ACSM Northwest Chapter

List of graduate programs for exercise science students in the Northwest

To add your school’s information to our list, please send your program information, website links, and contact information to rccr13@acsmnorthwest.org.

University of Montana: 

Athletic training, exercise science, integrative physiology, and physical therapy- MS
https://health.umt.edu/ipat/graduate_programs/default.php
https://health.umt.edu/physicaltherapy/
Contact: Chuck Dumke- charles.dumke@umontana.edu

Washington State University (Spokane):

Nutrition and Exercise Physiology (MS and PhD) and MS Coordinated Program in Dietetics, Nutrition and Exercise Physiology (MS CPD)
https://medicine.wsu.edu/nutrition-and-exercise-physiology-degree-program/mstnep/
https://medicine.wsu.edu/nutrition-and-exercise-physiology-degree-program/phd-nutrition-and-exercise-physiology/
https://medicine.wsu.edu/nutrition-and-exercise-physiology-degree-program/mscpd/
Contact: Jill Wagner- nep@wsu.edu

Seattle University:

Research Track, Clinical Track (ACSM Clinical Exercise Physiology certification)- MS
https://www.seattleu.edu/artsci/ms-kinesiology/
Contact: Erica Rauff  rauffe@seattleu.edu

University of Idaho:

Exercise Science, Athletic Training, Physical Education, Physical Activity Pedagogy- MS, PhD
https://www.uidaho.edu/ed/mvsc/academics/esh/mls-ms-esh
https://www.uidaho.edu/ed/mvsc/academics/esh/esh-phd
https://www.uidaho.edu/ed/mvsc/academics/at
https://www.uidaho.edu/ed/mvsc/academics/pete
Contact: movementsciences@uidaho.edu 

University of Puget Sound:

Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy
https://www.pugetsound.edu/academics/departments-and-programs/graduate/school-of-physical-therapy/
Contact: jhastings@pugetsound.edu

https://www.pugetsound.edu/academics/departments-and-programs/graduate/school-of-occupational-therapy/
Contact: ot@pugetsound.edu

Pacific Lutheran University:

Kinesiology- MS
https://www.plu.edu/master-of-science-kinesiology/
Contact: kins@plu.edu

Pacific University:

Physical Therapy
https://www.pacificu.edu/academics/colleges/college-health-professions/school-physical-therapy-athletic-training/physical-therapy
Contact: AT.PT@pacificu.edu

Occupational Therapy
https://www.pacificu.edu/academics/colleges/college-health-professions/school-occupational-therapy/occupational-therapy-otd
Contact: larsenj@pacificu.edu

George Fox University:

Physical Therapy
https://www.georgefox.edu/physical-therapy/index.html
Contact: dpt@georgefox.edu

Occupational Therapy
https://www.georgefox.edu/occupational-therapy/index.html
Contact: ot@georgefox.edu

Boise State University:

Kinesiology, Athletic Training, Athletic Leadership- MS
https://www.boisestate.edu/kinesiology/programs/
Contact: smlucas@boisestate.edu

University of Oregon:

Human Physiology- PhD, Post-Professional Athletic Training- MS
https://physiology.uoregon.edu/graduate/
Contact: mhahn@uoregon.edu

Oregon State University:

Kinesiology- MS, PhD
https://health.oregonstate.edu/kinesiology/graduate
Contact: marc.norcross@oregonstate.edu

Central Washington University:

Integrative Human Physiology- MS
https://www.cwu.edu/health-science/master-science-integrative-human-physiology
Contact: clarkj@cwu.edu

Nutrition- MS
https://www.cwu.edu/health-science/master-science-nutrition
Contact: david.gee@cwu.edu

Western Washington University:

Kinesiology- MS
https://chss.wwu.edu/hhd/kinesiology-graduate-program
Contact: 

Montana State University:

Exercise Physiology and Nutrition- MS
http://www.montana.edu/hhd/graduate/exerciseandnutrition/exphysnutr.html
Contact:

Eastern Washington University:

Physical Education- Exercise Science or Sports and Recreation Administration- MS
https://www.ewu.edu/chsph/wellness-movement-sciences/physical-education-ms/
Contact: cmastel@ewu.edu 

Idaho State University:

Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy (MOT)
http://coursecat.isu.edu/graduate/healthscience/physicalandoccupationaltherapy/#programstext
Contact: cmastel@ewu.edu 

Nutrition (MS)
http://coursecat.isu.edu/graduate/college-of-health-professions/nutritiondietetics/

University of Western States

MS in Sports Medicine https://www.uws.edu/sports-medicine/ –hybrid program

Contact:
Natasha French
Assistant Director of Admissions
nfrench@uws.edu
503-251-5766

Dr. Tim Ray
Program Director
tray@uws.edu
503-251-5709

Webinars:

The ACSM Northwest chapter is planning a series of free webinars for late 2019 and early 2020 leading up to our Annual Meeting in Boise, ID in February. Recordings of previous webinars and copies of the presentations are listed below for those speakers who have allowed us to share them.

ACSM Northwest Webinar Series Playlist

Moving Through Cancer: Exercise is Medicine in Oncology

Dr. Katie Schmitz- Tuesday, February 11th at 9am PST
Webinar Recording Link
Schmitz Webinar Slides

Description:
It’s time for a paradigm shift, and we are the ones to make that happen!  Back in the 50’s patients who had a heart attack were told to rest….. now we know we need those patients moving – cardiac rehabilitation is standard practice (ignore poor referrals, that’s another story).  Well, we have a mature evidence base that supports that people living with and beyond cancer will also benefit from exercise.  And yet… think about it.  If you ask your Aunt Betty whether a cancer patient should be exercising, what do you think she would say?  How do we change this?  Let’s discuss it and then get to work!

Presenter Bio:
Kathryn Schmitz, PhD, MPH, FACSM, is a Professor of Public Health Sciences at the Pennsylvania State University’s College of Medicine. She is clinical trialist who has led many exercise trials.  Dr. Schmitz has also translated her work into clinical practice.
Dr. Schmitz has published over 240 peer reviewed scientific papers and has had $25 million dollars in funding for her research since 2001.  She was the lead author of the first ACSM Roundtable on Exercise for Cancer Survivors, which published guidance for exercise testing and prescription for cancer survivors in July 2010.  In June 2017, she became president-elect of the American College of Sports Medicine.  She assumed the presidency in June 2018 and as of June 2019, she became ACSM’s Immediate Past President.
In March 2018 Dr. Schmitz chaired an International Multidisciplinary ACSM Roundtable on Exercise and Cancer Prevention and Control.  The physicians, outpatient rehabilitation specialists, researchers, and exercise professionals in the room broadly agreed it is time for exercise oncology to go prime time.  The question is how.  Dr. Schmitz’ professional mission is to answer that question.

Lessons Learned From The Expansion of the American Fitness Index From 50 Metropolitan Areas to 100 Cities and What That Means for Health Fitness Professionals

Dr. Walter Thompson
Webinar Recording Link

Description:

Two criticisms of the first decade of the ACSM American Fitness Index® and its annual report were that it was limited to only the 50 most populated cities in the USA and that the entire metropolitan area was counted among the data. These two observations had some merit. Cities protested that a certain suburb was not really a suburb (but based on the federal government definition of Metropolitan Statistical Area it was) and smaller cities like Arlington, Virginia and Madison, Wisconsin said “what about me?” The original approach to the rankings provided important and valuable general messages but limited the ability to provide targeted assistance to city and community leaders. That all changed when the 2018 Fitness Index was released. The number of cities reported on grew to the top 100 largest cities based on population, and the definition of “city” was limited to the city limits. The updated approach provides city leaders with the local data that they need to make changes. The data are more in line with governing structures within a city and acknowledge the differences in health behaviors and community-level infrastructure between the city and surrounding suburban areas. The expanded rankings also provide a more inclusive approach by adding cities in states that weren’t previously represented. With this new definition of city and the inclusion of the top 100, there are still opportunities for the Fitness Index to consider with future updates.

