October 11, 2019
Distinguished Lecture Series in Kinesiology welcomes Panteleimon Ekkekakis
Submitted by College of Health and Human Sciences
In celebration of October as Exercise is Medicine-On Campus month, the Department of Kinesiology and the Kinesiology Student Association will welcome Panteleimon "Paddy" Ekkekakis, associate professor at Iowa State University, to present the department's 2019 distinguished lecture.
Ekkekakis will present "The litmus test for achieving integration in Kinesiology? Developing interdisciplinary exercise prescription guidelines and physical activity recommendations" at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 18, in Forum Hall of the K-State Student Union.
Over its 70-year history, the field of kinesiology has been remarkably successful in producing compelling evidence on the benefits of physical activity and exercise on many facets of health and well-being. At the same time, however, it is equally remarkable that there have been no "success stories" in global efforts to encourage more individuals to be physically active.
The take-home message of the lecture will be that exercise prescription — developed by the American College of Sports Medicine since 1975 — and physical activity recommendations — developed by various organizations since 1995 — present opportunities for kinesiology to increase its societal value and, in the process, move closer to the goal of achieving integration as an interdisciplinary field.
Ekkekakis immigrated to the U.S. from Greece in 1993 to study for his master's degree in kinesiology at Kansas State University. He is a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine and the National Academy of Kinesiology. His research, which examines pleasure and displeasure responses to exercise, has been cited as the basis of guidelines by the American College of Sports Medicine — e.g., on using measures of affective valence as an adjunct gauge of exercise intensity, on assessing individual differences in preference for and tolerance of exercise intensity.
Ekkekakis has presented keynote lectures, seminars, and workshops throughout the United States, as well as in 30 international cities in 15 countries and five continents.
This event is free and open to all students and the community.