News - Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance

The Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance at Oregon

A global effort to transform human health through the science of peak performance, helping everyone lead healthier, more active lives.

Recent Alliance Research in the Media

Read recent work from our Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance Researcher's in the media. 

an empty, wooden sauna
 

Sauna Science

Wu Tsai researcher Chris Minson discusses the differences between infrared and traditional saunas, and which one may actually be better for you with GQ. 

Read the GQ article→

 

All Recent Alliance News

 

someone tying up a soccer cleat, attached with a sensor.
Mike Hahn Breaks Down the Dynamics of Free Kicks and Penalty Kicks

Mike Hahn, associate director of the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance, discusses the dynamics behind free kicks and penalty kicks, which have become some of the most exciting and nail-biting moments in year's World Cup. 

Soccer field grass, with stadium lights in the background
Mike Hahn Explains Why World Cup Pitches Feel Strange Underfoot

Mike Hahn, associate director of the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance, discusses soccer biomechanics and why the 2026 World Cup pitches may feel unusual underfoot for athletes.

chris minson
Minson Receives UO Senior Career Award

Christopher Minson, the Kenneth M. and Kenda H. Singer Endowed Professor of Physiology and a PI with the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance at Oregon, has been recognized with the Senior Career Award, the UO’s highest faculty honor.

A wooden sauna with lights and some steam
Sauna vs. Steam Room: Which Is Better for You?

Christopher Minson, Kenneth M. and Kenda H. Singer Endowed Professor of Human Physiology and member of the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance at the University of Oregon, discusses the science behind the health benefits of saunas and steam rooms, with GQ. 

Outdoor wooden sauna, as a circular shape with a wooden and glass door, with a forest in the background
Heating Up For Health

Wu Tsai Human Performance researcher, Chris Minson, weighs in on the science behind saunas and hot tubs. 

headshot of a man in a green polo
Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance researcher named AAAS fellow

John Halliwill, a member of the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance at Oregon, has been named a 2025 fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), along with a cohort of 500 scientists, engineers, and innovators spanning 24 scientific disciplines. 

woman sitting in a white towel, in a wooden sauna, looking peaceful
Scientists are discovering that sauna's health benefits aren't all hot air

Saunas are having a moment, drawing a new generation of wellness seekers to an age-old practice. NPR recently spoke with Chris Minson, a human physiologist supported by the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance who studies thermoregulation and health.

Brad Wilkins and Mira Schoeberlein collecting data from an athlete in the lab
UO research advances understanding of hormones and women's exercise performance

Fluctuations across the menstrual cycle don't affect ability to exercise hard, but they do change how hard that work feels.

woman lifting hands in victory in a pool.
How to keep up your fitness performance

When do fitness levels peak? Women’s Health explores why physical performance begins to decline after age 35 with Wu Tsai affiliate Brad Wilkins.

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Microscopic Scaffolds Could One Day Help Muscles Heal After Devastating Injuries

Researchers from the Hettiaratchi lab at Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact combine 3D printing with molecular cues to guide muscle regeneration.