The Exercise is Medicine™ Task Force is comprised of 13 members of the American College of Sports Medicine. ACSM is grateful for the Task Force’s commitment to furthering the Exercise is Medicine initiative, and is especially appreciative of Dr. Robert Sallis’ vision and enthusiasm in creating the program. The Task Force will serve as the guiding body of Exercise is Medicine™ as the initiative grows and moves forward.

Robert E. Sallis, M.D., FACSM - Task Force Chairman

Dr. Sallis currently serves as president of the American College of Sports Medicine and chairs the Exercise is Medicine™ initiative for the College. Sallis received his Bachelor of Science from the US Air Force Academy and his Medical Degree from Texas A&M University . He completed his residency at Kaiser Permanente Fontana in 1990, where he served as chief resident. He has been the team physician at Pomona College since 1988 and holds a Certificate of Added Qualifications in Sports Medicine. He lectures and publishes extensively in the area of sports medicine. He previously received the Irving S. Rasgon, M.D. Award for Excellence in Family Medicine Research. Sallis currently serves as editor-in-chief of Current Sports Medicine Reports and associate editor of ACSM’s scientific journal, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.

Steven N. Blair, P.E.D., FACSM

Steven N. Blair is Professor in the Departments of Exercise Science and Epidemiology and Biostatistics  at the Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina; and Executive Lecturer in the Department of Kinesiology, Health Promotion, and Recreation, University of North Texas.  He also is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and the College of Education at the University of Houston.  Dr. Blair is a past-president of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity, and the American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education.  He has received awards from many professional associations, including a MERIT Award from the National Institutes of Health, ACSM Honor Award, Robert Levy Lecture Award from the American Heart Association, and is one of the few individuals outside the U.S. Public Health Service to be awarded the Surgeon General's Medallion.  His research focuses on the associations between lifestyle and health, with a specific emphasis on exercise, physical fitness, body composition, and chronic disease.  He has published over 390 papers and chapters in the scientific literature, and was the Senior Scientific Editor for the U.S. Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity and Health. 

Ralph S. Bovard, M.D., M.P.H., FACSM

Dr. Bovard serves as Physician in the Dept. of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine at HealthPartners Specialty Center, St. Paul, MN.  He is boarded in Preventive Medicine with a Masters of Public Health degree.  Dr. Bovard has worked with US Figure Skating teams [2000-2008], US Alpine Ski teams [1992-98], and is a member of USA Swimming medical society [ongoing].  Dr. Bovard is a past president of Northland Chapter of ACSM 2002-3. He recently participated as teaching faculty for ACSM International Team Physician course in Bogota, Columbia 2007.

Barry A. Franklin, Ph.D., FACSM

Barry A. Franklin, Ph.D., is Director of Cardiac Rehabilitation and Exercise Laboratories at William Beaumont Hospital.  He holds adjunct faculty appointments as Clinical Professor of Exercise Science at Oakland University, Professor of Physiology at Wayne State University School of Medicine, and Clinical Professor, Department of Family Medicine, and the University of Michigan Medical School.  He received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees from Kent State University, The University of Michigan, and The Pennsylvania State University, respectively.

Pursuing his interest in combining exercise physiology with cardiology, Dr. Franklin and his associates have studied the hemodynamic and cardiorespiratory responses to numerous occupational and leisure-time activities in persons with and without heart disease, including snow shoveling, lawn mowing, stair climbing, and deer hunting.  Dr. Franklin served as president of ACSM in 1999.

Melissa Johnson, M.S.

Melissa Johnson, appointed by President George W. Bush as Executive Director of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, manages the activities, staff and operations of the Washington, DC-based Council, an advisory committee to the President and the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The Council supports the President's HealthierUS initiative, which encourages Americans to be physically active every day. Prior to her present appointment, Ms. Johnson served as Director of the California Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (1997-2002), which was chaired by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Ms. Johnson has a Masters of Science degree in Health/Fitness Management from American University in Washington, D.C. and a B.S. Degree from UCLA in Kinesiology.

Elizabeth Joy, M.D., FACSM

Dr. Liz Joy is a Family Medicine physician and Sports Medicine physician at the University of Utah, where she serves as one of the team physicians and directs the Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship program. Dr. Joy has served on the Board of Trustees for the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). She serves on the Exercise Is Medicine Task force for the ACSM, and was recently appointed to the American Heart Association’s Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism Committee.

Sharon Milberger, Sc.D.

