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About Greg
Gregory J. Welk is the Barbara E. Forker Professor in Kinesiology and a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Kinesiology at Iowa State University of Science and Technology, where he has served on the faculty since 2000 and attained full professorship in 2012. He previously held positions as Assistant Professor at Eastern Michigan University from 1994 to 1999 and Director of Childhood and Adolescent Health at the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research. Welk earned his Ph.D. in Exercise Science and Physical Education from the University of Arizona in 1994, M.S. in Exercise Science from the University of Iowa in 1989, and B.S. in Liberal Arts and Sciences with a concentration in Bioengineering from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana in 1986. He directs the Physical Activity and Health Promotion Laboratory and the ISU Translational Research Network (U-TuRN).
Welk's research focuses on health promotion, exercise and physical activity epidemiology, including the assessment and promotion of physical activity, validation of accelerometry-based activity monitors, sedentary behavior, youth fitness standards, and obesity prevention. Key projects include the SWITCH school wellness program, Walk with Ease for older adults, FITNESSGRAM, and the Family Nutrition and Physical Activity screening tool. He has co-authored multiple editions of textbooks such as Concepts of Physical Fitness: Active Lifestyles for Wellness and Concepts of Fitness and Wellness (1997–2016, with C.B. Corbin et al.) and contributed to the FITNESSGRAM Reference Guide (2001) and Test Administration Manual (2005). Highly cited papers include Physical activity in US adults: compliance with the physical activity guidelines for Americans (2011, 1350 citations, American Journal of Preventive Medicine) and Measurement issues in the assessment of physical activity in children (2000, 1270 citations, Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport). His contributions have shaped physical activity assessment standards and interventions used in schools and communities. Awards include the Barbara E. Forker Professorship (2023), Distinguished Professor in Human Sciences (2023), Big 12 Faculty of the Year (2026), Iowa Academy of Education induction (2019), and Fellow of the National Academy of Kinesiology.
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