Alumna and U.S. Army Reserve member Samantha (Sam) Goldenstein spent years studying and working with tactical athletes. When she enrolled in UNC Greensboro as a doctoral student in kinesiology she realized how little research has been done on the physiology of female athletes, compared to males. This motivated her to narrow that gap by studying the physiology of women, both military and civilian.
“There’s so much we don’t know about women athletes,” Goldenstein says. “It’s my lifelong pursuit to understand and educate women about their physiology.”
A military career informs research
Goldenstein spent 22 years in the U.S. Army Reserve. Joining at age 21, she was quickly promoted, received active-duty orders and was deployed twice — in 2007 to Iraq and in 2011 to Kuwait. Armed with an undergraduate degree in nutrition and exercise science from the University of Missouri, she worked in adaptive sports for the Army for several years.
“Our job was to use physical activity as a rehab tool for soldiers, whether their issue was mental health or having lost a limb,” Goldenstein says.
In 2019, after earning a master’s in exercise and sport science at Texas State, she entered UNCG to pursue a doctorate in kinesiology.
“It was a phenomenal experience. I loved being around so many strong people who taught there. I enjoyed the collaboration,” she says. “My doctoral advisor, Laurie Wideman Gold, let me find my own path and then brought in her colleagues in other fields, like nutrition, whose expertise matched my interests.”
Goldenstein’s doctoral work focused on women’s health, specifically energy availability and the association between estrogen and progesterone across the menstrual cycle. While pursuing her degree, she was a research assistant in the Center for Women’s Health and Wellness (CWHW) where she conducted a secondary analysis of an existing research database, planned the CWHW women’s research forum, and mentored the Williams Scholar undergraduates.
“Professors Sandra Shultz and Jessica Dollar were superb mentors. There was a high focus on mentoring and growing as part of my role at the Center and exposing me to various aspects of women’s research, which helped prepare me for the next step in my career,” Goldenstein said. “The experience and knowledge I gained while working there was invaluable.”
Research that Serves
With her doctorate in hand, Goldenstein landed a job with the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM) in Massachusetts, contributing to research focused on male and female soldiers among Army Rangers and Special Forces. It was a way to combine her experience in the military with her research interests.
Her research team focused on female warfighter health and performance. Even though the Army opened all jobs to females in 2016, research assessing sex differences, particularly in combat roles and elite warfighters, remains insufficient. Goldenstein’s team was dedicated to closing this gap.
“These soldiers go through a very tough course of multiple field exercises and experience sleep deficits and energy deficits,” she says. “They are stressed to the max physically and psychologically. We looked at different markers, like hormones and physical performance, throughout the course.”
She contributed to studies evaluating sex differences in physiological and psychological responses among elite warfighters during a 60+ day Ranger course and in response to a 10-day heat acclimation. Early research she collaborated with showed that sex hormones estradiol and progesterone may influence core temperature and thermoregulation during head acclimation. Goldenstein hopes it will inspire new studies to confirm these results and expand into practical recommendations for female soldiers.
Working at USARIEM was a dream job for her, combining her passion for the military population and her work in women’s health. She retired in 2024 as a master sergeant after 22 years in the U.S. Army Reserves, including a cumulative eight years of active-duty service.
“I loved my military career,” she says. “I gained a lot as a leader, and I had to learn the best way to manage people. The military helped me evolve.”
A shift into sports science industry
This summer, Goldenstein will assume a new position with Gatorade Sports Science Institute in Florida. Now in its 40th year, the Institute helps athletes optimize their health and performance through research, innovation, education and service in hydration and nutrition science.
“They really are interested in doing research on the female athlete, especially adolescents, so that’s where I fit in,” she says. “They want to increase female athlete research and educate females about their physiology. That education piece has always interested me. I think it’s going to be a good transition.”
Goldenstein sees her pursuit of knowledge about female athletes as a lifelong quest. “There’s so much we don’t know.”
Story by Mary Daily
Photography courtesy of Sam Goldenstein