Our Mission
To build, facilitate, implement, and disseminate innovative, flexible, and accessible pathways to competency and mastery in the clinical and scholarly discipline of Exercise Medicine, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics (EMD&T).
Our Vision
Fueled by research, clinical practice, and patient and community engagement, EMD&T will become a vital learning health system in which patients and society are served by exceptionally trained physicians, clinicians, and researchers.
A Critical Gap in Medicine
The evidence connecting physical activity to disease prevention, treatment, and management has grown exponentially. Over 9,200 PubMed citations between 2015 and 2023 alone document the role of exercise as medicine across dozens of clinical conditions. The NIH has invested more than $200 million in the Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity (MoTrPAC) study.
Yet medicine has no formal subspecialty training pathway to translate this science into patient care. Eighty-six percent of providers believe exercise matters for their patients — but only 16% actually prescribe it.
The Academy of Exercise Medicine was created to close this gap: to define the competencies, build the training programs, and grow the professional community that will make exercise medicine part of the standard of care.
From Working Group to Academy
Working Group Formed
EMD&T National Working Group established with 30+ clinician-scientists across 15+ specialties.
Stakeholder Engagement
Outreach to ACGME staff, national societies, and CTSA hubs to build consensus and support.
ACGME Submission
Formal application submitted to ACGME in May 2024 for recognition of EMD&T as a new subspecialty.
Academy Formation
Working group transforms into the Academy of Exercise Medicine — a formal professional society and nonprofit enterprise.
Platform Launch
Digital platform launches for institutional recruitment, member engagement, and public education.
Working Group & Leadership
Over 30 clinician-scientists from 15+ specialties and subspecialties, representing the nation's leading academic medical centers.
Dan M. Cooper, MD
UC Irvine
Pediatric Pulmonology
William Stringer, MD
Harbor-UCLA
Pulmonary & Critical Care
William Kraus, MD
Duke University
Cardiology
Michael Joyner, MD
Mayo Clinic
Anesthesiology & Physiology
Kathy Sietsema, MD
Harbor-UCLA
Pulmonary & Critical Care
Kevin Vincent, MD, PhD
University of Florida
PM&R
Wendy Kohrt, PhD
University of Colorado
Exercise Science
Peter Koenig, MD
Northwestern
Pediatric Cardiology
Alex Niven, MD
Mayo Clinic
Pulmonary & Critical Care
Jeremy Robbins, MD
Beth Israel-Deaconess
Cardiology
Dawn Ericson, MD
Boston Children's
Pediatric Cardiology
Nicolas Musi, MD
Cedars-Sinai
Endocrinology
Showing selected members. Full roster includes 30+ members across cardiology, pulmonology, pediatrics, physiatry, exercise physiology, and more.