Health & Fitness Summit Sessions and Events
Schedule at a glance
March 6–8, 2027 · All times are Central Time.
Saturday, March 6
Preconferences
8 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Sessions
1–5:30 p.m.
Opening reception
5:30–7:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 7
Sessions and workouts
6:45–7:45 a.m.
Sessions
8–11:15 a.m.
Sponsor break and lunch
11:15 a.m.–1 p.m.
Sessions
1–5:30 p.m.
Monday, March 8
Sessions and workouts
6:45–7:45 a.m.
Sessions
8–11:15 a.m.
Sponsor break and lunch
11:15 a.m.–1 p.m.
Sessions
1–5:30 p.m.
Precon Event
Medical Fitness Essentials: From Fitness Professional to Healthcare Partner
March 6, 2027 | 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Early-Bird Registration: $99 (deadline: Jan. 28, 2027)
Regular Registration: $149
Presented by:
As healthcare increasingly recognizes the role of physical activity and exercise in prevention, treatment, and long-term health, fitness professionals have an opportunity to become more meaningful partners in the healthcare continuum. This interactive four-hour preconference will explore the competencies, safeguards, communication practices, and practical systems needed to work effectively with individuals with clinical needs and build trusted relationships with healthcare providers. Through real-world cases, facilitated discussion, and practical application, participants will examine scope of practice, assessment and health and fitness metrics, safety and risk, program design, behavior change, referral and communication, and outcome tracking—and leave with practical steps for becoming more effective healthcare partners.
As healthcare increasingly recognizes the role of physical activity and exercise in prevention, treatment, and long-term health, fitness professionals have an opportunity to become more meaningful partners in the healthcare continuum. But what does it take for a healthcare provider to confidently refer a patient to a fitness professional—and what happens after that referral is made?
This interactive four-hour preconference will explore the knowledge, competencies, systems, and relationships needed to bridge fitness and healthcare. Participants will examine how to work appropriately with individuals with clinical needs, including considerations related to scope of practice, safety and risk, assessment and health and fitness metrics, program design, behavior change, communication with healthcare providers, and tracking outcomes to inform and adjust programming.
Rather than a traditional series of lectures, the program will use facilitated discussion, real-world cases, small-group activities, and practical application to examine questions such as: Would you refer this patient here? What would you need to know before accepting the referral? What would you do with this person once they arrived? How would you demonstrate progress and communicate it back to the healthcare provider?
Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of where fitness professionals fit within the medical fitness and healthcare models, what it takes to earn the trust of healthcare partners, and practical steps they can take to strengthen their ability to serve individuals with clinical needs and become more effective healthcare partners.
Explore the education
Browse 30 lectures and interactive workshops across 10 topic areas. Select a topic to see session titles, formats and speakers.
GLP-1s and Exercise: What Exercise Professionals Need to Know
Interactive Workshop · Renee Rogers
Integrating Exercise, Nutrition, and Lifestyle Medicine to Improve Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes
Lecture · Ronald Woods
Obesity as a Disease: Physiology vs. Reality of Exercise Programming for Patients Living with Obesity
Lecture · John Jakicic & Renee Rogers
“The Foundational Five” Teaching! A FUN-damentals and Interactive Workshop
Interactive Workshop · Paul Gallo, Peter Ronai
Brain Health: Separating What We Know From What We Claim
Lecture · Ryan Glatt
Coaching Beyond the Fear of Chronic Pain: Using Movement to Help Clients Prevent Physical Decline
Interactive Workshop · Ruben P Thickstun
Longevity by Design: The Performance Blueprint for Aging Well
Interactive Workshop · Michael Piercy
The Science of Healthy Aging: Programming for Healthspan, Function, and Longevity
Lecture · Sabrena Jo
Beyond Kegels: Training the Pelvic Floor Within Strength and Core Programming
Interactive Workshop · Ashley Reid
Cortisol: Angel or Devil? Evidence-Based Cardio Programming for Midlife Women
Lecture · Jinger Gottschall
Individualized, Gradual, Symptom-Based: Programming for the New Postpartum Guidelines
Lecture · Ashley Reid
Train Like A Girl: Navigating the Nonsense
Lecture · Carrie Jaworski
Why Women Aren’t Strength Training…and How to Change That
Interactive Workshop · Antonella Schwarz
Women Across the Lifespan: Translating Physiological Change Into Individualized Exercise
Lecture · Christie Ward-Ritacco
Beyond the Dashboard: Interpreting Wearable Data to Inform Training
Lecture · Susie Reiner
It’s a Matter of Life and Tech: AI Tools for Client Engagement, Retention, and Human-Centered Coaching
Lecture · Colin Carriker
Leveraging Wearables and Integrated Health Platforms to Maximize the Client / Patient Experience
Lecture · Kristen Snyman
No Wearable, No Problem: Using Data to Drive Exercise Programming
Lecture · Mike Stack
Better Conversations, Better Care: From Behavior Change to Behavioral Health, When Behavior Change Isn’t Enough: Conversations, Red Flags, and Referral
Interactive Workshop · Sara Kovacs
Progress Without Perfection: The Science of Sustainable Exercise
Interactive Workshop · Erin Nitschke
Trauma-Informed Practice: Creating Safer Exercise Experiences
Interactive Workshop · Jacque Crockford
Beyond The Research: Engineering Mechanical Tension for Hypertrophy
Interactive Workshop · Adam Jongsma
Corrective Exercise or Rehabilitation? Knowing the Difference
Interactive Workshop · Pete Ronai
Empowering Adults With and Beyond Cancer: Integration of Exercise Oncology Resistance Training Programs
Lecture · Aaron Wyant
Community-Based Fitness Programming for Longevity
Lecture · Anthony Wall
From Passion to Profession: Excelling for the Long Term
Lecture · Darian Parker, Erin Nitschke
Policy and Advocacy Update: What’s Happening and How We Can Make Movement More Accessible
Lecture · Mike Stack
Industry Ready: Building the Skills to Succeed in Exercise
Lecture · Rachelle Reed & Susie Reiner
Creatine: What We Know, What We Don’t, and What to Do With the Evidence
Lecture · Eric Rawson
Recovery Science: What Works, When, and Why
Lecture · Rachelle Reed
