Promoting Exercise as Medicine Across Pitt

The School of Education is leading a new effort to improve the health and wellness of all students, faculty, and staff at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh School of Education has joined a movement of colleges and universities who are part of the American College of Sports Medicine’s (ACSM) Exercise is Medicine (EIM) On Campus program.

As a partner institution, Pitt Education will offer health, fitness, and mindfulness programming to students, faculty, and staff within the school and across the entire Pitt community.

“We want to make sure that everyone is physically active because physical activity is a vital sign of health,” said Zack Wilson, an assistant professor of practice at Pitt Education who is the faculty advisor for the program.

Pitt Education is one of approximately 200 registered schools nationwide in the ACSM EIM On Campus program. Other participating colleges in Pennsylvania include Drexel, Duquesne, Penn State, and Slippery Rock.

Joining the program—which became official in January 2025—required an application with the involvement of Pitt Education’s exercise science faculty, two students who are members of ACSM, and a nurse practitioner and mental health professional from other units at Pitt.

“ACSM is the organization that sets the standards, and it’s impressive that we are part of it,” said Navreen Kaur, a graduate student in the MS in Clinical Exercise Physiology program who is working on the project.

In February, Pitt Education began offering recurring yoga sessions for faculty and staff at the University Club Fitness Center in partnership with Fitness Center Manager Gillian Scott and her team.

Additionally, a partnership is underway with Pitt’s student health services and counseling center to hold yoga and other wellness events this spring for students. In fall 2025, a referral network will be implemented to send students who are not engaging in physical activity to the Pitt Education EIM team who will work to build their confidence and show them how easy it can be to incorporate more physical activity into their daily lifestyle.

Future activities for students, faculty, and staff may include other forms of exercise such as strength training, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts, and walking groups.

“This is open to everyone. There’s no membership. It’s about living a healthier lifestyle and reaping the benefits of being physically active,” says Wilson.

The effort is also creating hands-on learning opportunities for students enrolled in the school’s exercise science and exercise physiology programs, as they will play a large role in the creation of wellness programs, administer weekly exercise sessions, and perform physical assessments of their peers who are referred to the program.

Navreen Kaur and Laura Buermann, also a MS in Clinical Exercise Physiology student, are the first two students to work on the project. They are gaining experience in program design, implementation, and assessment by working within the ACSM-inspired framework.

“This is for all aspects of health, mental and physical. It’s focused on creating a better version of yourself,” says Kaur.