UTC’s Department Head of Health and Human Performance (HHP) Gary Ligouri PhD, FACSM confirmed as Senior Editor for American College of Sports Medicine’s (ACSM) Health-related Physical Fitness Assessment Manual, 5th edition. Ligouri has served as Senior Editor and Assistant Editor for two other publications through ACSM.
With more than 50,000 members worldwide, ACSM is the world’s largest sports medicine and exercise science organization, and sets the standards for all certifications in the sports medicine industry. Ligouri began his relationship with the organization in 1995 when he became a member of ACSM, with certification. Since then, he has maintained heavy involvement with appointments as member and chair of numerous committees within the organization. Through work with these committees, he has overseen ACSM’s Health Fitness Specialist Certification. By participating in the committee, as well as serving as Senior Editor to the first edition of ACSM’s Resources for the Health Fitness Specialist, Ligouri is well versed in the skills and knowledge necessary for individuals in the sports medicine profession. Liguori’s involvement with ACSM provides valuable opportunities to students studying health and human performance.
“UTC students have a great opportunity to get involved at a higher level than most. Recently, we had three students represent us at the national level in an academic competition in which they beat out 20 other schools in the Southeast. I have a graduate student who has co-authored a chapter in one of the texts with me and presented his research at the national meeting,” Liguori said.
In addition to opportunity, UTC is gaining recognition and students have bragging rights.
“Chattanooga will host the 2018 ACSM Southeast meeting, something that hasn’t been here for many, many years. This may be corny, but when our students graduate, or talk with friends at other schools, they can say their faculty was the ones who wrote the books everyone else is using, which is a real point of pride,” Liguori explained.
Liguori also anticipates that the University’s recognition through ACSM will attract talent.
“The next area I hope to see HHP benefit from is faculty recruitment, as we look to make two hires this coming year, and that my work with ACSM will inspire some top notch junior faculty to join the already outstanding HHP faculty,” Liguori said.
This is the second time Liguori has been appointed Senior Editor of a text through ACSM.
“One of my proudest professional moments was at the reception for my first ACSM book release; I got to meet a now-retired professor whose Sport Nutrition text was my initial inspiration for grad school. He pointed out how I was now that person to others, which was incredibly humbling,” Liguori said.