Dr. Milberger is Associate Director for Research at Henry Ford Health System's Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention.  She is also Associate Professor (Full-Time Affiliate) in the Department of Community Medicine at Wayne State University.  Dr. Milberger holds a master’s degree in Physiology and a doctorate in Epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health.  She has notable expertise in conducting large-scale epidemiological studies.  In 1994, Dr. Milberger was awarded a prestigious National Institutes of Health (NIH) career development award.  In addition, Dr. Milberger has directed numerous projects involving persons with and without disabilities from diverse ethnic groups.  Since 2004 she has served as the Clinical Director for Health Promotion for the Michigan Special Olympics.

Tedd Mitchell, M.D., FACSM

Dr. Mitchell is president and chief operating officer of Cooper Clinic in Dallas, Texas. He graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University with a B.S. in biology. He earned his medical degree (1987), completed his internship and residency in internal medicine, and served as Chief Medical Resident at The University of Texas Medical Branch (Galveston, Texas). Dr. Mitchell is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and has subspecialty certification in sports medicine. He also holds fellowship status with the American College of Physicians and the American College of Sports Medicine. He is the contributing health editor and a weekly columnist for USA Weekend. Dr. Mitchell is a member of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, and serves on the Board of Trustees of the American College of Sports Medicine.

Russell R. Pate, Ph.D., FACSM

Russell R. Pate was educated at Springfield College (B.S., 1968) and the University of Oregon (M.S., 1973; Ph.D., 1974).  In 1974 he joined the faculty of the University of South Carolina where he now serves as Associate Vice President for Health Sciences and Professor in the Department of Exercise Science in the Arnold School of Public Health.  Pate is an exercise physiologist with interests in physical activity and physical fitness in children and the health implications of physical activity.  He coordinated the effort that lead to the development of the recommendation on Physical Activity and Public Health of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Sports Medicine.  He served on the U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (2003-04), an Institute of Medicine panel that developed guidelines on prevention of childhood obesity.  Pate has served in several leadership positions with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), and in 1993-94 served as that organization’s president.  He is also a past-president of the National Coalition on Promoting Physical Activity.  In 1996 he received the Citation Award from the American College of Sports Medicine.

James A. Peterson, Ph.D., FACSM

James A. Peterson, Ph.D., FACSM, is the publisher of Healthy Learning — a Monterey, CA – based book and DVD publishing company.  The author of 83 books on a variety of sports medicine and sports-related topics, he previously served as the Director of Sports Medicine for StairMaster Sports/Medical Product, Inc for six years.  Before that, he was a faculty member on the staff at the United States Military Academy at West Point for almost 20 years.  Dr. Peterson was honored in 2007 with the ACSM Citation Award.

Edward M. Phillips, M.D.

Edward M. Phillips, M.D., is Assistant Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School and Director of Outpatient Medical Services of the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Network in Boston, Massachusetts.  Dr. Phillips’s clinical and academic work at the intersection of exercise physiology and mental health has spawned his interest in Lifestyle Medicine. He is founder and director of The Institute of Lifestyle Medicine in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School, www.instituteoflifestylemedicine.org. His book on the topic, Exercise is Medicine™, The Clinician's Guide to the Exercise Prescription has been accepted for publication and is expected to be available in Fall 2008.

Angela D. Smith, M.D., FACSM

Angela D. Smith, M.D., an orthopaedic surgeon at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and its Sports Medicine and Performance Center, is a past president of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). She currently chairs the Education Commission of the International Federation of Sports Medicine (FIMS), coordinating and teaching courses for health professionals worldwide. Her interests focus on injury prevention and rehabilitation, particularly for young athletes and for women pursuing sport or fitness activity. Through her clinical practice and educational efforts she aims to improve each person’s physical fitness, to improve their health, performance and self-esteem. She pursues her life-long passion for skating as a masters competitor, continuing to win Masters Senior medals at the U.S. Adult National Championships.

Paul D. Thompson, M.D., FACSM

Paul D. Thompson, M.D., is chief of cardiology and director of the Preventive Cardiology Program and of Cardiovascular Research at Hartford Hospital, Hartford, Connecticut, and professor of medicine at the University of Connecticut in Farmington. Dr. Thompson received a medical degree from Tufts Medical School in Boston. Dr. Thompson has been an author of more than 140 scientific articles on topics including the effects of exercise training on preventing and treating heart disease, the risk of sudden death during exercise, and the effects of exercise on lipid metabolism. Dr. Thompson is also an associate editor of the Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine and the editor of the book Exercise and Sports Cardiology. He is a past president of the American College of Sports Medicine.