The Science Board is accepting nominations for the 2008 President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Science Honor Award.  The award is given annually to an academic or research professional who has made significant contributions to the advancement and promotion of the science of physical activity.  Nominations must be received by November 15, 2007.  The winner will be recognized in the spring of 2008. Get more information on the award and a nomination form. Completed nominations can be emailed to pcpfsawards@hhs.gov.  Please include Science Honor Award in the subject line of your email.

Incoming Science Board Chair Dr. Maureen Weiss is now on faculty as a Professor of Education (Kinesiology) at the University of Minnesota.  She is also serving as Co-Director of the Tucker Institute for Research on Girls and Women in Sport.

Many thanks to outgoing Chair, Dr. Deborah Rohm Young, who will complete her term at the end of November.

Remembering a Visionary
On July 9, 2007, the field of exercise and fitness research lost a long-time champion and leader when Ralph S. Paffenbarger, Jr., Ph.D. died of congestive heart failure.  He was 84 years old. 

Dr. Paffenbarger grabbed national attention for his work on the College Alumni Health Study and for leading the study on death from coronary heart disease and stroke among San Francisco Bay Area longshoremen.  Among longshoremen, the study showed that workers with more sedentary jobs had higher death rates due to coronary heart disease compared to workers who were more active (e.g., cargo handlers).

In 1960, Dr. Paffenbarger started the College Alumni Health study to identify causes and predictors for chronic diseases that were, at that time, largely unknown.  One of the key findings of this study was the protective effect of exercise even if it was established later in life.  For instance, Dr. Paffenbarger and his team of researchers found that alumni who might have been characterized as lazy when in college had a lower risk of developing coronary heart disease if they started exercising regularly later in life.  Their risk was lower compared to the college “jocks” or intramural players who became less active as they aged.  This finding was true for all age groups that were studied.

Dr. Paffenbarger’s work was a precursor to the development of the 1996 Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health and to the development of the American College of Sports Medicine/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention exercise guidelines issued that same year.   

Debbie Young, Ph.D., professor at the University of Maryland and chair of the PCPFS Science Board noted, “Dr. Paffenbarger was a gifted researcher who was one of the first to establish a causal link between physical inactivity and increased risk of mortality.  He was also a kind man who delighted in the success of young researchers.  We will all miss him—as a colleague, friend, and mentor.”

Dr. Paffenbarger is survived by his wife, JoAnn and four children.