Scientific Advisory Board Established

ActiGraph Announces Establishment of Scientific Advisory Board

Pensacola, FL-January 19, 2011 – ActiGraph, a leading provider of actigraphy-based physical activity and sleep monitoring solutions for the global research community, announced today the establishment a Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). The ActiGraph SAB is composed of world renowned researchers from a range of disciplines including metabolic research, exercise physiology and behavioral medicine.

“The formation of this Scientific Advisory Board represents a defining moment in ActiGraph’s evolution as a company,” said ActiGraph President Jeff Arnett. “The members of this Board are all highly esteemed thought leaders within their fields, and we are grateful to have the opportunity to draw upon their collective expertise as we enhance our current product offerings and explore emerging applications for ActiGraph products in activity and sleep research and individual and group wellness.”

Joining the ActiGraph Scientific Advisory Board are:

Kong Chen, PhD MSci: Clinical Investigator, National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Chen earned his PhD in Biomedical Engineering at Vanderbilt University. After finishing his PhD, he accepted a faculty position at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, where he developed a comprehensive energy balance core lab and obtained several prestigious research grants, including two National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01 grants, and held joint appointments at the Departments of Surgery, Medicine, and Biomedical Engineering. In 2006, Dr. Chen was recruited by the NIH Intramural Research program to establish the trans-institute Obesity and Metabolic Clinical Research Unit at the Clinical Center. Today, he focuses on clinical and translational research in energy metabolism and obesity. Dr. Chen is developing and using the state-of-art measurement systems for investigating the roles of energy metabolism and physical activity in body weight regulation in lean and obese subjects.

Patty Freedson, PhD: Professor and Chair of the Kinesiology Department, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst. Dr. Freedson earned her PhD in Exercise Physiology at the University of Michigan. She joined the faculty of the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1981, where she has taught courses in Human Physiology, Exercise Physiology, Pediatric Exercise Physiology, Physical Activity and Health. Dr. Freedson’s primary research focus is on the assessment of physical activity using wearable monitors, a field in which she is an internationally recognized authority. Dr. Freedson has published over 95 papers and is currently principal investigator for three NIH grants. She is a former president of the New England Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine and former vice-president of American College of Sports Medicine, as well as a fellow of the Research Consortium, American College of Sports Medicine, and the National Academy of Kinesiology.

Jorge Mota, PhD: Director of Research Centre in Physical Activity, Health and Leisure, University of Porto. Dr. Mota earned his PhD in Sports Sciences at the Faculty of Sports Science at the University of Porto in Portugal. He joined the faculty of the University of Porto as a Professor of Sports Recreation and Leisure, serving as the Dean of Faculty during a two year appointment from 1996-1998. Currently Dr. Mota is Director of Research Centre in Physical Activity, Health and Leisure and Faculty’s President of General Assembly. A visiting Professor at several Brazilian institutions, Dr. Mota is adviser for the National Program for the Promotion of Physical Activity (MEXA-SE) and is involved in physical activity promotion networks including HEPA Europe and IPEN. His primary area of work is in issues relating to physical activity, its health related effects, and specifically its relationship with non communicable diseases. Dr. Mota is also involved in the development and implementation of programmes related to physical activity and health promotion, and he has authored numerous peer reviewed publications.

Bonnie Spring, PhD: Professor of Preventive Medicine, Psychology, and Psychiatry, Behavioral Medicine Director & Co-Program Leader for Cancer Prevention, Northwestern University. Dr. Spring earned her PhD in Psychology at Harvard University. Her research program on changing unhealthy lifestyle behaviors has been funded continuously since 1976 by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the American Heart and American Cancer Societies, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Dr. Spring is a Past President of the Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM), an elected Fellow of the American Psychological Association, the American Psychological Society, and the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research, and she holds the American Board of Professional Psychology’s Diplomate in Clinical Health Psychology. Dr. Spring founded and Chairs the NIH-sponsored multidisciplinary Council for Training in Evidence-Based Behavioral Practice, and she is founding editor of the journal, Translational Behavioral Medicine: Practice, Policy, Research and an advisory editor for the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings, and Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology.

Stewart G. Trost, PhD: Associate Professor, Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Oregon State University. Dr. Trost earned his PhD in Exercise Science at the University of South Carolina. An internationally recognized expert in the field of physical activity and obesity prevention in children, Dr. Trost has published 95 primary research papers and 8 book chapters on the topic and has served as a consultant on matters related to measurement of physical activity and obesity prevention to numerous organizations including the National Institutes of Health, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Australian Federal Government. Dr. Trost headed the scientific committee responsible for drafting children’s physical activity recommendations for Australian youth and was a member of the CDC panel to establish evidence-based guidelines for physical activity in school aged youth in the United States. Dr Trost has specific expertise in assessment of physical activity in children and adolescents, psychosocial and environmental correlates of youth physical activity behavior, and interventions to promote physical activity and healthy eating in children and youth.

About ActiGraph ActiGraph is the leading provider of actigraphy-based physical activity and sleep monitoring solutions for the global research community. ActiGraph’s comprehensive and extensively validated suite of hardware and software products are used by prominent academic and scientific organizations in more than 60 countries in research studies involving physical activity, energy expenditure and their relationship to a wide range of health issues including obesity, diabetes, sleep disorders and aging. ActiGraph’s newest product suite provides validated, objective activity and sleep measurement solutions to the consumer digital health and group wellness markets.

Download the PDF of the press release here.