Jayson Gifford

Professional Background

Dr. Jayson Gifford is an Assistant Professor in Exercise Physiology at Brigham Young University. He earned a Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology from the University of Utah and completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Internal Medicine and Geriatrics at the Salt Lake City Veterans Hospital. Much of Dr. Gifford’s research focuses on cardiovascular and metabolic impairments to exercise tolerance. For example, Dr. Gifford recently utilized a combination of Doppler ultrasound and mitochondrial respiration techniques to identify opposite limitations to VO2max in young endurance-trained (Cardiovascular Oxygen Supply) versus untrained (Mitochondrial Oxygen Demand) men.

As an expert in vascular sonography, Dr. Gifford has also documented specific impairments and treatments for vascular function in several populations (e.g. Aging, COPD, Heart Failure). Most recently, Dr. Gifford has identified specific impairments to vascular function in nearly every population he has studied during Utah’s inversion-related pollution episodes.

Personal Background

Jayson grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada where he met his wife, Casey, in the 7th grade. They have 3 energetic kids, who love to ambush Jayson when he gets home. He enjoys exercising, hiking, mountain biking, camping, eating Thai food, and watching MacGyver. Jayson is a committed member of the LDS church, and has served in many capacities including that of a missionary to Southern Spain.