Karin Pfeiffer, a professor in the Michigan State University Department of Kinesiology, has been elected as a member of the National Academy of Kinesiology.
Those named as Fellows in the National Academy of Kinesiology have moved the study of human movement forward as a direct result of their contributions. Pfeiffer was one of 13 scholars inducted during a virtual ceremony on Sept. 25, 2020.
“Dr. Pfeiffer has made important scholarly contributions, and shown extensive leadership within kinesiology and public health,” said Al Smith, MSU Kinesiology department chair and fellow NAK member, during the induction ceremony.
Pfeiffer has been studying physical activity and health-related fitness in children and youth for the past 25 years. She is internationally known for her expertise in both the measurement of physical activity and interventions to increase physical activity in young people.
She has published in a range of scientific outlets, with over 12,000 citations to her work. Her research has been funded by local and national funding agencies. Most recently, she and Leah Robinson of University of Michigan received a new $2.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to implement movement-focused interventions in after-school programs.
Among her many leadership roles, Pfeiffer has served as president of the North American Society for Pediatric Exercise Medicine and as a member of the prestigious President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition Science Board. Earlier this year, she was elected as a vice president of the American College of Sports Medicine for 2020-2021.
Pfeiffer joined MSU as an assistant professor in 2006. Previously, she was a postdoctoral researcher and assistant professor at University of South Carolina. She holds a bachelor’s degree from University of Michigan, and her master’s and Ph.D. from MSU, specializing in exercise physiology.