Trustee Candidate: Education & Allied Health
Deborah A. Riebe, Ph.D., FACSM
Professor and Chair
University of Rhode Island
Department of Kinesiology
Kingston, RI
1. Please list your previous service to ACSM.
My service to ACSM began at the regional level. As the NEACSM Processing Coordinator from 1991-1995, I organized all aspects of the chapter including the annual meeting. This opportunity gave me an in-depth knowledge of the inner workings of the chapter and introduced me to the NEACSM community, an outstanding group of individuals committed to the chapter and the organization. I was subsequently elected Member-at-Large (1996) and President (2001) and currently serve on the Board of Trustees for NEACSM. I served on ACSM’s Committee for Certification and Educational Materials (1993-1996), Editorial Board for ACSM’s Health and Fitness Journal (1995-1998) and the Professional Education Committee (2000-2003). I joined the Committee for Certification and Registry Boards (CCRB) as chair of the HFS sub-committee in 2008. Currently, I serve as Chair of the CCRB which involves the oversight and coordination of eight sub-committees including international certification and exam development. In addition to the CCRB, I serve on the Exercise Is Medicine® Credential Committee and the Joint Committee on Health and Fitness Facilities, and regularly present my research at the Annual Meeting. Finally, I am an Associate Editor of the 9th Edition of ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription. I remain committed to ACSM and believe that my diverse experiences will contribute to a successful tenure as Trustee.
2. What is ACSM’s greatest strength and how would you make that aspect of the organization even stronger?
I believe that the members are ACSM’s greatest strength. From my earliest experiences with both NEACSM and ACSM, I found the dedication and passion exhibited by members to be extraordinary. The diversity of the individuals associated with ACSM is especially exciting, with everyone working together to understand and promote various aspects of physical activity, exercise and sport. I am committed to serving current members by continuing to offer high quality meetings and publications for scientists as well as clinical and health fitness practitioners. I believe that developing and supporting new and important areas, such as behavioral science, will help to further serve the membership. Finally, I am committed to advancing exercise science as a profession. ACSM has made strides toward advancing the profession of both the clinical and health fitness exercise professionals in many ways, including setting academic standards for certification, establishing academic standards under the auspices of the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), and advocacy on the state and national level. However, there is much work to be done including the promotion of licensure for clinical exercise physiologists.
3. ACSM works closely with many other organizations, including associations, companies, philanthropies, and governmental agencies. Indicate those organizations/companies/agencies for which you play an advisory, consulting, or leadership role.
I have reviewed grants for NIH and the American Heart Association.