Curriculum Vita for Dr. Robert C. Karch - Chair of the Department of Health and Fitness and Executive Director of the National Center for Health Fitness

Education

• B.S., Physical Education, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 1968.
• M.Ed., Physical Education, American University, Washington, DC, 1972.
• Ed.D., Higher Education Administration, American University, Washington, DC, 1978.

Honors and Awards

• Association for Fitness in Business Exceptional Leadership Award, 1991.
• University Faculty Award for Outstanding Contributions to Academic Development at American University, 1988.
• Professional Preparation Award Presented by the Association for Fitness in Business to American University for "Preparation of individuals to the field of Employee Health and Fitness," September 1986.
• The United States Jaycees Healthy American Fitness Leaders of 1984.
• U.S. Army Commander's Award, presented by the Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, for Outstanding Leadership and Service in the field of Health and Fitness, 1983.
• The University Faculty Award for Outstanding Contributions to Academic Program Development at The American University, 1983.
• Distinguished Faculty Award presented by the Mortar Board in recognition of Outstanding Leadership and Scholarship to American University students, 1982.
• Selected to Phi Kappa Phi, 1978.

Current positions

• Executive Director of the National Center for Health Fitness, American University, Washington, DC.
• Program Director, Master of Science in Health Promotion Management, The American University, Washington, DC.

Other Professional Responsibilities

• Past Associate Editor for FITNESS IN BUSINESS, 1986-1988.
• Institutional Review Board, Sibley Hospital, Washington, DC.
• U.S. Army Health Fitness Advisory Board.
• Board of Directors, Federal Interagency Health/Fitness Council.
• National Fitness Leaders Council.
• Planning Committee, North American Health Fitness Networking Conference, 1987.
• Advisory Board, Biocentric Institute.
• American University Senate, Faculty Benefits Committee, 1989-1992
• Past President, National Fitness Leaders Association.
• Advisory Committee, American Volkssport Association.
• Executive Council, Adventure Sports Institute.

Teaching (Areas of Specialization)

• Strategic Planning
• Management and Development of Employee Health Fitness Programs.
• Physiology of Exercise.
• Health Promotion/Health Education.
• Psychology of Sport.
• Physical Fitness.

Membership and Director Listings

• Phi Kappa Phi (Educational Honor Society).
• AAHPERD (American Alliance for Health/Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance).
• American College of Sports Medicine.
• Association for Fitness in Business.
• National Fitness Leaders Council.
• Federal Interagency Health/Fitness Council.
• Institutional Review Board, Sibley Hospital.
• Army Health Promotion Advisory Council.
• Biocentric Institute.
• American Volkssport Association.
• Adventure Sports Institute.

Publications
AMERICAN LIFE, published by American University and National Center for Health Fitness. My bimonthly column was entitled LIFELINE:

"The Need for Health/Fitness Programs," Vol. 1, no. 1, March 1981.

"Making a Fresh Start," Vol. 1, No. 2, May 1981.

"Designing Your Exercise Program," Vol. 1, No. 3, August 1981.

"The Most Important Health Care Provider," Vol. 1, No. 4, October 1981.

"Tobacco Smoking," Vol. 2, No. 1, March 1982.

"Tobacco Issues," Vol. 2, NO. 2, July 1982.

PRESIDENTIAL AIRWAYS MAGAZINE published by Presidential Airlines. My bimonthly column was entitled HEALTHNOTE:

"The Key to Stress Management," Vol. 1, No. 1, February/March 1986.

"Flexibility and Fitness," Vol. 1, No. 2 April/May 1986.

"Overweight or Overfat?" Vol. 1, No. 3, June/July 1986.

"Enjoying Exercise," Vol. 1, No. 4, August/September 1986.

"A Seven-Step Exercise Program," Vol. 1, No. 5, October/November 1986.

"250-250: Weight Loss by Sense," Vol. 1, No. 6, December/January 1986-87.

"Back Hurt? You Have Lots of Company...," Vol. 2, No. 1, February/March 1987.

FITNESS IN BUSINESS, the professional journal of the Association for Fitness in Business. I was an Associate Editor and wrote a bimonthly column entitled YOUR CAREER:

"Health Fitness Management: A New Career," Vol. 1, No. 1, August 1986.

"Some Thoughts on Internships," Vol. 1, No. 2, October 1986.

"Continuing Education: A Lifelong Experience," Vol. 1, No. 3, December 1986.

"Some Thoughts on Incentives," Vol. 1, No. 4, February 1987.

"Burnout: Self-Check," Vol. 1, No. 5, April 1987.

"Monitoring Our Progress," Vol. 1, No. 6, June 1987.

"Recognizing Quality," Vol. 2, No. 1, August 1987.

"Some Thoughts on the Future," Vol. 2, No. 2, October 1987.

"Change and Renewal," Vol. 2, No. 3, December 1987.

"Leadership Qualities for Program Planning," Vol. 2, No. 4, February 1988.

"Job Satisfaction," Vol. 2, No. 6, June 1988.

"Your Career Vision," Vol. 2, No. 7, August 1988.

CLUB BUSINESS, "The Middle 60 Challenge", Vol. 8, No 7, July 1987.

HUMAN RESOURCES YEARBOOK, "Health Promotion: Cost-Benefit and Cost-Effectiveness Measures," by Robert C. Karch, Daniel L. Newton, Marc A. Schaeffer, Jerel M. Zoltick, Russ Zajtchuk, James H. Rumbaugh, Prentice-Hall, 1989 Edition.

STRATEGIC BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL, "Preparing for the Workforce of the 90s," Winter 1991.

AMERICAN INQUIRY, "Costs and Benefits of Healthy Living," published by The American University, 1992.

HEALTH PROMOTION, "Worksite Health Promotion Evaluation: Review and perspective, by M.A. Schaeffer, A.M.Snelling, M.O. Snelling, & R.C. Karch. J.P. Opatz (Ed.), Human Kinetics Publishers, in press.

Technical Publications
"Cost-Benefit and Cost-Effectiveness Measures of Health Promotion in a Military-Civilian Staff," by Robert C. Karch, Daniel L. Newton and Marc A. Schaeffer of the National Center for Health Fitness along with COL J. M. Zoltick, COL R. Zajtchuk and GEN J. H. Rumbaugh, Department of the Army, 230-page final report on a 3-year research study with the U.S. Army, July 1, 1988.

"Effectiveness and Benefit Measures of the Headquarters, Army Materiel Command Health Promotion Program," by Robert C. Karch, Maura O. Stevenson, Marc A. Schaeffer, Daniel L. Newton, Martha J. Krieger, Anastasia M. Snelling of the National Center for Health Fitness, final report on 5-year research study with the U.S. Army, November 30, 1991.

Speeches
Over the past seven years, well over 500 speeches have been delivered. The audiences for these have ranged from small local organizations to large national conferences. The following is a list of some of these presentations: "Cardiovascular Fitness and Risk Factor Analysis," delivered to the National Conference of Opportunities Industrialization Centers, Washington, DC, Fall 1980.

"Exercise for Total Health and Fitness," at the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States, San Antonio, Texas, October 31, 1983.

"Physical Fitness and the Working Woman," delivered to the National Council of Career Women, Annual Career Development Workshop, Washington, DC, Spring 1980.

"Physiological Considerations of Exercise," delivered to first year medical students, Georgetown Medical School, Washington, DC, Fall 1980.

"Health/Fitness and Your Lifestyle," delivered on five different occasions at the Federal Executive Institute in Charlottesville, Virginia, 1982-1986.

"Physical Fitness and Its Linkage with Reduction of Disease," delivered to the Health Planning Conference conducted by the Northern Virginia Planning Association, Reston, Virginia, Fall 1980.

"Lifestyle and Health," delivered to the employees of the Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC, Fall 1980.

"Health/Fitness Management Concepts," a series of three 3-hour lectures on Program", given on a guest appearance on the Sue Carter Show, WXYZ-AM (ABC), Detroit, Michigan, December 26, 1981.

"The Importance of Health/Fitness in Preventing Needless Human Erosion," delivered to the Downtown Kiwanis Club of Washington, DC, Summer 1980. "Health Promotion and Health Care Cost Containment," the keynote address delivered at the Governor's Health Promotion Conference, Charleston, South Carolina, April 2, 1982.

"Lifestyle and Health," delivered to the employees of the Interstate Commerce Commission, Washington, DC, April 28, 1982.

"Health Care Costs and the Bottom Line," delivered at the Health Care Costs Containment Seminar, Albany, New York, October 7, 1983.

"The Effects of Physical Fitness in the Workplace," delivered to personnel of DARCOM, U.S. Army, Washington, DC, March 5, 1984.

"The Correlation Between Physical Fitness and the Reduction of Stress," delivered to an executive seminar at the U.S. Department of Labor, Washington, DC, March 1984.

Testimony at the Public Hearing on Physical Fitness of Children and Youth held by the Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC, April 1984.

"The Major Effects of Corporate Wellness," delivered to two groups of personnel at the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, U.S. Army, Washington, DC, April 1984.

"Health, Fitness and Retirement," delivered to the employees of the Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC, May 1984. "Diversifying Skills for Worksite Wellness Success," delivered at the 4th Annual Symposium of SCAN (Sports and Cardiovascular Nutritionists), Washington, DC, May 26, 1987.

"Strategic Planning for Program Development," delivered at the AFB Region I meeting in Springfield, Massachusetts, April 22, 1987.

"Cardiovascular Screening in Health/Fitness Programs," delivered at the AFB Region II Conference, Baltimore, Maryland, May 15, 1987.

"Evaluation of Employee Health and Fitness Programs," delivered at the Wellness in the Workplace Conference, Philadelphia, May 5, 1987.

"The Educational Marketplace and the Retraining of Professionals," delivered at the AAPHERD National Conference at Las Vegas, Nevada, May 27, 1987 "Wellness: An Ounce of Prevention," delivered at the national conference for the National Association of Federal Credit Unions, New Orleans, Louisiana, July 22, 1986.

"Current Research in Health Promotion," delivered at Wellness in the Workplace Seminar sponsored by National Training Laboratories Institute for Applied Behavioral Science (Arlington, VA) and the Organizational Development Network (Portland, OR) on May 5, 1987.

"Diversifying Skills for Worksite Wellness," for the American Dietetic Association Practice Group of Sports and Cardiovascular Nutritionists in Washington, D.C., April 26, 1987.

"Overcoming the Myths of Training and Exercise," IRSA Marketing and Fitness Meeting in San Francisco, CA, July 30, 1987.

"Developing Worksite Health Promotion Programs: Issues to Consider," delivered at the AFB Region I meeting in Springfield, MA on April 22, 1987. "Leadership Skills," National 4-H Club Headquarters in Washington, D.C. on August 7, 1987.

"Stress Testing: Necessity and Cost Effectiveness as a Pre-Fitness Program Procedure," Panel Leader, AFB Region I meeting in Philadelphia, PA, on May 5, 1987.

"Corporate Market for the Health/Fitness Business," delivered at the Japan-U.S. Fitness Symposium sponsored by People Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan on October 23 1987.

Facilitator and Resource Specialist for Retirement Seminar for American Association of Retired Persons, Headquarters, Washington, D.C., September 21, 1987.

"Essential Elements in Planning for Health and Fitness Programs," presented for the Office of Washington Training and Development Services of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management for supervisory and management personnel, Washington, D.C., November 16, 1987.

"Evaluating the Benefits of an Employee Health Promotion Program," presented at a U.S. Government Employee/Labor Relations Symposium sponsored by the Office of Personnel Management, December 4, 1987.

"Cutting Edge Issues in Employee Health and Wellness," American Society for Public Administration Conference, Washington, D.C., January 12, 1988.

"The State of Higher Education in Preparing Health/Fitness Professionals," presented at the National Summit Meeting for Health and Wellbeing in Washington, D.C., On January 24, 1988.

"Physiological Principles of Strength Training," delivered at a national training session for the National Handicapped Sports and Recreation Association in Washington, D.C., January 25, 1988.

"Manager's Perspective of Health/Fitness Programs," Region II Association for Fitness in Business Meeting, Baltimore, MD, March 3, 1988.

"Repositioning the Registered Dietitian in Health Care for the 1990's," Virginia Dietetic Association, Fair Oaks, VA., April 1988.

"Health and Fitness, The Big Picture-What Role Do You Play?" Association for Fitness in Business, Springfield, MA., April 1988.

"International Trends in the Club Business," IRSA National Convention, March 3, 1990.

"Your Health and Fitness in Retirement," American Association for Retired Persons National Conference, June 13, 1990.

"Lifestyles - Workstyles and Your Health," Montgomery County Elementary School Administrators Association Annual Conference," March 21, 1991.

"Overview of Health Promotion in the United States," Ministry of Health in Japan, April 23, 1991.

"Technical Report on the ARSTAF Corporate Fitness Project," Association for Fitness in Business Cost-Benefit Conference, May 19, 1991.

"Organizational Health Issues," Defense Management at the Army Management Staff College June 7, 1991.

"Economic Impact Summary/Update - Program Cost/Benefit Evaluation and Roles, Responsibilities, & Methodologies," Association for Fitness in Business Annual International Conference, Phoenix, AZ, September 22, 1991.

"Overview of Health Promotion in the United States," National Council on Health Promotion, Prague, Czechoslovakia, October 1991.

"Review of The American University Research in Health Promotion in the United States," Olimost University, Olimost, Czechoslovakia, October 1991.

"Review of The American University Research in Health Promotion in the United States," Charles University, Prague, Czechoslovakia, October 1991.

"Ascribing Monetary Benefits to Document Changes Observed in Worksite Health Promotion Programs," December 3, 1991.

"Reducing the Complexity of Worksite Health Promotion Evaluation," American Journal of Health Promotion Conference, San Diego, CA, February 1992.

"AMC Health Promotion Study Results," First National Conference on Federal Employee Health and Fitness Programs, Denver, CO, April 1992.

"Practical Skills for Ensuring the Future Success of Your Health Promotion Program," 15th Annual Arizona Conference on Health Promotion & Disease Prevention and the Arizona Public Health Association Spring Meeting, Scotsdale, AZ, May 1992.

Keynote Speaker for the Quality of Life Conference. San Paulo, Brazil, September 1992.

"Health Promotion in the Workplace and How It Affects the Bottomline." Institute of International Research Asian Health Care Congress, Singapore, September 1992.

"The Economic Benefits of Worksite Health Promotion." Singapore national Employers Federation Conference, Singapore, September 1992.

"Lifestyles - Workstyles and Your Health." Army Management Staff College, Washington, DC, February 1993.

Productions
Radio
More than five years of writing, producing and hosting a weekly half-hour radio show entitled "Fitness Forum". This show was aired on WAMU-FM 88.5, Washington, D.C., the fourth largest public radio station in the country. The program was carried into Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia, Virginia and the District of Columbia. Also produced numerous special features on health related issues for public broadcasting.

Guest on WTOP 1500 discussing "Readiness of the U.S. Troops for Desert Storm." Washington, DC, January 1991.

Film
Involved with the production of several films on exercise and physical fitness. Featured in a film on training programs for health fitness professionals entitled "The New Health Service Professionals", Health Media Distributors, Toronto, Canada.

Television
Appears frequently on local and national television discussing health and fitness issues.

Interviewed by Channel 8 News on the physical fitness status of youth today. Washington, DC, September 1992.

Text/Manuscript Review
HEALTH/FITNESS INSTRUCTOR'S HANDBOOK by Howley and Franks, 1986, published by AAPHERD.

YOUR GUIDE TO GETTING FIT by Kusinitz/Fine, 1986.

"Workplace Fitness Program: Results and Interpretation of a British Survey" by Casey, Chamberlyne, Kierans and Pendray, 1986.

"Professional Preparation of Corporate Entry Level Health Educators" by McGlaughlin and Taylor, 1986.

"The Effectiveness of a Corporate Fitness Program as an Executive Recruitment Incentive" by Isakson and Crabtree, 1987.

"Education and Its Relationship to Health Behavior" by Hale and Varnes, 1987.

"A Wellness Menu for Law Enforcement Agencies" by Spitler, Jones, Wade and Williams, 1987.

"Solving the Internship Dilemma" by Glaros, 1987.

"Health Promotion Programs Flourishing: Survey" by Richard A. Detert.

"Corporate Fitness Professionals and Their Job Situation" by Linda Koehler.

"Employee Fitness Program Effects Upon Long-Term Fitness Involvement" by Jack Rudnick.

Research
"ODCSPER Army Civilian Fitness Program." Project Director Principal Investigator for The American University. Study done under contract with the U.S. Army Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel.

"Cost Benefit and Cost Effectiveness Measures of Health Promotion in a Military-Civilian Staff." Project Director and Principal Investigator for The American University. Study done under contract with the Office of the Surgeon General, U.S. Army. Three year study.

"Cost Benefit and Cost Effectiveness Measures of Health Promotion in a Military-Civilian Staff." Project Director and Principal Investigator for The American University. Study done under contract with the Army Materiel Command, Headquarters. Five year study.

Dissertations
Chaired or served on eight Dissertation Committees at The American University, Washington, DC.