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May 30, 2008
Science award honors Arnold School researcher Pate
Dr. Russell R. Pate, an exercise physiologist at the University of South Carolina’s Arnold School of Public Health, is the recipient of the 2008 Science Honor Award from the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (PCPFS).
The award, given annually to an academic or research professional who has advanced the science of physical activity, honors Pate’s significant contributions and commitment to the health and wellness of the nation.
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,” said Melissa Johnson, PCPFS executive director. “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. Steven Blair, an exercise physiologist and professor in the Arnold School of Public Health, received the award in 2004.
Pate’s research and expertise is in physical activity and its health implications, specifically 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 (NIH), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Heart Association.
Pate, a professor in the university’s department of exercise science and associate vice president for health sciences, coordinated the effort that led to the development of the “Recommendation on Physical Activity and Public Health” and the American College of Sports Medicine. He also served on the U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee from 2003 - 04 and on the Institute of Medicine panel that developed guidelines on prevention of childhood obesity.
He has served in leadership positions with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), including president from 1993 - 94. 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 been an appointed member of the S.C. Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness since 1988. He served as a member of the HHS Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee and as a member of the PCPFS Science Board from 2003 - 06.
A lifelong distance runner, Pate competed in three U.S. Olympic Trials marathons and twice placed among the top 10 in the Boston Marathon. For more than 20 years, he was president of the Carolina Marathon Association, which hosted the U.S. Olympic women’s marathon trials in 1996 and 2000.
Dr. Russell Pate of the Arnold School of Public Health
Photo: University Marketing & Communications
