Sept. 23, 2009 What's New                                                                                                                                       Registration Now Open for Inaugural World Congress on Exercise is Medicine        Held in conjunction with the American College of Sports Medicine's 57th Annual Meeting, the inaugural World Congress on Exercise is Medicine will be a unique international forum that addresses the science, practice, public health, and policy aspects of the impact physical activity has on disease prevention and health promotion.   Registration for the Annual Meeting allows you to attend all sessions at the World Congress on Exercise is Medicine. Register by March 3, 2010, for the best discount. If you have questions about registration, please call 317-637-9200, ext. 141, or e-mail meeting@acsm.org.   Mark your calendars and plan to attend this ground-breaking event!   Call for Abstracts: ACSM Annual Meeting and EIM World Congress The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) program committee is now accepting scientific abstract and clinical case submissions for the 2010 ACSM Annual Meeting and the inaugural World Congress on Exercise is Medicine.   Showcase your scientific research on an international stage at the 57th Annual Meeting and the World Congress. Free communications, presented in slide and poster format, provide the major vehicle for "new" information exchange at these meetings.   Each person is permitted to submit and be first author on one scientific and one clinical case abstract for the Annual Meeting, and one scientific abstract for the World Congress on Exercise is Medicine.   Abstracts are published in the May 2010 Supplement to ACSM's official journal, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise®.   Submission deadline: Monday, Nov. 2, 2009   Please contact the ACSM education department at lcooper@acsm.org with questions. Exercise is Medicine On Campus Visits Mississippi State University Students, faculty, university officials and community leaders came together on Sept. 9 to establish Exercise is Medicine™ On Campus at Mississippi State University (MSU). The university, located in Starkville, Miss., hosted a one-day event featuring a morning bike ride, question-and-answer session and luncheon. American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) President James Pivarnik, Ph.D., FACSM, and Exercise is Medicine Vice President Adrian Hutber, Ph.D., spoke on behalf of the initiative, showcasing ACSM’s commitment to physical activity and reinforcing the Exercise is Medicine call to action for health and fitness professionals and community leaders across the country.   “MSU’s commitment to promoting wellness and fitness to students and employees serves as an ideal model for institutions across the country,” Pivarnik said. “Having the fitness center and on-staff dietitian at their fingertips helps open up the dialog about the benefits of physical activity, and gives everyone an open opportunity to establish and achieve lifelong fitness habits—which is at the core of Exercise is Medicine.”   As part of Exercise is Medicine On Campus, MSU campus physicians and nurse practitioners will be prescribing exercise to faculty, staff and student patients by referring them to the fitness center, where they will be evaluated and given a personal exercise program. Patients' exercise habits will be tracked in the same manner as other medical treatments.   “Though we have all of the tools necessary for our students and faculty to get active, Exercise is Medicine really brings it all together,” said Joyce Yates, Ed.D., health education and wellness director of the MSU Longest Student Health Center. “The exercise prescription is the missing piece that helps get the ball rolling.”   Click here to watch a video about Exercise is Medicine at MSU.   Interested in Exercise is Medicine On Campus? Click here to learn more and sign up.        Representatives from Mississippi State University worked together to bring Exercise is Medicine to campus, engaging students and staff to participate in physical activity. From left to right: Laura Walling, director of recreational sports administration; Bob Collins, M.D., director of university health services; Joyce Yates, Ed.D., director of health education and wellness; Stan Brown, Ph.D., chairman of kinesiology department.     Tell Us Your Story: Airman Remembers 9/11, Eight Years Later Exercise is Medicine™ regularly touts the many cardiovascular, pulmonary and metabolic benefits of physical activity. However, exercise also benefits the mind. Research shows that regular physical activity is good therapy for both depression and anxiety, and it can help improve your mood and reduce your perception of stress.   No group understands and appreciates these benefits better than members of the Armed Forces. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Jerry S. Shelton, Jr., and the 755th Air Force Expeditionary Group honor and remember Sept. 11, along with other Airmen, at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, each year with the Patriot’s Day 9.11-Kilometer Run. Organized races such as this run promote and encourage a culture of fitness within the Armed Forces.   “Staying focused on our commitment to service, remembering our fallen heroes and their loved ones who have sacrificed so much and demonstrating a commitment to fitness improves our readiness and allows us to serve as an example for others,” said Chief Shelton.   Events promoting fitness, like the Patriot’s Day 9.11-Kilometer Run, prepare members of the Armed Forces both physically and mentally for the challenges they face each day.   “I've met cancer survivors, those who had struggled with obesity, those who strive to improve their fitness level, and even those who remain active despite loss of limb,” said Chief Shelton. “Each story is one of varying degrees of personal courage, triumph, and perseverance, and I'll surround myself with people like that every chance I can.   Click here to read Chief Shelton’s full story.   If you have a story, or would like to tell us more about what Exercise is Medicine means to you, please write us at eim@acsm.org. Your story or advice may be published in a future edition of this newsletter or appear as part of the Web site. Airmen come to the finish of the Patriot's Day 9.11-Kilometer Run, held each year to honor fallen comrades in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as those killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. (U.S. Army photo/Capt. Michael Greenberger)

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