James Skinner


James Skinner profile picture

Professor Emeritus

Email: jimskinnrphd@gmail.com
Phone: 828-808-9592
Address: 1025 E. 7th St.
Department: Emeriti / Retired

James S. Skinner, Ph.D., FACSM is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Kinesiology, Indiana University. He is a former 1) president of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), 2) Chair, International Advisory Council for Exercise is Medicine, 3) Vice President, International Council on Sport Sciences and Physical Education, and 4) Chair, Medical Advisory Committee of the YMCA of the USA. He is a member of the Scientific Advisory Panel for the American Council on Exercise and their Senior Advisor on Exercise Science. He is the ACSM representative to RAFA/PANA (Physical Activity Network of the Americas) and a member of its Executive Committee. He was one of the five principal investigators of the HERITAGE Family Study, a large multi-center investigation of the role that genetic factors play in the response to training of risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. As principal investigator, co-principal investigator or member of an executive committee, he has been involved in research grants totaling more than $50 million. He received the 2014 ACSM Honor Award, the highest award in his field. In 2011, he received a Doctor Honoris Causa from Semmelweis University in Budapest, Hungary. He was recently selected to be a Fulbright Specialist for three years (2020-2023). Dr. Skinner has published over 295 articles and book chapters, 8 books, 2 books that he translated from German, and 21 educational DVDs. He has been actively investigating the relationships between exercise, training and health for more than 55 years and has lectured in English, French, German and Spanish in 67 countries about these relationships.

Scholarly Interest

  • Exercise and health
  • Exercise prescription
  • Genetics

Bouchard C, Blair SN, Church TS, Earnest CP, Hagberg JM, Häkkinen K, Jenkins NT, Karavirta L, Kraus WE, Leon AS, Rao DC, Sarzynski MA, Skinner JS, Slentz CA, Rankinen T. Adverse metabolic response to regular exercise: Is it a rare or common occurrence? PLoS ONE 7:e37887, 2012.

Sarzynski MA, Rankinen T, Earnest CP, Leon AS, Rao DC, Skinner JS, Bouchard C. Measured maximal heart rates compared to commonly used age-based prediction equations in the HERITAGE Family Study. Am. J. Human Biol. 25:695- 701, 2013.

Conviser JM, Roy BA, Skinner JS, Tharrett SJ (Editors). Medical Fitness Association's Resource & Planning Guide 3rd Ed. Monterey CA, Healthy Learning, 2014, pp. 524.

Skinner JS. General principles of exercise prescription. In: Medical Fitness Association's Resource & Planning Guide 3rd Ed. Conviser JM, Roy BA, Skinner JS, Tharrett SJ (Eds). Monterey CA, Healthy Learning, 2014, p. 313-328.

Skinner JS. A collection of evidence-based exercise programs for selected chronic conditions. In: Medical Fitness Association's Resource & Planning Guide 3rd Ed. Conviser JM, Roy BA, Skinner JS, Tharrett SJ (Eds). Monterey CA, Healthy Learning, 2014, p. 385-434.

Smith DT, Moynes RA, Rockey SS, Conviser J, Skinner JS. BioDensity™: A novel resistance training approach and learning effects in 1,685 males and 2,689 females. J. Novel Physiotherapies. 4:215. doi: 10.4172/2165-7025.1000215, 2014.

American Council on Exercise. Medical Exercise Specialist Manual. JS Skinner, CX Bryant, S Merrill, DJ Green (Eds.) San Diego, American Council on Exercise, 2015, pp. 859.

Sarzynski, MA, Burton J, Rankinen T, Blair SN, Church TS, Després J-P, Hagberg JM, Landers-Ramos R, Leon AS, Mikus CR, Rao DC, Seip RL, Skinner JS, Slentz CA, Thompson PD, Wilund KR, Kraus WE, Bouchard C. The effects of exercise on the lipoprotein subclass profile: A meta-analysis of 10 interventions. Atherosclerosis 243:364-372, 2015.

Smith DT, Judge S, Malone A, Moynes R, Conviser J, Skinner JS. Effects of bioDensity training and Power Plate whole-body vibration on strength, balance and functional independence in older adults. J. Aging & Phys. Activ. 24:139–148, 2016.

Ghoshal S, Stevens JR, Billon C, Girdardet C, Sitaula S, Leon AS, Rao DC, Skinner JS, Rankinen T, Bouchard C, Nuñez MV, Stanhope KL, Howatt DA, Daugherty A, Zhang J, Schuelke M, Weiss EP, Burris TP, Havel P, Butler AA. Adropin: an endocrine link between the biological clock and cholesterol homeostasis. Molec. Med. 8:51-64, 2018.

He Z, Rankinen T, Leon AS, Skinner JS, Tchernof A, Bouchard C. Plasma steroids, body composition and fat distribution: effects of age, sex, ethnicity and exercise training. Int. J. Obesity. 42:1366-1377, 2018.

He Z, Rankinen T, Leon AS, Skinner J, Tchernof A, Bouchard C. Plasma steroids are not associated with resting and exercise blood pressure. Int. J. Sports Med. 39:967-971, 2018.

Barber JL, Kraus WE, Church TS, Hagberg JM, Thompson PD, Bartlett DB, Beets MW, Blair SN, Earnest CP, Huffman KM, Landers-Ramos RQ, Leon AS, Rao DC, Seip RL, Skinner JS, Slentz CA, Wilund KR, Bouchard C, Sarzynski, MA. Effects of regular endurance exercise on glycA: a meta-analysis of 14 exercise interventions. Atherosclerosis 277: 1-6, 2018.

Ross R, Goodpaster B, Koch L, Sarzynski M, Kohrt W, Johansen N, Skinner JS, Castro A, Irving B, Noland R, Sparks L, Spielmann G, Daya K, Pitsch W, Hopkins W, Bouchard C. Precision Exercise Medicine: Understanding Exercise Response Variability. Brit. J. Sports Med. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2018-100328.