Presenter:

Walter R. Thompson, Ph.D., FACSM, FAACVPR is Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research and a tenured Regents’ Professor of Kinesiology and Health (College of Education & Human Development) and in the School of Public Health, and in the Department of Nutrition and Department of Physical Therapy (College of Nursing and Health Professions) at Georgia State University in Atlanta. Prior to joining the faculty at Georgia State University in 1994, Thompson was a tenured Professor of Exercise Science and Director of the Laboratory for Applied Physiology at the University of Southern Mississippi and Program Director for the Center for Cardiac Rehabilitation and Health Enhancement at Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago. He has also held adjunct academic appointments at Northeastern Illinois University and at George Williams College. Thompson has been the Chairman of the ACSM Committee on Certification and Education, Chairman of the ACSM International Relations Committee, Chairman of the ACSM American Fitness Index, Chairman of the ACSM Publications Committee, and the Founding Chairman of the Committee on Accreditation for the Exercise Sciences for the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs. Dr. Thompson served as ACSM President for 2017-2018. Thompson has served on the ACSM Board of Trustees and was twice elected to its Administrative Council. He has served as the Chair of the Joint Committee on Health Fitness Facilities Standards for NSF International where he also serves as a member of the NSF Council of Public Health Consultants. Thompson also served on the Sports Science Committee of the International Paralympic Committee. Because of his personal interest in at-risk kids living in the inner city, he serves as the Executive Director of the After-School All-Stars Atlanta, a comprehensive after school initiative for middle school aged children now in 23 inner city sites with an average daily attendance of 3000 and 2000 in eight summer academies.

Mobile Health Tools in Sedentary Behavior and Physical Activity Research

Dr. Dori Rosenberg- November 26th at 12:00pm PST
Webinar Recording Link
Rosenberg Webinar Slides

Description:

The presentation will discuss the use of various wearable devices in physical activity and sedentary behavior research.  Several examples of research studies will be shared that have used wearable technology to assess and intervene on sedentary time and physical activity focusing on older populations and populations with chronic conditions.  Challenges to using such technologies will be discussed.

Presenter:

Dori Rosenberg, PhD, MPH is an Associate Scientific Investigator at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute and is an Affiliate Associate Professor with the University of Washington, Department of Health Services. She has conducted extensive research on physical activity and sedentary time among older adults and populations with chronic conditions.  She completed her PhD in clinical psychology & behavioral medicine at the University of California San Diego and San Diego State University.  She is currently the principal investigator of the Healthy Aging Resources to Thrive (HART) Trial (R01 HL132880) where she is testing the efficacy of a sitting reduction intervention for older adults.

Physiological Adaptations to Interval Training in Health and Disease

Dr. Martin Gibala- November 13th, 2019 at 10:00am PST

GIbala Webinar Presentation

Description:

Interval training refers to an intermittent style of exercise in which repeated bouts are separated by recovery periods within a single training session. The last two decades have seen a resurgence of interest into the physiological responses to interval training and associated impacts on health indices. The method is infinitely variable, but can be broadly classified as either “aerobic”- or “resistance”-based, and further subdivided based on absolute or relative intensity. Most research has focused on an aerobic style commonly termed “high-intensity interval training” (HIIT), which generally refers to submaximal efforts that elicit at least ~80% of peak heart rate. HIIT induces physiological responses that resemble, and can be superior to, changes typically associated with traditional moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT), as reflected in public health guidelines. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses comparing MICT and HIIT, matched for total work or energy expenditure, have found that intermittent exercise elicits superior gains in cardiorespiratory fitness, and potentially other health-related indices such as glycemic control, depending on the characteristics of the participants studied. “Sprint interval training” (SIT) is a more intense version that involves ‘all out’ efforts or an intensity corresponding to ≥100% of the workload that elicits peak oxygen uptake. SIT has been shown to elicit physiological responses that are similar to MICT despite a much smaller total exercise volume and time commitment. This session will consider the physiological basis of responses to various types of interval training in both healthy and diseased states, and emerging research trends in the field.

Presenter:

Dr. Martin Gibala is a professor and chair of the Department of Kinesiology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada. He is an integrative physiologist who studies the mechanistic basis of exercise responses in humans, and associated health impacts. Gibala’s research on the topic of interval training has helped to establish the efficacy of brief, vigorous exercise to enhance fitness in both healthy and diseased states. His knowledge translation efforts include a book for the general public on the science of time-efficient exercise, The One-Minute Workout: Science Shows a Way to Get Fit That’s Smarter, Faster, Shorter (Penguin Random House, 2017). Gibala has received three awards for teaching excellence at McMaster and the President’s Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Supervision.