Jon Retzlaff and Dan Henkel

Health Care Reform: Health and Fitness Advocacy 101

More than 30 national medical, scientific, and health and fitness organizations recently urged President Obama to give physical activity a heightened focus on the nation’s health care agenda. Physical activity is a viable, inexpensive way to combat these numerous preventable health problems, including heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, colon cancer, stroke, osteoporosis, depression and anxiety, breast cancer, and falls among older adults. ACSM’s policy consultant, Jon Retzlaff joins the show.

Jon Retzlaff -

Jon Retzlaff has more than 13 years of health research policy and lobbying expertise. He leads the health and biomedical research practice of Lewis-Burke Associates, which works closely with the American College of Sports Medicine to advance policy initiatives related to physical activity and health.

Jon has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Minnesota, a master's degree in public administration from Indiana University and a master's degree in business administration from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Dan Henkel -

Dan Henkel is the American College of Sports Medicine’s senior director of communications and advocacy. In addition to guiding internal and external communications for the College, he works in tandem with Jon Retzlaff to ensure physical activity and health have a proper place in local, regional and federal policy arenas.

Melanie Cole, M.S.

8 / 25 / 2009