Fall Conference
NEACSM Ballot 2019
Candidates for President Elect (Select 1 of 2)
Elizabeth O’Neill, Ph.D., ACSM-EP, NSCA-CSCS
Springfield College
Elizabeth received her doctorate in Exercise Physiology and master’s in Sport Psychology at Springfield College in Springfield, MA. She is currently an Associate Professor of Exercise Science and Sport Studies and the Program Director for the undergraduate Applied Exercise Science program at Springfield College. She has presented regionally, nationally, and internationally on issues associated with the physiology of aging and bone health, which are her concentrated areas of research. Dr. O’Neill is a member at large of the New England American College of Sports Medicine (NEACSM) and has served the chapter in many capacities including MA State Representative, Scholarship Committee, and Marketing Co-Chair.
As someone whose professional development was supported through the NEACSM, participating first as a graduate student and then as faculty, she values the extensive opportunities the chapter provides students and professionals. As president-elect, she intends to work diligently with the executive committee to continue to strengthen the New England chapter and uphold the chapter’s strong reputation of providing high quality conferences that engage its membership at all levels.
She is honored to be considered for the position and is confident she will provide additional insight and ideas to continue to enhance the NEACSM like those who served before her.
Robert Gregory, Ph.D.
Southern Connecticut State University
Robert Gregory, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health and Movement Sciences and the Director of the CT Running Injury Clinic at Southern Connecticut State University. Dr. Gregory earned his B.S in Pre-Professional Studies from the University of Notre Dame, his M.S. in Biomechanics from St. Cloud (MN) State University, and his Ph.D. in Kinesiology (biomechanics emphasis) from The Pennsylvania State University; his academic training also included a post-doctoral research position in the Center for Human Motor Research at the University of Michigan. His research focuses on injury prevention/rehabilitation in runners, performance assessment of athletic footwear, and the development of a lower-extremity exoskeleton for diabetic foot patients.
Dr. Gregory has been a member of ACSM since 1992 and a member of NEACSM since 2012. Prior to joining NEACSM, he served the Mid-Atlantic ACSM chapter as a Campus Liaison for the U.S. Military Academy from 2007-2011. He has served NEACSM as an Executive Committee Member-at-Large and Co-Chair of the Scholarship/Awards Committee from 2016-18; he currently serves as a member of the David N. Camaione Student Endowment Board of Directors. Dr. Gregory hopes to serve the NEACSM membership as President-Elect by continuing to build on the current strengths of the organization, while also addressing areas of need such as developing stronger ties with all segments of the professional membership and increasing the presence of underrepresented disciplines at the annual fall meeting.
Candidates for Members at Large (Select 2 of 4)
Chee-Hoi Leong, Ph.D.
Central Connecticut State University
Chee-Hoi Leong is currently an Assistant Professor in Exercise Science at Central Connecticut State University. He earned his Ph.D. in Exercise and Sport Science from the University of Utah, M.S. in Exercise Science from California State University, Long Beach, and his B. Eng. in Electrical & Electronic Engineering from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Chee Hoi’s primary research involves studies that have multiple levels of application ranging from cycling industry and culture (noncircular chainrings currently popular in the cycling community) to basic biomechanics (whole limb action with multiple degrees of freedom) and neuromuscular function (altered muscle shortening velocity and excitation/relaxation timing).
He has been an active member of ACSM since 2009 and has been a member of NEACSM since 2014. Importantly, he has actively mentored his students by facilitating the pursuit of their own research agenda. Indeed, his students have entered and received awards as finalists in the NEACSM Student Research Competitions in the Bachelor and Masters categories, as well as, presentations at the ACSM Annual Meetings. As a Member-at-Large, he aspires to support the NEACSM initiatives to expand opportunities for professional development and growth of students, faculty, and staff, and bridge the gap by translating research into application.
Mario A. Muñoz, Ph.D.
University of Massachusetts, Boston
Mario A. Muñoz, Ph.D. is a Senior Lecturer at The Department of Exercise and Health Sciences at UMass-Boston. After completing his doctoral degree in Rehabilitation Sciences at Boston University he moved to San Diego as postdoctoral fellow. His line of research is to examine the extent to which health related fitness, skill-related fitness components, self-efficacy toward physical activity, motor coordination and acculturation levels predict physical activity participation and sedentary behaviors in Latino children.
Mario is an active member of ACSM and the New England Chapter of ACSM. At the national level he served as part of the Membership committee and is currently the Co-chair of the Minority Health and Research interest group. He is also an alumni of the Leadership and Diversity Training Program on which he currently serves as mentor. At the chapter level Mario is currently serving as the representative for the state of Massachusetts for the second time since becoming a member of the chapter.
Marc Robertson, Ph.D.
Southern Connecticut State University
Dr. Marc Robertson is currently an Assistant Professor in the Exercise Science Department, Human Performance Concentration at Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) in New Haven, Connecticut. Prior to Marc’s employment as an Assistant Professor at SCSU, he managed several physical therapy practices, eventually owning and operating Life Wellness Physical Therapy, LLC. in New Haven, Connecticut from 2000 through 2013. Marc was an adjunct instructor in the Exercise Science Department at SCSU from 2006 through 2011, teaching graduate Biomechanics. Marc earned his B.S. in exercise science from SCSU and continued his education in physical therapy at the University of Connecticut. Marc earned additional graduate degrees in exercise science from SCSU and physical therapy from Utica College. Marc’s primary research interests involve all aspects of dynamic walking balance, cervicogenic headache etiology, and the physiology of biological tissue inflammation/healing.
