Dr. John M. Jakicic, PhD is a Distinguished Professor, Director of the Healthy Lifestyle Institute, and Director of the Physical Activity and Weight Management Research Center. Dr. Jakicic has a national and international reputation as a leading scholar in this area of physical activity, and this builds on a line of research to determine the appropriate dose of physical activity for long-term body weight regulation and related chronic diseases across the lifespan. Within this line of research Dr. Jakicic studies the interaction between energy expenditure and energy intake, the influence of these factors on body weight regulation, and the biological and behavioral pathways by which physical activity impacts health-related outcomes.

Dr. Jakicic’s early research was key to the public health recommendation regarding physical activity for weight control, and he is an expert in the implementation of strategies to improve long-term adherence to physical activity. 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.