The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) today announced Alexis Batrakoulis, Ph.D., ACSM-EP, ACSM-CPT, EIM-II, as the 2022 ACSM Certified Professional of the Year during its annual International Health & Fitness Summit in Dallas, Texas.
ACSM created the Certified Professional of the Year award to recognize excellence in the exercise profession. The award also acknowledges the education and training ACSM health fitness professionals obtain and the significant role that training plays in providing evidence-based programming for clients.
“Alexis’s commitment to promoting fitness in the global space is unparalleled. As an exercise professional, he has touched countless lives by providing individual training, delivering educational presentations for his peers and conducting academic research, furthering our understanding of the acute and chronic effects of physical activity and exercise,” says Christie Ward-Ritacco, Ph.D., ACSM-EP, EIM-II, chair of the ACSM’s Certification Board. “There are few individuals in the field who have substantial experience in all of these areas, and Alexis is a global leader and champion for the field of exercise science.”
Involved in the health and fitness industry since 1995, Alexis is based in Larisa, Greece and currently works as an adjunct lecturer, personal trainer and fitness educator presenting in more than 40 countries across five continents. He is the founder of the International Obesity Exercise Training Institute, teaching internationally approved continuing education courses on exercise and health for fitness professionals around the globe. His primary research interest is the study of hybrid-type, multicomponent interval training in obesity.
“This is the greatest accomplishment of my professional career, given that ACSM is the global authority on sports medicine and exercise science and engages top-level academics, researchers and practitioners,” said Batrakoulis. “With physical inactivity and obesity becoming two of the most challenging global public health issues of our century, I will use this recognition to help spread the message that the health and fitness industry is currently facing a changing landscape due to those two epidemics.”
You can learn more about the ACSM Certified Professional of the Year Award and criteria by visiting the website.