Carrie Jaworski, M.D., FACSM, was voted ACSM’s 2024 president-elect and will officially step into the role after the 2024 ACSM Annual Meeting. Based in Park City, Utah, Dr. Jaworski is a board-certified family medicine and sports medicine physician at Intermountain Health — Park City as well as the associate director of sports performance and medical director of the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation. 

Dr. Jaworski earned her M.D. at Loyola University’s Stritch School of Medicine in Maywood, IL; she completed her family medicine residency at MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn, IL, and a sports medicine fellowship at Kaiser Permanente in Fontana, C.A. Before joining Intermountain Health, she spent more than a decade as the division head for primary care sports medicine at NorthShore University HealthSystem in the Chicago metropolitan area and the primary care sports medicine fellowship director for the University of Chicago NorthShore. 

Q: How did you first become interested in sports medicine and exercise science? 

A: I was interested in exercise science and sports medicine from an early age. I loved anything related to anatomy and physiology, particularly how exercise factored into the equation. I also loved participating in all types of exercise. I like to say that I was never an Olympian at any one sport, but good enough to make the team of many sports! In high school, I earned my IDEA/ACE certification so that I could teach group fitness classes along with doing some personal training. I continued this throughout my undergraduate and medical school days so that I could get paid to exercise. I became intrigued by athletic training during college where it was offered as a work study job. While I never earned my certification as an athletic trainer, I have held onto my belief that athletic trainers are invaluable team members in the care of athletes and have advocated for their profession through the years. At every stage, I also found great enjoyment in educating others on the importance of physical activity for one’s health and well-being. 

Q: When did you get involved with ACSM? 

A: My first exposure to ACSM was as an undergraduate at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where I was fortunate to have been involved with an M.D.-Ph.D. student’s project on fitness testing students on campus. It was here that I learned many foundational ACSM principals, such as how to evaluate a person’s fitness level and how to prescribe exercise. This laid the foundation of everything that I still do today. We just call it EIM now! After that, I became even more involved with ACSM thanks to my sports medicine fellowship being with Dr. Aaron Rubin, a longtime ACSM member, and Dr. Bob Sallis, a past president of ACSM. 

Q: How do you plan to implement ACSM’s strategic plan, mission and vision? 

A: ACSM has done truly incredible work in the development of our new strategic plan along with our mission and vision. As I step into my new role on the executive committee, I think it is critical that we strive to engage each of our members to help with carrying out this plan. This is not something that one person, or one committee, can do alone. ACSM has had some struggles coming out of the pandemic, but the energy and enthusiasm that I’ve seen across all sectors for this strategic plan is inspiring. At the end of the day, we are all here to promote the idea of educating and empowering all to embrace movement for life. This will require effort from all of us to break down any existing silos, to put aside our individual agendas and to remember that our differences are a strength, not a stumbling block. I want to lead ACSM in reigniting teamwork, collaboration and mentorship not only within the college but with our many partners near and far. This will include opening doors that have been traditionally closed and being transparent with members, creating pathways for new leaders and their ideas while simultaneously respecting the ideas and input of our past and current leaders. 

Q: What other goals do you hope to achieve as ACSM president? 

A: I would love to expand our current mentorship programs to allow for new generations of ACSM leaders to be born. I also plan to push for renewed efforts as it relates to the advocacy work that ACSM has always prided itself on doing so well. This is particularly important as it relates to more support of the populations who have traditionally had less attention and resources directed towards them such as female, youth and para athletes in addition to those with intellectual disabilities. Lastly, I’d like to create pathways for all comers to have access to programs that promote movement for life — helping to remove barriers whether they are financial, social or the like. 

Q: What does the future of ACSM look like to you? In five years, in 10 and beyond? 

A: The future of ACSM shows great promise. I am astounded by the efforts of so many to keep the college going, even during rough waters. While there is still a great deal of work to be done to keep us on track, I feel confident that we are moving in the right direction to position ourselves to still lead the way with regard to promoting movement for life. In the next five years, I see us back on the Hill advocating for our mission, as well as expanding our reach globally through our EIM efforts. I also see a future where we continue our work on solidifying partnerships between health care systems and our exercise professionals in order to ensure access to all as it relates to physical activity. 

Q: What do you do in your spare time? 

 A: I really love to do any and all things outdoors. I recently learned Nordic skiing, which has become a new winter favorite, along with running the trails behind our new home! I also love cooking new recipes with my husband and spending time with our pups. 

Q: Anything else you’d like to share? 

 A: I’d like to thank the membership for entrusting me with this incredibly important role. Right now, I’m doing a “listening tour” to see what the pulse of the membership is at the moment. I’d like everyone to know that I will keep listening and advocating for each and every one of them. Please don’t hesitate to reach out at any time!