Special Interest Groups

ACSM’s Special Interest Groups cover diverse, high-level subjects ranging from Aging to Strength and Conditioning. The groups are a forum for focused discussion, activity, and debate among members with similar, specific interests. The interest groups hold a yearly meeting in conjunction with the ACSM Annual Meeting, promote current news and research, share professional opportunities (including job openings, grant opportunities, and more), and connect ACSM members across the country and globe.

Special Interest Groups are free to join for ACSM members, including students.

Join an Interest Group

Aging

Aging Approved 5/97
Mission: To support and promote basic, applied and clinical research as well as education and certification in sports medicine and exercise science as it relates to aging.

Chair
Amal Wanigatunga, Ph.D., FACSM
Email: awaniga1@jhu.edu

Co-Chairs
Brittney Lange-Maia, Ph.D., FACSM

Email: brittney_lange-maia@rush.edu

Audrey Collins, Ph.D.
Email: Audrey.Collins@AdventHealth.com

Biomechanics

Biomechanics Approved 6/95
Mission: To promote biomechanics research in the College through increased participation in the Annual Meeting and contributions to the various scholarly publications of the College.

Website: http://bigacsm.wordpress.com/

Chair
Jamie Roper, Ph.D.
Email: jroper@auburn.edu

Co-Chairs
Srikant Vallabhajosula, Ph.D., FACSM
Email: svallabhajosula@elon.edu

Mikel Joachim, Ph.D.
Email: joachim@ortho.wisc.edu

Zac Domire, Ph.D.
Email: domirez@ecu.edu

Bone and Osteoporosis Network Exchange

Mission: To collate and translate the results of current research findings to other members of the college, to develop collaborative research groups with ACSM facilitating extensive multidisciplinary approaches to the study of bone health, to provide informed chairs to bone related professional societies and to develop recommendations for the prevention of osteoporosis.

Chair

Julie Greeves, Ph.D.
Email: julie.greeves143@mod.gov.uk

Co-Chairs
Julie Hughes, Ph.D., FACSM
Email: julie.m.hughes17.civ@health.mil

Thomas O’Leary, Ph.D.
Email: thomasoleary1988@gmail.com

Built Environment and Active Transportation

Built Environment and Active Transportation Approved 3/2022

Mission: To provide a multidisciplinary forum to promote and collaborate on research, educational programming, and advocacy for healthier built environments and active transportation.

Chair
Janet Wojcik, Ph.D., FACSM
Email: wojcikj@winthrop.edu

Co-Chairs
Melissa Bopp, Ph.D., FACSM
Email: mjb73@psu.edu

Eydie Kramer-Kostecka
Email: krame640@umn.edu

Cancer

Cancer Approved 6/01
Mission: To promote the study of physical activity/exercise and cancer among ACSM members and to provide a forum for interaction among members with this interest.

Facebook Page: https://facebook.com/pages/American-College-of-Sports-Medicine-Interest-Group-on-Cancer/179508702119033

Chair
Keri Schadler, Ph.D.
Email: kerischadler@gmail.com

Co-Chairs
Erik Hanson, Ph.D., FACSM
Email: edhanson@email.unc.edu

Melanie Potiaumpai, Ph.D., MPH
Email: melaniepotiaumpai@gmail.com

Environmental and Occupational Physiology

Environmental and Occupational Physiology Approved 11/11
Mission: To promote and facilitate applied research and provide clinical information on the physiological demands, challenges and consequences of performing exercise in environmental extremes and occupational settings; and to develop resource materials for ACSM members with interest in the relation of physical performance to occupations with environmental or occupational demands.

Chair
Luke Belval
Email: lnbelval@gmail.com

Co-Chair
Cory Coehoorn
Email: cory.coehoorn@lsus.edu

Exercise Science Education

Exercise Science Education Approved 10/03
Mission: To develop and promote methods to enhance the lecture and laboratory exercise sciences pedagogy so as to improve students’ cognitive skills.

Chair
Christopher Berger, Ph.D., FACSM
Email: aucgb@outlook.com

Co-Chairs
Rachele Kappler, Ph.D., FACSM
Email: kappler@uakron.edu

Diba Mani, Ph.D.
Email: dmani@ufl.edu

Jonathan Howard
Email: force1389@yahoo.com

Health Equity Research

Health Equity Research Approved 6/01

Mission: To provide a multidisciplinary forum for focused discussion and collaborative research on minority health issues, with particular emphasis on preventable disease conditions and cardiovascular disease risk factors.

Chair
Marquell Johnson, Ph.D.
Email: johnmarq@uwec.edu

Co-Chair
Lindsay Hornbuckle-Lampkin, Ph.D., FACSM
Email: lhornbuc@utk.edu

Yuliana Soto
Email: ysoto4@illinois.edu

Medical and Wellness Issues in the Performing Arts

Medical and Wellness Issues in the Performing Arts Approved 2/17
Mission: Integrating the science of sport and the performing arts for mutual benefit.

Chair
Randy Dick, M.S., FACSM
Email: 4969rwd@gmail.com

Co-Chair
Steven Rock, M.D.
Email: srock@mahealthcare.com

Medicine and Science of Team Sports

Medicine and Science of Team Sports Approved 1/10
Mission: The mission of the Team Sports Interest Group is fourfold:

To support and increase the scientific knowledge for team sports.
To attract and support scientists in conducting studies with an impact on team sports.
To support an active agenda of research in the epidemiology of injuries, prevention of injuries, quantification of physiological strain in all levels of the wide range of team sports (recreational through professional), the development of valid performance diagnostics, and the determination of efficacy of team sport participation for personal health. These will help build a platform to discuss present directions of research and to reflect different opinions on relevant topics.
To promote continuing research, education and service in support of scientific inquiry into the world of team sports.

