UW Associate Professor Selected for American Kinesiology Association Leadership Institute

An associate professor with the University of Wyoming’s Division of Kinesiology and Health has been selected to join the seventh cohort of the American Kinesiology Association’s (AKA) Leadership Institute.

Evan Johnson will join the AKA’s Leadership Institute along with 19 other members representing universities from around the country. The AKA’s first cohort was assembled in 2020.

AKA promotes and enhances kinesiology as a unified field of study and advances its many applications. AKA does this by advocating for kinesiology at national and international levels, and by supporting member departments through educational opportunities and resource materials, including an annual workshop for university administrators in kinesiology. The annual workshop focuses on the administration of kinesiology programs and provides lectures, tutorials and networking opportunities with leaders of the most successful programs in the country, including Penn State, Auburn, Texas A&M and Purdue.

Johnson and members of his cohort will spend 12 months within a mentoring model that provides training and networking for new department chairs, associate chairs and emerging faculty leaders who aspire to advance toward administrative positions.

“I am so grateful to the Division of Kinesiology and Health and the College of Health Sciences for supporting my application to the institute,” Johnson says. “Over the last 10 years at UW, I have received the benefit of a few excellent leaders. I am excited that the training I’ll receive over the next year will help me to be part of shaping and continuing to lead the division on its upward trajectory in the years to come.”

Johnson’s research interests as part of the Division of Kinesiology and Health, in UW’s College of Health Sciences, focus on examining the physiological regulation of total body water and how that can be related to overall health, including mood, sports performance, risk of disease and other conditions. Also, he recently began a “live-high, train-low” running protocol in partnership with UW Athletics, seeking to maximize the physiological benefits of living in Laramie, which is above the threshold for altitude adaptation.

His hydration research has been published in top-tier journals, including the Journal of Pediatric Nephrology, the American Journal of Physiology (Renal), the Journal of the American College of Nutrition and Current Sports Medicine Reports. His research has been cited by national media, including The Atlantic, Men’s Health Magazine, New York Times “Wirecutter” and Oprah Daily.

Qin “Arthur” Zhu, interim director of the UW Division of Kinesiology and Health, points out the foundations or “soil” in place at the division and at the university for faculty professional development.

“Dr. Johnson has aspired to be a leader in the field, and I am glad that UW and the Division of Kinesiology and Health have provided the soil for him to develop his leadership professionally,” Zhu says. “Being accepted to the AKA Leadership Institute is not only marking the professional excellence of Dr. Johnson, but also demonstrating the national recognition by our peers to the kinesiology program at UW.”

“This accomplishment is a testament to Dr. Johnson’s contributions to the Division of Kinesiology and Health,” adds Interim College of Health Sciences Dean Michelle Hilaire. “Participation will provide invaluable opportunities to develop leadership skills, collaborate with esteemed professionals and contribute to innovative initiatives within the division, college and university.”

To learn more about the UW Division of Kinesiology and Health, go to www.uwyo.edu/kandh.

About the University of Wyoming College of Health Sciences

UW’s College of Health Sciences trains health and wellness professionals and researchers in a wide variety of disciplines, including medicine, nursing, pharmacy, speech-language pathology, social work, kinesiology, public health, health administration and disability studies. The college also oversees residency and fellowship programs in Casper and Cheyenne, as well as operating a speech/hearing clinic in Laramie and primary care clinics in Laramie, Casper and Cheyenne.

With more than 1,600 undergraduate, graduate and professional students, the college is dedicated to training the health and wellness workforce of Wyoming and conducting high-quality research and community engagement, with a particular focus on rural and frontier populations.