatzikos, C., ... & Schrack, J. A. (2021). Association Between Brain Volumes and Patterns of Physical Activity in Community-Dwelling Older Adults. The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences76(8), 1504-1511.

  • Wanigatunga, A. A., Ambrosius, W. T., Rejeski, W. J., Gill, T. M., Glynn, N. W., Tudor-Locke, C., & Manini, T. M. (2017). Association Between Structured Physical Activity and Sedentary Time in Older Adults. JAMA, 318(3), 297-299.

Projects
The START trial: A Proof-of-Concept Sedentary Reduction Program for Prefrail Older Adults
Defining Physiologic Fatigue in Men With and Without HIV
Changes in Sensorimotor Function as Predictors of Preclincial Alzheimer's Disease
The Effects of a Proof-of-Concept Sedentary Reduction Program on Metabolism in Prefrail Older Adults