Dr. John Jakicic
University of Pittsburgh
“Making the 'Move' to Health and Well-Being"

Dr. John M. Jakicic, PhD FACSM is a Professor and Department Chair in the Department of Health and Physical Activity, and is also the Director of the Physical Activity and Weight Management Research Center at the University of Pittsburgh. 

Dr. Jakicic has also been on the faculty at Brown University, the University of Kansas, and the University of Nebraska-Kearney. Dr. Jakicic has a national and international reputation as a leading scholar in the area of physical activity and weight control, and this builds on a line of research to determine the appropriate dose of physical activity for long-term body weight regulation. Within this line of research Dr. Jakicic studies the interaction between energy expenditure and energy intake, and the influence of these factors on body weight regulation. 

Specifically, Dr. Jakicic’s early research was key to the public health recommendation that physical activity can be beneficial when separated into multiple 10-minute sessions per day. Jakicic is also an expert in the implementation of strategies to improve long-term adherence to physical activity, and the understanding of behavioral and physiological mechanisms that are involved with linking physical activity to body weight regulation. He has also been at the forefront of applying technology to physical activity interventions, which includes wearable technologies and low-intensity intervention strategies for lifestyle behavior change. 

Dr. Jakicic has served on various national and international committees to develop physical activity guidelines for the prevention and treatment of obesity and other chronic conditions. Thus, he has been influential in the heightened awareness of physical activity as a key lifestyle behavior to improve health.