March 11, 2015 | Erin Bluvas, bluvase@sc.edu
The President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition (PCFSN) Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded annually to up to five individuals who have dedicated their careers to the advancement of physical activity, fitness, sports or nutrition nationwide. Nominees are evaluated based on the overall impact of their careers, including individuals affected, awards, research, legacy, etc.
Professor Steven Blair, Departments of Exercise Science and Epidemiology & Biostatistics, was given a PCFSN 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award on February 24, 2015 at the National Physical Activity Plan meeting in Washington, D.C. The award was based on his role as an internationally recognized authority on exercise and its health benefits. With more than 650 scientific publications, his research focuses on the associations between lifestyle and health, with a specific emphasis on exercise, physical fitness, body composition and chronic disease.
“From my research and a lot of others, physical inactivity is one of the biggest public health problems we have. Inactivity and low fitness are powerful predictors of morbidity and mortality for millions of Americans,” Blair said.
Blair earned a doctoral degree in physical education from Indiana University. He is also 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, UK.
His other awards include the MERIT Award from the National Institutes of Health, American College of Sports Medicine Honor Award, Robert Levy Lecture Award from the American Heart Association, Population Science Research Award from the American Heart Association, the Stunkard Lifetime Achievement Award from The Obesity Society and the U.S. Surgeon General's Medallion. He has delivered lectures to medical, scientific and lay groups in 48 states and 30 countries.
Blair’s most recent endeavor is the 2014 launch of the Global Energy Balance Network, which is dedicated to identifying and implementing innovative solutions – based on the science of energy balance – to prevent and reduce diseases associated with inactivity, poor nutrition and obesity. This not-for-profit organization aims to connect and engage multi-disciplinary scientists and other experts around the globe dedicated to applying and advancing the science of energy balance to achieve healthier living.