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Father of Aerobics to Speak in Knoxville

Published: Sunday, December 7, 2008

 
The “father of aerobics,” Kenneth Cooper, M.D., M.P.H., has been named the 2009 University of Tennessee Boling Distinguished Visiting Professor and will present “Achieving a Lifetime of Good Health while Lowering Healthcare Costs” on Jan. 29, 2009, Knoxville Convention Center, (http://gsm.utmck/edu/news/main.htm). The forum will include a panel of Knoxville area business leaders who will present, “Executive Insights on Personal and Corporate Wellness,” encouraging audience members’ interaction.

“Investing in employee wellness can be difficult for businesses during tenuous economic times,” said Debbie Bell, RN, MPH, University of Tennessee Medical Center. “Research shows, however, that healthier employees result in healthier bottom lines for their employers. Dr. Cooper will underscore how integrating a healthy lifestyle impacts all aspects of life, including our work lives, and our panel members will discuss how they have successfully helped employees be healthier and in return, reaped the financial benefits for their businesses.”

In 1968, Dr. Kenneth Cooper launched a new movement in America, called aerobic exercise, by publishing the book, Aerobics, which offered the then-revolutionary notion that vigorous exercise could help people get and stay healthy. Two years later, he founded the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, Texas, a world-renowned facility devoted to the benefits of exercise and preventive medicine. More than 60,000 patients have sought treatment there.

Since then, Dr. Cooper’s nine best-selling books have been translated into 41 languages, and he has designed pioneering aerobics programs for astronauts and pilots as a U.S. Air Force doctor.

Now, after years of research findings that confirm his message, Dr. Cooper continues his mission: to promote proper exercise, diet, and emotional balance for optimum health and longevity.

The Boling Distinguished Visiting Professorship in Health Policy Forum brings together industry experts and business leaders to discuss innovative approaches to healthcare policy and the impact they can have in the workplace, particularly on employee productivity.

The January 29 forum is sponsored by University of Tennessee Medical Center, University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine, UT College of Business Administration, Knoxville, and Knoxville Chamber. The forum begins at 7:30 a.m., and the registration fee of $35 includes breakfast and the forum. Those interested in attending should contact the University of Tennessee Medical Center Office of Development at 865.305.6611 or development@utmck.edu. Complete details can be found at http://gsm.utmck/edu/news/main.htm. 

The University of Tennessee Medical Center and the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine together form the area’s only academic medical center. The University of Tennessee Medical Center, the region’s only Level I Trauma Center, is one of the largest employers in Knoxville. It serves as a referral center for Eastern Tennessee, Southeast Kentucky and Western North Carolina. The UT Graduate School of Medicine is part of the UT Health Science Center, the statewide academic health system. The school is home to more than 200 teaching physicians and researchers and more than 190 medical and dental resident physicians in 11 residency and 12 fellowship programs. For more information about the University of Tennessee Medical Center, visit www.utmedicalcenter.org. For more information about the UT Graduate School of Medicine, visit http://gsm.utmck.edu.