Chair
Nora Costantino, Ph.D.
Email: nlc@unr.edu

Co-Chair
Madison Fenner
Email: madisontaylor@unr.edu

Katherine Hunzinger, Ph.D., ACSM-CEP
Email: KHunzinger@Comcast.net

Military & Tactical Athlete

Military & Tactical Athlete Approved 5/97
Mission: To provide a forum to assemble and discuss issues regarding sports medicine in the military.

Chair
Devin McFadden, M.D.
Email: devinmcfadden@hotmail.com

Co-Chairs
Nathan Edwards, Ph.D.
Email: edwards.biomech@gmail.com

Brandon Roberts, Ph.D.
Email: robertsb21@gmail.com

Guy Leahy, M.Ed
Email: xrciseguy@gmail.com

Twitter/X

Nutrition

Nutrition Approved 6/98
Mission: To promote the science of nutrition within ACSM, to be a reliable nutrition resource for ACSM and to critically evaluate nutrition and sport nutrition information in the marketplace.

Chair
Steven Malin, Ph.D., FACSM
Email: steven.malin@rutgers.edu

Co-Chair

Kyle Flack, Ph.D.
Email: kyle.flack@uky.edu

D. Enette Larson-Meyer, Ph.D., FACSM
Email: enette@vt.edu

Physiological & Biological Mechanisms Underlying Health & Performance

Physiological & Biological Mechanisms Underlying Health & Performance Approved 3/17
Mission: To promote and translate the results of basic research from cell to organism with particular emphasis on physiological mechanisms underlying health and performance effects of physical activity and exercise.

Chair
Melissa Markofski, Ph.D.
Email: mmarkofs@central.uh.edu

Co-Chair
Emily Schmitt, Ph.D.
Email: eschmit4@uwyo.edu

Co-Chair
Michael Wiggs, Ph.D.
Email: Michael_Wiggs@baylor.edu

Pregnancy and Postpartum

Pregnancy and Postpartum Approved 3/18
Mission: To provide a forum for scientific and clinical communication regarding the maternal and fetal response to acute and chronic exercise during pregnancy, as well as the long-term implications for mother and child.

Website
Facebook
Instagram

Chair
Linda May, Ph.D., FACSM
Email: mayl@ecu.edu

Co-Chairs

Michelle Mottola, Ph.D., FACSM
Email: mmottola@uwo.ca

Rachel Tinius, Ph.D., FACSM as Co-Chair
Email: rachel.tinius@wku.edu

Psychobiology and Behavior

Psychobiology and Behavior Approved 6/95
Mission: To promote research and the advancement of knowledge of sport psychology with a particular emphasis on psychobiology and health.

Chair
Grace E. Giles, Ph.D.
Email: grace.emelia@gmail.com

Co-Chair
Matthew Herring, Ph.D., FACSM
Email: matthew.herring@ul.ie

Katheryn Wilson
Email: kwilson141@gsu.edu

Seanna Perkins
Email: perkinss@iastate.edu

Jacob Ninneman
Email: jninneman@wisc.edu

Melissa McGranahan, Ph.D.
Email: mmcg91@uga.edu

Strength & Conditioning Specialties

Strength & Conditioning Specialties Approved 6/04

Mission: To support and promote an inter-disciplinary forum for the exchange of information, the focus of research, and the development of a cooperative relationship between strength and conditioning professionals and the medical and applied sciences.

Chair
Heath Burton, Ph.D.
Email: heath.m.burton@gmail.com

Co-Chairs
Lee Cabell, Ed.D.
Email: lee.cabell@gmail.com

Daniel Denzler, DHSc
Email: DrDDHSc@gmail.com

Monica Teegardin
Email: mteegard@iu.edu

Youth Sport and Exercise Science

Youth Sport and Exercise Science Approved 5/93
Mission: To provide an open forum for discussion of scientific and clinical intervention strategies around youth sport performance and training, and responses to acute and chronic exercise in healthy children and children with chronic disease.

Twitter

Chair
Megan Holmes, Ph.D.
Email: mholmes@colled.msstate.edu

Co-Chair
Jody Clasey, PhD, FACSM
Email: jlclas0@uky.edu

Affiliate Societies

ACSM’s Affiliate Societies allows large specialty areas of professional interest to align directly with ACSM while being authorized to operate within broadly defined parameters. These groups also have operational and programmatic independence within those parameters.

While ACSM’s Interest Groups continue to act as more informal communities of professionals with common interests, the Affiliate Society model serves those few professional interest areas where there is a sizeable critical mass of members (and prospective members) who desire a more formal and active role in advancing the specialty area aligned with ACSM.

Students and current ACSM members (CEPA only) are eligible for discounted membership rates to affiliate societies.

Clinical Exercise Physiology Association (CEPA)

CEPA advances the scientific an practical application of clinical exercise physiology for the betterment of the health, fitness, and quality of life for patients at high risk or living with a chronic disease.

Affiliate Societies

Clinical Exercise Physiology Association (CEPA)

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