AMERICAN SOCIETY
OF EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGISTS
Founded, 1997

President’s Report
April and May, 1999

I apologize for the combination of April and May reports.  However, as most of you might already know, Sharon and I have a new baby boy – Dane Griffin Robergs was born at 6:14 a.m. on April 23, 1999.  Dane weighed 9 lb and was 21 inches.  I guess it is an understatement to say that a few things have changed in my daily list of home responsibilities.  Nevertheless, I am now working as usual, and responsibilities to ASEP,  teaching, and research are back in full swing.  I will bring some photographs of Dane to Seattle for the ACSM conference.

1999 Annual Meeting
We are still working on details for the national meeting in October.  I received the first research abstract in early April, and I want to remind all invited speakers that you also need to get me an abstract of your talk by the August deadline (see conference webpages).  Tommy and I have developed a brochure for the conference, and this will be available at the ASEP booth at the national ACSM meeting in Seattle, as well as be mailed to as many exercise physiologists as possible during June.

Journal of Exercise Physiologyonline
Manuscripts are still consistently being submitted for the research journal.  The relatively long duration of the reviews is still a concern to me, but I realize that a few of the topics reviewers are really trying to keep this time to a minimum.  Thank you for your efforts.

We had our first international submission in April.  This is obviously an indication of the international audience that an online journal provides.  I hope that this international appeal will increase the recognition of the journal within the USA, leading to continued increases in submissions an eventually a high quality monthly issue.

Letters to Other Organizations
The month of April was focussed on increasing interactions with state-specific exercise physiology organizations.  Tommy and I drafted response letters to the West Virginia organization’s invitation for clarification for what ASEP can do for state specific initiatives for licensure of exercise physiologists.

In addition, we have prepared an "Agreement" that has already been sent to the Indiana organization.  This agreement invites this organization to officially exist and function as a state chapter of ASEP, while still maintaining some degree of autonomy and independence in how they function.  Hopefully the month of May will reveal that Indiana will be the first state to have an official state chapter of ASEP.  Tommy and I will then do our best to invite as many other states as possible to recognize ASEP as their national organization, and become official state chapters of ASEP.

Committee Functions
Tommy and the remainder of the Certification Committee have completed the first draft of the ASEP EPC certification exam.  I have edited this draft and returned it to Tommy for further consideration.  Tommy will inform all of us about the status of the EPC examinations at the national meeting.

Dale Wagner and the remainder of the Accreditation Committee have also presented me with a draft of the accreditation criteria.  Dale will also present this at the national meeting, with the intention of members voting on the adoption of this program for eventual implementation in the year 2000.

I need to discuss many issues with members of the Licensure Committee and Job Market and Public Education Committee, and I will make these contacts over the summer months.

Scope of Practice For ASEP Certified Exercise Physiologists
I am still disappointed that I have not received more feedback from ASEP members regarding the scope of practice that Tommy and I posted to the February President's Report.  Once again, if you have not looked at it yet, please read it and think about what it should say and contain.  The February version is just a first draft, and all ASEP members should contribute to how this document is developed.  Remember, we are trying to develop a document that describes who we are and what we are/can/should do as exercise physiologists.  We can not continue to make future progress unless this document is the best it can be!!

ACSM
In late March I received a FAX from James Whitehead, executive director of ACSM.  James requested that we (James, Paul Thompson [ACSM president] and I) have an informal teleconference.  I replied and indicated that it be best that the ASEP Board of Directors be involved, and James indicated that that is fine and he will be in touch with further arrangements  in the near future.  I have still not heard from the main office of ACSM.  Tommy and I feel that it might be appropriate for this meeting to be held in Seattle, and I will be calling ACSM again to suggest this option.

ACSM National Meeting
ASEP has invested money into having a booth at this year’s conference in Seattle.  Tommy has arranged most of this, and has done great work in preparing documents, audiovisual presentations, and brochures.  When in Seattle, make a point to visit the booth, talk to ASEP representatives (there will be several of us scheduled for segments of the Thursday and Friday exhibit hours), and pass the word along that we will be there.

Robert Robergs, Ph.D., FASEP
President - ASEP