About the Author

Charles Corbin

Dr. Charles B. “Chuck” Corbin is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Exercise and Wellness at Arizona State University. He has published more than 200 journal articles and is the senior author, sole author, contributor to, or editor of more than 70 books including Concepts of Physical Fitness (14th ed.), winner of the McGuffey Award (TAA); Concepts of Fitness and Wellness (7th ed.); Fundamental Concepts of Fitness and Wellness (2nd ed.); and Fitness for Life (5th ed.), winner of the Texty Award (TAA). His books are the most widely adopted college and secondary school texts in the area of fitness and wellness. Dr. Corbin is internationally recognized as an expert in physical activity, health and wellness promotion, and youth physical fitness. He has keynoted more than 35 state AHPERD Conventions, made major addresses in more than 15 different countries, and presented numerous named lectures (Cureton Lecture, ACSM; Hanna, Sargent, and Distinguished Scholar, NAKPEHE; Prince Phillip, British PEA; and Weiss and Alliance Scholar, AAHPERD). He is past president and Fellow of AAKPE, Fellow of ACSM, and Fellow of the North American Society of HPERDP. He is a life member of AAHPERD. Among his awards are the Healthy American Fitness Leaders Award (President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports-PCPFS, National Jaycees), AAHPERD Honor Award, Physical Fitness Council Honor Award, the COPEC Hanson Award, and the Distinguished Service Award of the PCPFS. Dr. Corbin was named the Alliance Scholar by AAHPERD and the Distinguished Scholar of NAKPEHE. He is a member of the Advisory Board of Fitnessgram, was the first chair of the Science Board of the PCPFS, and was recently elected to the NASPE Hall of Fame.

Gregory Welk

Greg Welk is an associate professor in the Department of Health and Human Performance at Iowa State University (ISU). He received his master’s degree in Exercise Physiology from the University of Iowa and his doctorate (PhD) in Exercise and Wellness from Arizona State University. Prior to coming to ISU, Welk worked at Eastern Michigan University, where he developed a fitness and wellness course that was required for all students. Welk was later employed at the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research in Dallas, where he directed the Childhood and Adolescent Health Division and contributed to the development of the FITNESSGRAM youth fitness program. He continues to serve as the Scientific Director of the FITNESSGRAM program and is active in local, state, and national efforts to promote physical activity in youth. Welk’s research focuses on the development and validation of tools to assess physical activity behavior and on understanding factors that influence physical activity behavior. He has over 50 publications in peer-reviewed journals/books and has made more than 70 presentations at national and regional meetings.

William Corbin

William R. Corbin is a recognized expert in health and wellness. He is well published in the areas of behavioral medicine and addictive behaviors, with expertise in high-risk behaviors. He received his PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Georgia and completed his residency training at the Medical University of South Carolina. Corbin completed a three-year postdoctoral fellowship funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) at the University of Texas in Austin. He is currently an assistant professor and the Director of Clinical Training at Yale University. Corbin’s longitudinal research, funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), focuses on the relationship between alcohol use and other high-risk behaviors (i.e., drug use, unsafe sexual practices, and aggression) during adolescence and early adulthood. Corbin also conducts experimental research on the effects of alcohol on cognition and behavior and is actively involved in alcohol prevention with college students. Corbin is an experienced teacher in the areas of health psychology, clinical psychology, and addictive behaviors.

Karen Welk

Karen Welk received her master’s degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Iowa (1989). She has worked professionally as a physical therapist in a variety of settings and states. She is currently working in an outpatient physical therapy clinic for Mary Greeley Hospital in Ames, Iowa. Welk specializes in manual therapy and aquatic therapy and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). Her interest in sports and physical development has led her to conduct independent reviews on back health and back pain. Welk also has considerable experience related to safe and contraindicated exercises, and she applies this experience in her professional practice.