Physical Activity & Public Health
Postgraduate Course on Research Directions and Strategies
to September 16-23, 2026
Description
This 7-day course serves any personnel with terminal degrees and is designed to develop research competencies related to physical activity and public health. Topics include grantsmanship skills; research funding opportunities; measurement of physical activity; design of epidemiologic studies; clinical trials; dose-response issues; individual, institutional, community, and policy interventions; dissemination and implementation research; health disparities and numerous special topics. Instructional techniques include lectures, small group discussions, individual meetings with faculty, and individual grant writing projects.
The course fee is $3300 and it covers lodging, meals, and course materials. Participants cover their own travel expenses. The fee must be paid by September 1, 2026.
Course Co-Directors:
Michael W. Beets, PhD, Professor, Department of Exercise Science, University of South Carolina
Russell R. Pate, PhD, Professor, Department of Exercise Science, University of South Carolina
Faculty
Faculty for the 7-day course consist of a panel of leading researchers in physical activity and include:
Elizabeth Adams, PhD – University of South Carolina Bridget Armstrong, PhD – University of South Carolina Daheia J. Barr-Anderson, PhD, MSPH, FACSM – University of North Carolina at Charlotte David Conroy, PhD – University of Michigan
Loretta DiPietro, PhD, MPH – George Washington University Layla Esposito, PhD – National Institutes of Health Paul Estabrooks, PhD – University of Utah
Mark Fenton, PhD – Tufts University Ross Hammond, PhD – Washington University Samantha Harden, PhD – Virginia Tech John Jakicic, PhD – University of Kansas Medical Center Elizabeth Joy, MD, MPH, DipABLM, FACSM – Salt Lake City, Utah
Andy Kaczynski, PhD – University of South Carolina
Bill Kraus, MD – Duke University
David Marquez, PhD – University of Illinois Chicago
Amanda Paluch, PhD – University of Massachusetts Amherst Andrea Ramirez Varela, MD, PhD, MPH – University of Texas at Houston Jim Sallis, PhD – University of California San Diego
Damon Swift, PhD – University of Virginia
Richard Troiano, PhD – U.S. Public Health Service (Retired)
Glenn Weaver, PhD – University of South Carolina
Greg Welk, PhD – Iowa State University
Geoffrey Whitfield, PhD – U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Sara Wilcox, PhD – University of South Carolina Jason Yang, PhD – University of South Carolina
Testimonials
Here’s what past participants have said about the Postgraduate Course on Research Directions & Strategies.
State of the art research; excellent overview of field and links with public health; great networking with faculty/experts; good overview of funding opportunities; excellent constructive feedback and support
Great faculty who were willing to talk; sessions were well-planned and focused; the environment was very supportive which was important for many of us who were struggling in the first few years of our career.
The strength of the course was the quality of the people. It was fantastic to learn from the experts (and budding experts) in the field.
The course helped me see the true breadth of work and key multidisciplinary interactions of physical activity research.
It is one of the BEST experiences I have had in my professional world!
The one-on-one contact with experts — Unbelievable.
I feel like I can now connect the dots between basic exercise science, to individual level interventions, to population surveillance and environment/policy practice.
Getting to connect on a more personal level with the researchers was a key strength of the course.
Participation in this course will absolutely positively influence my future professional activities, and I will be recommending this course to others for years to come.
I believe this was the single most beneficial training experience I have had to date and that the knowledge gained and connections made will serve me well throughout my career.