University News

Steven N. Blair, professor at the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health Departments of Exercise Science and Epidemiology and Biostatistics, will deliver the College of Education and Human Services' seventh annual Cheryl J. Cohen Lecture Tuesday, Oct. 13 at Western Illinois University.
[Download Print-Quality Image]

Provided to WIU through an endowment from Cheryl Cohen, WIU kinesiology professor emeritus, the Cheryl J. Cohen Lecture is the first endowed lecture series for the College of Education and Human Services (COEHS) at Western. It is scheduled to occur during fall semesters and kicked off its inaugural year in 2008.
[Download Print-Quality Image]

7th Annual Cohen Lecture: "Physical Inactivity: The Biggest Public Health Problem of the 21st Century" Set for Oct. 13

October 5, 2015

Share |
Printer friendly version

MACOMB, IL – Steven N. Blair, professor at the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health Departments of Exercise Science and Epidemiology and Biostatistics, will deliver the College of Education and Human Services' seventh annual Cheryl J. Cohen Lecture Tuesday, Oct. 13 at Western Illinois University.

Blair is a Fellow in the American College of Epidemiology, Society for Behavioral Medicine, American College of Sports Medicine, American Heart Association and American Kinesiology Academy. He was elected for membership in the American Epidemiological Society.

The focus of the annual Cohen Lecture alternates between exercise physiology and sport psychology. This year, Blair will present, "Physical Inactivity: The Biggest Public Health Problem of the 21st Century" at 7 p.m. in the University Union Grand Ballroom. The lecture is open free to the public.

Provided to WIU through an endowment from Cheryl Cohen, WIU kinesiology professor emeritus, the Cheryl J. Cohen Lecture is the first endowed lecture series for the College of Education and Human Services (COEHS) at Western. It is scheduled to occur during fall semesters and kicked off its inaugural year in 2008.

"Although Cheryl retired in 2006 after nearly 30 years of service, with her endowment, she continues to provide Western's kinesiology faculty, staff and undergraduate and graduate students, as well as community members, with a preeminent learning opportunity on Western's Macomb campus via the leading scholars and experts who deliver the Cohen Lecture," said Dana Moon, director of marketing, community relations and development for the COEHS.

Blair is a past-president of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity, and the American Kinesiology Academy. He has received awards from many professional associations, including a MERIT Award from the National Institutes of Health, ACSM Honor Award and a Population Science Award from the American Heart Association. Additionally, he is one of the few individuals outside the U.S. Public Health Service to be awarded the Surgeon General's Medallion.

He has delivered lectures to medical, scientific and lay groups in 48 states and 50 countries. His research focuses on the associations between lifestyle and health, with a specific emphasis on exercise, physical fitness, body composition and chronic disease. Blair has published more than 650 papers and chapters and is one of the most highly cited exercise scientists with more than 46,000 citations to his body of work. Previously, he was the senior scientific editor for the U.S. Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity and Health.

He is the recipient of three honorary doctoral degrees—Doctor honoris causa degree from the Free University of Brussels, Belgium; Doctor of Health Science degree from Lander University (U.S.) and Doctor of Science honoris causa, University of Bristol (U.K.). In 1978-80, Blair was a post-doctoral scholar in preventive cardiology at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He earned P.E.D. (1968) and M.S. (1965) degrees in physical education from Indiana University–Bloomington and his B.A. (1962) degree in physical education from Kansas Wesleyan University.

For more information, contact Moon at (309) 298-1620 or via email at DM-Moon@wiu.edu.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing