Advisory council
Jack Groppel, Ph.D., is an internationally recognized authority and pioneer in the science of human performance, and an expert in fitness and nutrition. Groppel is an Adjunct Professor of Management at the J.L. Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Groppel authored The Corporate Athlete book on achieving the pinnacle of corporate performance and co-authored The Corporate Athlete Advantage. He developed the Corporate Athlete® concept for his training program while serving as an associate professor of kinesiology and bioengineering at the University of Illinois helping both business executives and athletes increase performance levels. In 1992, he combined his program with Jim Loehr, Ed.D., to form the Human Performance Institute, formerly LGE Performance Systems, Inc.
A Fellow in the American College of Sports Medicine, Groppel is also a Board certified nutritionist in the American College of Nutrition and a former Research Associate to the U.S. Olympic Training Center. He currently serves as Vice President on the National Board of Directors of the United States Professional Tennis Association. Groppel served as the Chairman of the National Sport Science Committee of the United States Tennis Association for 16 years.
Michael F. Bergeron, Ph.D., FACSM, is Director of the National Institute for Athletic Health & Performance and Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Sanford School of Medicine of the University of South Dakota at the Sanford USD Medical Center. He is a Fellow and Trustee of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and past Chair of the ACSM Strategic Health Initiative – Youth Sports and Health Committee.
Bergeron is also a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Executive Committee for the Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness and currently serves as an Editorial Board member for the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism and Journal of Athletic Training. He serves as a clinical and scientific consultant to the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Medical Services.
Bergeron has worked with a number of junior, collegiate, and professional athletes on training and nutrition related to preparation, competition, and recovery strategies in the heat, with a particular emphasis on helping athletes to avoid muscle cramping.
The United States Professional Tennis Association announced the formation of the Tennis – for the health of it!advisory council. The mission of the council is to ensure that all components of Tennis – for the health of it! are health-enhancing, developmentally appropriate, safe and fun. It will be chaired by Michael F. Bergeron, Ph.D., FACSM, USPTA, director of the National Institute for Athletic Health & Performance and Center for Youth Sports & Health, and Jack Groppel, Ph.D., FACSM, USPTA, Master Professional and vice president, Co-founder of Human Performance Institute.
“I can’t emphasize enough that this council is an apolitical group,” said Groppel. “This is an invitation to all groups within the tennis industry to get involved and this council is an attempt to help grow the game for the betterment of tennis all around.”
The responsibilities of the Tennis – for the health of it! advisory council will include the following:
Support Tennis – for the health of it! and all tennis industry programs under the Tennis – for the health of it! umbrella initiative, to further the growth and enrichment of the game.
Work with the American College of Sports Medicine and its supporting partners through Exercise is MedicineTM to prompt the medical and fitness communities to
Recognize the health-enhancing benefits of tennis
Recommend tennis as a desirable pathway for increasing physical activity and developing a long-term healthy lifestyle.
Collaborate with the National Physical Activity Plan leadership and supporting organizations to promote Tennis – for the health of it! to policymakers, health professionals, and the public as an integral part of the national strategy to enhance the health of America by meeting the new U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.
Promote “healthy tennis.” The council has a parallel responsibility to address the factors and challenges that lead to increased injury risk during training and competition and decreased interest and participation in the game.
Publish consensus and position papers on the health benefits of tennis and recommendations for ensuring healthy tennis.
Call for research and partner with others in research and education initiatives that support the council’s mission and objectives.
Advisory council members
Michael F. Bergeron, Ph.D., FACSM – co-chairman
Jack Groppel, Ph.D. – co-chairman
Leslie Allen
President and CEO of Game Plan Inc.
Founder of Allen Tennis Training Academy and Leslie Allen Foundation
David Bassett, Ph.D.
Professor at the University of Tennessee, director of the UT Applied Physiology Lab and co-director of the Obesity Research Center at UT
Sue Burke
Co-owner of F.I.T, which offers year-round tennis and fitness programs, in
Boulder, Colo.
Nick DiNubile, M.D.
Orthopaedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine in private practice in
Havertown, Pa.
Todd Ellenbecker, DPT
Physical therapist and clinic director of Physiotherapy Associates Scottsdale
Sports Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Director of Sports Medicine for the ATP tour
Brian Hainline, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer of the United States Tennis Association (USTA)
Jim Loehr, Ed.D.
Co-founder of the Human Performance Institute in Orlando, Fla.
David Robinson
Tennis director at Marriott Harbor Beach Resort and Spa in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Owner and founder of TenniStrength & Fitness
Joseph Signorile, Ph.D.
Associate professor, University of Miami Department of Exercise and Sport Sciences
Thomas Rowland, M.D.
Pediatric cardiologist at the Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Mass.
Kathleen Stroia, P.T., A.T.C.
Vice President, Sport Sciences & Medicine and PRO U™ for the WTA Tour
Stella Volpe, Ph.D., R.D.
Associate Professor of Nursing, and Miriam Stirl Term Associate Professor in Nutrition
University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing
Sophie Woorons-Johnston, Ph. D.
Owner/director Brookstone Meadows Tennis Club