David Cornell Awarded Fellowship from the American College of Sports Medicine

07/18/2023
By Karen Angelo

Physical Therapy and Kinesiology Asst. Prof. David Cornell recently received an American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Fellowship, an honor that recognizes professionals who have made significant contributions to the field of sports medicine and exercise science. 

NiCole R. Keith, professor of kinesiology at Indiana University School of Medicine, who nominated Cornell for the award, says that he is one of the few clinician scientists in the nation who is trained in both physical therapy and exercise physiology. 

“Dr. Cornell’s research that focuses on the health and fitness of first responders not only protects the health and fitness of professionals who are largely responsible for the safety of U.S. citizens, but also improves the well-being of all Americans,” says Keith, who served as president of the ACSM from 2020 to 2021. 

Cornell, who was honored at the ACSM Annual Meeting in Denver ceremony in June, has published papers examining the changes in musculoskeletal injury risk factors among firefighter recruits, describing the recovery of active-duty firefighters and validating various devices to collect physiological measures. 

“I am thrilled to be recognized as a Fellow of the ACSM. This distinction acknowledges my contributions to sports medicine and exercise science and my commitment to one of the leading professional organizations in my field. It is an honor to hold the same distinction of so many other leaders in the profession that I have looked up to throughout my career,” says Cornell. 

Cornell mentors exercise science and physical therapy students in the Health Assessment Laboratory on research projects, helping them hone their critical thinking skills. 

Thomas Sherriff ’19, ’23, a recent graduate of the exercise science and doctor of physical therapy programs, worked with Cornell on projects studying functional movement patterns among firefighters and validating a smart garment capable of collecting physiological measures in field-based environments. As a physical therapy student, Sherriff was the lead author of a paper published in the “International Journal of Athletic Therapy and Training” on the influence of ankle mobility and muscle tightness on the functional movement compensations of firefighters. He credits this accomplishment to the help of Cornell, his mentor. 

“With the help of Dr. Cornell, I have experienced all aspects of the research process, from clinical idea generation, study design, IRB approval, study implementation, recruiting, data collection, data analysis, presentation ideas and areas of interest, abstract writing, conference presentation and the process of completing an original manuscript,” says Sherriff. 

In 2022, Cornell received UML’s teaching excellence award for the Department of Physical Therapy and Kinesiology and won the New Investigator Award from the New England Regional Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine.