2012 Research Consortium Secretary Candidates
Laura Azzarito, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Teachers College, Columbia University
Biography:
Dr. Laura Azzarito, Associate Professor of Physical Education, at Teachers College, Columbia University, earned her Ph.D. in Kinesiology from Louisiana State University. She earned her M.A. in Kinesiology from the University of Maryland, College Park. Dr. Azzarito served as an Assistant Professor of Physical Education in the Department of Education at the University of Vermont. Most recently, she served as a Senior Lecturer in Pedagogy and Physical Culture in the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences at Loughborough University, UK. As a national and international Research Consortium (RC) Fellow, Dr. Azzarito has served as a reviewer for the RC annual program and the research grant program for both the pedagogy and sociocultural categories. She was also one of the members of the Research Consortium Credentials Committee. Recently, Dr. Azzarito contributed to the RC by authoring the E-Guide to Qualitative Research Methods. She has supported the field internationally, serving both the American and British Educational Research Associations (AERA, BERA). For the AERA Research on Learning and Instruction in Physical Education SIG, Dr. Azzarito served on the Expert Review Panel and was the 2008 Chair for the Lawrence F. Clock Outstanding Dissertation Award Committee. Dr. Azzarito's research examines the links among young people's construction of the body, identity and inequality issues from a pedagogical and sociocultural perspective. She has published widely in refereed journals such as Journal of Teaching in Physical Education; Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport; Quest; Sport, Education and Society; Visual Studies; International Review for the Sociology of Sport; Qualitative Research in Sport and Exercise; and Race, Ethnicity and Education. Dr. Azzarito has presented her research findings at the conventional venues of state, national, and international conferences, and also at alternative sites like schools, museums and community art centers which engage research participants and the general public. Dr. Azzarito is currently serving her second term on the editorial board of Journal of Teaching in Physical Education and serves as a reviewer for a number of other journals.
Dr. Azzarito's Vision for the Research Consortium:
The beginning of a new millennium may be the moment for making a "real change" in the lifestyles of many young people, children and adults. To this end, I believe that promoting sound, high quality research conducted in a wide range of physical activity settings, and disseminating findings that support educational, culturally sensitive physical activity and health practices should be at the heart of the AAHPERD Research Consortium. With this vision in mind, if elected, I will be committed to working with RC leaders toward the following goals:
- To develop, promote and disseminate interdisciplinary research, drawing upon a range of sciences to advance "broader", "interbreed" conversations among RC members about applied research in physical activity, kinesiology and health.
- To understand current issues of global significance in the allied disciplines, and thus to promote the internationalization of the AAHPERD RC by creating seminars and lectures co-led by established national and internationals scholars who are invested in empirical, theoretically informed research on pressing issues in the various fields.
- To support young scholars' investment in research and encourage the development of their scholarly interests by offering workshops and presentations led by senior scholars and by offering grant opportunities.
- To create and offer lectures, seminars and resources about research methods and cutting-edge methodologies for novice and experienced researchers to advance knowledge in the areas of kinesiology, physical activity and health.
- To translate research into practice by stimulating conversations between researchers and practitioners through seminars and workshops, furthering an understanding of the implications of research, and promoting a critical dialogue of social change.
Heather E. Erwin, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
University of Kentucky
Biography:
Dr. Erwin is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Promotion at the University of Kentucky where she serves as Teacher Education Program Faculty Chair. She earned her Ph.D. in Pedagogical Kinesiology at the University of Illinois in 2006 and has been at the University of Kentucky since that time. Dr. Erwin is an active researcher in youth physical activity promotion, specifically in relation to physical education class, recess, and the classroom setting. She has published 18 peer-refereed articles and given more than 50 presentations at state, regional, and national conferences. Her empirical research has been published in leading journals including the Journal of Physical Activity and Health, Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science, Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, Journal of School Health, and Health Promotion Practice. Her recent work has included writing instructor's manuals and test banks for Dynamic Physical Education for Elementary School Students, Dynamic Physical Education for Secondary School Students, and Promoting Physical Activity and Health in the Classroom as well as entries in the Encyclopedia of Lifestyle Medicine and Health and the Encyclopedia of School Health. Dr. Erwin is a RC Fellow and has served as a reviewer for RC pedagogy panel and grant program. In 2007-2008, she received one of the AAHPERD RC Collaborative grants. Dr. Erwin has served AAHPERD in a number of roles including a member of the NASPE Teacher of the Year Selection Committee (2010), as a member on the Physical Education Teacher Education Conference Planning Committee (2009), and as a Physical Activity Consultant for the Head Start Body Start Program (2009-2011). She has also reviewed for NASPE's Run for Something Better School Awards Program (2009-2010), the Opportunity to Learn: Guidelines for Elementary Physical Education document (2008), and the Fitness Education Project (2008). Dr. Erwin is an active reviewer for over 10 journals including Childhood Obesity, Health Education Research, Journal of Physical Activity and Health, Journal of Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance, Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, and Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport.
Dr. Erwin's Vision for the Research Consortium:
The Research Consortium (RC) is a valuable association within AAHPERD that focuses on advancing and disseminating research that relates to the different associations within the Alliance. Due to increased emphasis on physical activity and health throughout the world, the RC has great potential to support cutting-edge global research that is relevant to the field. I envision the RC continuing:
- To foster the efforts of early career and established scholars,
- Supporting graduate students in their research endeavors through the RC grants program, and
- Emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration.
One way to foster the research efforts of early career scholars may involve a mentoring program in which well-funded and/or well-established Fellows guide new investigators during their first five years in the field. To continue funding research efforts for members, the RC may partner with businesses with similar missions in order to provide data to support their causes. Providing grants in which investigators must represent multiple disciplines would promote collaboration within the field. Marketing the accomplishments of the RC members may also draw more funding from outside sources.
