John Jakicic

John M. Jakicic, Ph.D. is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Health and Physical Activity. Dr. Jakicic is also the Director of the Physical Activity and Weight Management Research Center at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Jakicic has also been on the faculty at Brown University and the University of Kansas.

Dr. Jakicic received his B.S. degree in Physical Education and Health and his M.S. degree in Exercise Science from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. He received his Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology from the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Jakicic is funded by the National Institutes of Health and his research focuses primarily on the role of exercise in weight control. Specifically he has received funding to examine strategies for improving exercise adherence and to examine dose-response effects of exercise on long-term weight control. Dr. Jakicic has numerous publications and presentations in the area of exercise and weight control, including publications in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Obesity Research, International Journal of Obesity, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, and other peer-reviewed journals.

Dr. Jakicic is known for his research in the areas of the varying doses of exercise on long-term weight control, the use of intermittent exercise to promote adoption and maintenance of physical activity in overweight adults, and the use of behavioral strategies to improve long-term weight loss outcomes. Moreover, Dr. Jakicic is currently examining the role of exercise in the prevention of weight gain, and interventions related to diabetes prevention and treatment in children and adults.

Dr. Jakicic is also the organizer for the “America on the Move in Pittsburgh” initiative that is a collaboration of academic, corporate, medical, and community organizations to improve the health of the Greater Pittsburgh region through increases in physical activity and improvements in dietary intake.