Leadership
The Pregnancy and Postpartum Special Interest Group (PP-SIG) was founded in 2018 and is led by a Chair, two Co-Chairs, a Steering Committee, and Sub-Committee Chairs. Leaderships has responsibilities that include, liaising with ACSM leadership, communicating with members, organizing the annual committee meeting, implementing awards committee procedures, providing student awards, seeking funding from fundraisers, provide mentorship to young professionals, and managing social media and outreach.
Chair
Michelle Mottola, Ph.D., FACSM
Dr. Mottola has been the Chair of PP-SIG since its inception in 2018. She is a Professor in Kinesiology and Anatomy & Cell Biology, and Chair of the Maternal, Fetal and Newborn Health Division of the Children’s Health Research Institute at Western University in Canada. She is the Director of R. Samuel McLaughlin Foundation - Exercise and Pregnancy Laboratory - which was one of the first labs in North America to specialize in the area of exercising pregnant and post-partum women. She is an anatomist and exercise physiologist, who, for the past 30 years, has conducted research on the effects of maternal exercise on both the mother and the developing fetus.
Find more information about her laboratory here.
Co-Chair
Linda May, Ph.D., FACSM
Dr. Linda May has been a Co-Chair for the PP-SIG since its inception in 2018. She is an Associate Professor of Anatomy at the East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine, teaches dental students and is adjunct faculty assistant professor of exercise physiology for Health and Human Performance as well as obstetrics and gynecology for the Brody School of Medicine. Dr. May conducts research on topics relating to the influence of maternal exercise during pregnancy on child development before and after birth.
Co-Chair
Dr. Joy has been a Co-Chair for the PP-SIG since its inception in 2018. She works as the Medical Director, Community Health of Intermountain Healthcare; Family Medicine and Sports Medicine, Salt Lake City Clinic LiVe Well Center; President-elect – American College of Sports Medicine
Liz Joy, M.D., FACSM
Sub-Committee Chairs
Dr. Tinius is an Assistant Professor of Exercise Science at Western Kentucky University.
Fund Raising
Rachel Tinius, Ph.D.
Dr. Taniya Nagpal is an Assistant Professor in Kinesiology at Brock University. Her research focuses on adherence to physical activity during pregnancy, obesity in the reproductive years and prevention of weight bias. Taniya's research applies a person-oriented framework with the overall goal to improve inclusivity in prenatal physical activity and to measure the downstream effect on maternal and child health.
Awards
Taniya Nagpal, Ph.D.
Social Media Outreach and Membership
Brittany Allman, Ph.D., EP-C
Dr. Allman is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center researching the metabolic programming of obesity and how exercise (specifically resistance training) can be used as a tool to prevent the programming of obesity and disordered glycemic regulation. She is also the Senior Innovative Scientist for Breakout Lifestyle Fitness - a new gym in the Little Rock area that merges fitness and research. Dr. Allman has been a fitness instructor for over 12 years and is a Head Coach at OrangeTheory Fitness in Little Rock, AR.
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Check out her professional site here.
Mentorship and Advancement to Fellow
Janet Shaw, Ph.D., FACSM
Dr. Shaw is Interim Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs, College of Health, and Associate Professor, Department of Health and Kinesiology, and is Adjunct faculty in Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nutrition and Integrative Physiology, and in the College of Nursing at the University of Utah. Her research focuses on physical activity and women’s health.
Steering Committee
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Marie Haggart, Ph.D.
Dr. Davenport is an Associate Professor and Christenson Professor in Active Healthy Living in the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation at the University of Alberta in Canada. She was the Chair of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada (SOGC)/Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP) 2019 Canadian Guideline for Physical Activity throughout Pregnancy, and the upcoming SOGC/CSEP Canadian Guideline for Postpartum Physical Activity. Her research over the last 20 years has focused on the impact of physical activity during and following pregnancy on the lifelong health of pregnant/postpartum individuals, and their babies.
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Check out her laboratory's website here.
Margie Davenport, Ph.D.
Dr. Tinius is an Assistant Professor of Exercise Science at Western Kentucky University.
Rachel Tinius, Ph.D.
Dr. Allman is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center researching the metabolic programming of obesity and how exercise (specifically resistance training) can be used as a tool to prevent the programming of obesity and disordered glycemic regulation. She is also the Senior Innovative Scientist for Breakout Lifestyle Fitness - a new gym in the Little Rock area that merges fitness and research. Dr. Allman has been a fitness instructor for over 12 years and is a Head Coach at OrangeTheory Fitness in Little Rock, AR.
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Check out her professional site here.
Brittany Allman, Ph.D., EP-C
Jennifer Huberty is an Associate professor at Arizona State University in the College of Health Solutions, Exercise and Wellness program and is an Associate Professor, Research Scholar in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at University of Arizona, College of Medicine. Her research interests include using digital interventions (online, mobile apps) to deliver complementary approaches (e.g., yoga, meditation, physical activity) to improve mental and physical health in women (i.e., middle-aged, stillbirth mothers, pregnant women) and cancer patients.
Jennifer Huberty, Ph.D.
Dr. McDonald is an Assistant Professor of Kinesiology and Recreation at Illinois State University. Her research focuses on the effects of exercise during pregnancy on the health of the mom and baby. Specifically, she examines its effects on maternal and offspring metabolism, body composition and future health trajectories.
Samantha McDonald, Ph.D.
Dr. Connolly is an Associate Professor in Kinesiology at Washington State University. His research focuses on physical activity and movement behaviors during pregnancy and the postpartum period. His past work with these populations has focused on activity monitor validation, the promotion of walking behavior, and examinations into specific physical activity barriers and/or enabling factors.
Chris Connolly, Ph.D.
Dr. Victoria Meah is a CIHR and WCHRI-funded Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Alberta. Her research interests include how a female's heart and blood vessels change during pregnancy. Although most individuals are healthy during their pregnancies, some may develop complications and these can impact both mom and baby's health. Meah aspires to lead a research program focused on cardiovascular health before, during and after pregnancy that will help to better understand and reduce the risk of complications.
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Check out her professional website here.
Victoria Meah, Ph.D.
Dr. Taniya Nagpal is an Assistant Professor in Kinesiology at Brock University. Her research focuses on adherence to physical activity during pregnancy, obesity in the reproductive years and prevention of weight bias. Taniya's research applies a person-oriented framework with the overall goal to improve inclusivity in prenatal physical activity and to measure the downstream effect on maternal and child health.
Taniya Nagpal, Ph.D.
Dr. Shaw is Interim Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs, College of Health, and Associate Professor, Department of Health and Kinesiology, and is Adjunct faculty in Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nutrition and Integrative Physiology, and in the College of Nursing at the University of Utah. Her research focuses on physical activity and women’s health.