Anecdotes of sports medicine - James Skinner
For the sixteenth edition of the Limburg Congres for Sports Medicine, with the theme indoor-outdoor, I had invited American Professor James Skinner from the Department of Kinesiology, Indiana University. A few years before I also had the pleasure to welcome him at the congress.
Now he discussed the theme 'The physiological effects of physical activity and inactivity in middle-aged people'.
Professor Skinner was a very friendly man and a real bon vivant. When I myself attended the annual Congress of American College for Sports Medicine in Dallas, he organized the reception for foreign guests. In the United States, it is customary that you pay for your drinks during receptions, but Professor Skinner's was free and all-in. They even served oysters, which undoubtedly had something to do with the fact that his wife was French.
From 1967 to 1970 he was Assistant Professor, Applied Physiology, Laboratory for Human Performance Research, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania.
From 1970 to 1971 Wissenschaftlicher Assistant, Herzfunktionslabor, Lehrstuhl für Kreislaufforschung und Leistungsmedizin, Medizinische Universitätsklinik, Freiburg, West Germany
From 1970 to 1977 Professeur Agrégé, Département d'Education Physique, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec.
From 1977 to 1982 Professor, Faculty of Physical Education, Univ. or Western Ontario, London, Ontario.
From 1982 to 1995 Professor and Director, Exercise and Sports Research Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona.
From 1996 to 2005 Professor, Department of Kinesiology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.
In 2005 he went on emeritate.
Outside of his professorship at Indiana University, he was also former president of the American College of Sports Medicine, International Advisory Council Chair, Exercise is Medicine, Member of the Scientific Advisory Panel, American Council on Exercise and Vice President of the International Council of Sports Science and Physical Education
He was one of the five researchers from the HERITAGE Family Study, a large multi-center study on the role of genetic factors in the training response to risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.
In total he was involved in research projects for more than 50 million dollars.
From 1988 to 2008 he was chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee of the American YMCA. He was also a member of the Scientific Advisory Panel and Senior Adviser on Exercise Science for the American Council on Exercise (ACE).
In 2010 and 2011 he was co-chair of the World Congress on Exercise is Medicine and President of the International Advisory Council for Exercise is Medicine.
In 2011 he became Doctor Honoris Causa of the Semmelweis University in Budapest.
In 2014 he received the Honor Award, the highest award from the American College of Sports Medicine.
He has published more than 290 articles, 7 books and 18 educational DVDs.
For more than 50 years, his research focused on the relationship between exercises, training and health and he gave English, French, German and Spanish lectures in 60 different countries.
