FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMay 29, 2008 CONTACT:
Joey King
russell.king@hhs.gov
202-690-5181
President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Presents Science Honor Award to Dr. Russell Pate
Washington, DC—Exercise physiologist Russell R. Pate, Ph.D. is the recipient of the 2008 Science Honor Award presented by the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (PCPFS). The award honors Dr. Pate’s significant contributions and commitment to the health and wellness of the nation.
Pate’s research and expertise lies in physical activity and the health implications among children. He has published more than 150 scholarly papers, authored or edited five books and has had his work supported by the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Heart Association. In addition, Pate coordinated the effort that led to the development of the recommendation on Physical Activity and Public Health of the CDC and the American College of Sports Medicine. He also served on the U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (2003-04) and on the Institute of Medicine panel that developed guidelines on prevention of childhood obesity.
The President’s Council’s Science Honor Award is given annually to an academic or research professional who has made a major contribution to the advancement and promotion of the science of physical activity, in addition to being an advocate of the PCPFS’ mission. Winners are nominated by the members of the PCPFS Science Board and chosen by the council’s executive director based on the science board’s recommendations.
“It is an honor to present this award to Dr. Pate,” PCPFS Executive Director Melissa Johnson said. “He deserves recognition for more than four decades of dedication to the science of physical activity for Americans of all ages and abilities. He is a luminary in our field, and he has made an enormous impact in furthering the research of physical activity, as well as making a positive influence on the overall health of our nation.”
Dr. Pate serves as a professor in the Department of Exercise Science and associate vice president for health sciences at the University of South Carolina (USC). He has served in several leadership positions with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), and from 1993-94 served as the organization's president. He is also a past president of the National Coalition on Promoting Physical Activity.
Pate is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education, and he has served since 1988 as an appointed member of the South Carolina Governor's Council on Physical Fitness. He served as a member of the HHS Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee and as a member of the PCPFS Science Board from 2003-2006.
A lifelong distance runner, Pate competed in three U.S. Olympic Trials marathons and twice placed among the top ten finishers in the Boston Marathon. For more than 20 years he served as president of the Carolina Marathon Association, which hosted the U.S. Olympic Trials: Women's Marathon in both 1996 and 2000.
The President’s Council’s Science Honor Award was presented to Dr. Pate by PCPFS Executive Director Melissa Johnson at the ACSM annual meeting in Indianapolis, Ind. on May 29.
About The Council
The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (PCPFS) is an advisory committee of volunteer citizens who advise the President through the Secretary of Health and Human Services about physical activity, fitness and sports in America. The Office of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (PCPFS), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is the HHS office containing the PCPFS Executive Director and support staff. Through its programs and partnerships with the public, private and nonprofit sectors, the Office of the PCPFS serves as a catalyst to promote health, physical activity, fitness and enjoyment for people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities through participation in physical activity and sports. For more information about PCPFS please visit www.fitness.gov.
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