Marc has been a member of the ACSM and the NEACSM since 2014. Marc authored a chapter section, co-authored a chapter section, and co-authored chapter 5 (Special Considerations for the Lifespan: Pregnancy, Special Considerations for the Lifespan: Elderly Population, and Chapter 5: Muscular Fitness Assessment, respectively) in an American College of Sports Medicine textbook, “ACSM's Exercise Testing and Prescription, 1st Edition.” Marc presented for the NEACSM Professional Development Workshop in 2015 and 2016 regarding physical therapy and has served as an abstract reviewer/judge and oral communications presentation judge since 2014. Marc hopes to continue his participation within the NEACSM as a member of the executive committee as a Member-at-Large.
Ryanne Carmichael, Ph.D.
Plymouth State University
I am currently an Associate Professor at Plymouth State University (PSU). I coordinate the Exercise and Sport Physiology undergraduate program in the Health and Human Performance Department. I received my doctorate in Exercise Physiology from Springfield College, and my research interests include endurance sport performance and women in endurance sport. I was grateful for the opportunity to present one of these topics at our last fall meeting -- Sex differences in Endurance Sports: A closer look at the (narrowing) performance gap. In addition to my own research, I also teach the capstone research class for our major and so work closely with my students as they engage in their own scholarly investigations.
I am currently the Chair of the State Representative Committee for New England ACSM and I am interested in continuing to serve because the chapter has served my students so well. Our undergraduate students have attended and/or presented at every regional meeting since I came to PSU. The experience has helped them identify the areas of exercise science that are most exciting to them and has inspired many of them to go on to future graduate study.
Robert Marcotte, Ph.D. Candidate
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
My name is Robert Marcotte and I’m a third-year doctoral student in the Kinesiology Department at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. My research interests include the measurement of physical activity and sedentary behavior using wearable devices and how an individual’s habitual behavior can be used to gain insights on health-promoting behaviors. I received my bachelor’s degree in Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise from Virginia Tech and my masters in Exercise Physiology from the University of Tennessee Knoxville.
I have been a member of the ACSM since 2015, served as the NEACSM Student State Representative for the state of Massachusetts, and have actively presented at regional (NEACM and SEACSM) and national (ACSM) conferences. I believe attending and being involved at NEACSM is a valuable opportunity to support student engagement and promote communication among students and faculty researchers. The NEACSM provides a truly unique platform that brings together diverse groups of academics to facilitate student enrichment and mentorship in a socially engaging environment. As your Student Representative for the NEACSM, I would be honored to serve and help make the conference experience rewarding and enjoyable for students at all stages of development.
Melanna Cox, Ph.D. Candidate
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Melanna Cox is a doctoral student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her research interests include gender norms and how they impact physical activity in adolescent girls. She received her bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science at Bowling Green University and her master’s degree in Kinesiology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Ms. Cox has been involved in both NEACSM and ACSM for the last four years. She has presented at three NEACSM conferences and two ACSM conferences. At the NEACSM fall conference of 2018, Ms. Cox was a finalist in the doctoral student presentation competition. Her accomplishments have extended to ACSM. She has been a selected member of ACSM’s Leadership and Diversity Training Program for the last three years. She intends to grow the mentorship, professional development and inclusion efforts within NEACSM. Further, she understands that life outside of academia impacts the students’ academic experience greatly. Therefore, Ms. Cox is passionate about creating space within NEACSM for students to develop life skills such as stress management, fighting imposter syndrome and work-life balance. If elected as a student representative of NEASCM, Ms. Cox will gain communication and leadership skills, increase student involvement in NEACSM and advocate for both professional and life skill development.
Melody Kramarz, M.S. Candidate
University of Connecticut
Firstly, thank you for choosing me as a candidate student representative for the New England chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine; it is an honor to be contacted by the committee. I am excited by the opportunities this position could help me create for New England students and colleges. My primary aim if chosen as the New England student representative, along with being a voice for the students, would be to provide guidance for students to be a voice for themselves at their own Universities and colleges. I would do this by extending the work I am currently organizing at the University of Connecticut. I am the Physical Activity Counselor at UConn Storrs’ Student Health and Wellness as well as the peer advisor for the Exercise is Medicine On Campus club. In the Fall 2018 semester, I helped organize what we now call the EIM Healthy Solutions Committee. This committee is comprised of myself, UConn’s Medical Director, Nutrition Coordinator, bicycle safety chair member and nurse practitioner, EIM-OC faculty advisor and nurse practitioner, EIM student president, the Student Recreation Center Operations Manager, and Distinguished Professor of Kinesiology. Our main goal is to engage more UConn students in physical activity by creating more opportunities to be active on campus, cooperating between organizations to reach more students collectively and to ensure that UConn is effective in helping students become more active and healthier.