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Melinda Millard-Stafford, professor and associate chair of the School of Applied Physiology at the Georgia Institute of Technology, will deliver the third annual Cheryl J. Cohen Lecture Monday, Oct. 18 at Western Illinois University.
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Photo Courtesy of the Visual Production Center. Cheryl J. Cohen, WIU professor emeritus, endowed the first lecture series in WIU's College of Education and Human Services.
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Cohen Lecture Oct. 18

October 6, 2010

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MACOMB, IL -- Melinda Millard-Stafford, professor and associate chair of the School of Applied Physiology at the Georgia Institute of Technology, will deliver the third annual Cheryl J. Cohen Lecture Monday, Oct. 18 at Western Illinois University.

An experienced investigator in the field of applied exercise physiology, Millard-Stafford will present "Physical Activity for Americans: Why Exercise Is Medicine!" at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 18 in Horrabin Hall, room 78. A reception in Horrabin Hall, room 1, will follow the lecture event.

Provided to WIU through an endowment from Cheryl Cohen, WIU professor emeritus, the Cheryl J. Cohen Lecture is the first endowed lecture series for the College of Education and Human Services (COEHS) and the kinesiology department at Western. It is scheduled to occur every fall semester and kicked off its inaugural year in 2008.

The focus of the annual Cohen Lecture alternates between exercise physiology and sport psychology. In 2009, the Cohen lecturer was Dan Gould, a widely published sport psychology scholar and director of the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports at Michigan State University. The inaugural year of the lecture featured WIU alumna and Roseville (IL) native Ellen Evans, associate professor in the kinesiology and community health department at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and director of UIUC's bone and body composition laboratory.

"Although Cheryl retired in 2006 after nearly 30 years of service, with her endowment, she continues to provide Western's kinesiology faculty, staff and undergraduate and graduate students, as well as community members, with a preeminent learning opportunity on Western's Macomb campus every year," said Jennie Hemingway, director of development for the COEHS.

In the past decade, Millard-Stafford has received more than $1 million in research funding from industrial sponsors, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, national sport-governing bodies and state governmental agencies. She has published more than 40 peer-reviewed research articles. Currently, Millard-Stafford's research focuses primarily on fluid and nutritional strategies that can enhance exercise performance in the heat. Additionally, Millard-Stafford has served as an expert on scientific peer-review panels for the U.S. Department of Defense's Military Health and Medical Research programs and 15 years on the editorial board for the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. She has served as president of the American College of Sports Medicine, and in 2003, she was inducted into the American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education, based on her many achievements in the exercise science field.

Millard-Stafford earned her B.S. in physical education from Pennsylvania State University; her M.A. in physical education from the University of Florida; and her Ph.D. in exercise physiology from the University of Georgia.

"We are extremely fortunate to have Dr. Millard-Stafford on campus this year. Her Cohen lecture on Monday evening [Oct. 18], and her presentation to graduate students in kinesiology Monday morning, will enrich our department and campus community," said Janet Wigglesworth, chair of the kinesiology department.

The third annual Cohen lecture is open free to the public.

For more information, contact the kinesiology department at (309) 298-1981 or kinesiology@wiu.edu.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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