Category I Dana Talks: Dr. Amy Welch
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Dec 3, 2025
- 12:00 - 12:50pm EST
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Kreitzberg Library
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Kreitzberg Library
The Charles A. Dana Category I Lecture Series presents "The relationship between your breath and heart rate variability in controlling stress and performance." with Dr. Amy Welch, Professor, Norwich University.
About the Lecture
Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is a useful marker of autonomic nervous system function, and it can therefore tell us a great deal about someone’s state of physical and mental health. With an abundance of wearable biometric devices that assess HRV now commercially available, HRV monitoring has become a popular and accessible daily practice that helps individuals track their resilience to stressful events. Less well known is that HRV can be easily manipulated with the breath, and that regular breath training can improve HRV (which, in turn, improves stress-related health and performance). In this workshop, I will explain and demonstrate the relationship between HRV, breath control, and stress using biofeedback equipment, and participants will learn a simple biofeedback training technique that can help them manage their stress. Attendees are encouraged to bring a smartphone to this session to get the most out of it, but I will have other biofeedback equipment available for use.
Event Details
- Lecture to be held in the Todd Multipurpose Room, Kreitzberg Library.
- Light refreshments will be served, please feel free to bring your own lunch.
About Dr. Welch
Dr Amy Welch is a Professor of Health and Human Performance and Program Director for the recently accredited Exercise Science program. Prior to joining Norwich University in 2019, she held faculty positions at Iowa State University and Vermont State University-Johnson. She received her PhD in Sport and Exercise Science from the University of Leeds (UK) in 2007, and her MS and BS degrees in the same discipline from Sheffield Hallam University (UK). Specializing in the psychophysiology of performance, Dr Welch has most recently conducted research exploring predictors of performance in military cadets, and comparing exercise, biofeedback training, and meditation for stress management. She has developed a particular interest in the efficacy of monitoring heart rate variability (HRV) as an indicator of autonomic nervous system regulation using wearable biometric devices. To date, Dr. Welch and her students have disseminated their research through more than 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and conference presentations.
About the Charles A. Dana Category I Grants
The Charles A. Dana Category I Grants are supported by an endowed fund from the Dana Foundation for the purpose of attracting and retaining faculty of exceptional caliber. Grants are awarded annually to tenure-track faculty who demonstrate superior scholarship, teaching ability, and university service.
Grant recipients participate in the Charles A. Dana Category I Lecture Series during the year in which they receive their awards.