June 27, 2007
Health Fitness Corporation Emphasizes Science Behind Health and Fitness Management with New RDO Division
Health Fitness Corporation
MINNEAPOLIS, June 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- HealthFitness (BULLETIN BOARD: HFIT) is putting more than a few exceptional heads together to advance the science behind fitness and health management.
HealthFitness is a leading provider of employee health management programs with more than 400 fitness centers globally and a suite of health management services offered on-site, Web-based and telephonically. The company has recently recruited some of the top minds in the industry to staff its Research, Development and Outcomes (RDO) division under the leadership of Chief Science Officer Peter A. Egan, Ph.D.
"This move directly aligns product development with science, research and outcomes, allowing HealthFitness to provide clients with stronger evidenced- based program offerings," said Gregg Lehman, Ph.D., president and CEO of HealthFitness. "Pete is a great fit as the leader of HealthFitness's scientific knowledge base. He has specialized in the design and architecture of health and fitness database systems for more than 20 years, and is a co- founder of HealthCalc.Net Inc., which HealthFitness acquired in late 2005."
Egan holds a doctorate in exercise physiology from the University of New Mexico. For his doctoral dissertation in 1991, he designed comprehensive database software for exercise testing. Prior to founding HealthCalc in 1995, Egan worked seven years at Sandia National Labs in New Mexico, managing their comprehensive wellness programs. Egan is a member of the Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO) consortium and holds memberships in the National Wellness Association, American Society of Exercise Physiologists, and the American College of Sports Medicine.
HealthFitness has engaged five experienced pacesetters in the industry to lead areas within RDO:
-- Edward Framer, Ph.D., continues to serve as HealthFitness's director of health and behavioral sciences. A behavioral psychologist with a doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of North Texas, Framer has been involved in the development of health assessments and health promotion interventions for more than 20 years. Prior to working for HealthFitness, he served as vice president of health sciences for HealthCalc Network. Framer is a past-president of the Society of Prospective Medicine and holds current memberships in the American Psychological Association, the Association for Behavior Analysis, and the Institute for Health & Productivity Management. -- Yosuke Chikamoto, Ph.D., recently joined HealthFitness as research director. Chikamoto has 14 years' experience in academics, focusing on effective delivery strategies for comprehensive health programs from behavioral, economic and policy perspectives. He served as assistant professor of health promotion management at American University, assistant professor of health science at California State University- Fullerton, and research and development manager and a director of technology and research at the Stanford Center for Research in Disease Prevention. His professional expertise lies in the use of technology in health assessments and risk reduction. Chikamoto received a Ph.D in health education from The Pennsylvania State University. -- Tanja Madsen, CHES, serves as HealthFitness's director of program development, and was a key contributor to the development of the company's EMPOWERED(TM) Health Coaching program, which integrates individual coaching with remote Web and telephonic coaching. Madsen brings more than 20 years of account services experience to her position, including the management and delivery of health and wellness programs, health assessments, screenings, interventions, and consulting. She was also responsible for launching and managing a portfolio of health improvement program partnerships for HealthFitness. She is a certified health education specialist and a Totally Coached(R) Program graduate, with a bachelor of science in health education and a business minor from Pennsylvania State University. -- Bruce Guthmann, MS, serves as director of strategic solutions. He brings nearly 20 years' experience integrating health and group benefits with health and productivity solutions. His background includes 12 years at Champion International Corporation, where he participated on the leadership team responsible for delivering data- driven health enhancement solutions that received the C. Everett Koop Award. Guthmann also spent four years with Mercer Human Resource Consulting. He holds a master of science degree in exercise physiology from Texas A&M University. -- Earl Thompson, MS, joins HealthFitness as director of outcomes reporting July 2. Thompson has more than 21 years' experience in the Blue Cross Blue Shield network holding positions in corporate and marketing research, and management over actuarial and information systems. He spent seven years at Harris Health Trends as an outcomes consultant for major corporations. Thompson holds a master's degree and has completed studies towards a doctorate in educational research and measurement from the University of Toledo. Thompson is a member of the Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO) consortium for the advancement of the science of measurement in the wellness field. He also serves on a committee of the Disease Management Association of America for the development of wellness programming standards. Mr. Thompson has developed new methodologies for the assessment of health management program effects. He has presented his work for many large organizations including General Motors, Ford, Union Pacific Railroad, Xerox, PepsiCo, Johnson & Johnson, Dell, State of Tennessee, Yankee Candle, Kellogg, Experian, Morgan-Stanley, and several of the Blue Cross Blue Shield plans.
"This group carries with it a deep understanding and maturity in the field that is unmatched, and the whole creates a creative synergy that is greater than the component parts," Egan said. "It is a team that can easily lead on the academic side and then tap into one another's expertise and apply the science to HealthFitness's projects and programs. We are completely focused on developing innovative, engaging, effective solutions based on a scientific foundation that benefits our clients, participants, associates and the health and fitness industry."
Egan said HealthFitness's recently appointed Science Advisory Board, composed of independent, nationally recognized experts in areas such as nutrition and obesity, exercise and fitness, behavior change, outcomes research and managed care, will coordinate as a valued additional resource to the RDO team and to the company as a whole.
"They review the quality and relevance of the scientific and technical basis of our products and services, deliver guidance on the appropriate implementation of products and services, and advise us on a broad range of scientific topics and emerging trends," he said.
To learn more about the Science Advisory Board and its chairman, go to http://www.hfit.com/cm_files/press_releases/3-15-07HFC-SAB-Launches2.pdf and http://www.hfit.com/cm_files/press_releases/5-8-07FedlPhysActGuideCommittee.pdf.
About HealthFitness
HealthFitness is a leading provider of employee health improvement services to Fortune 500 companies, the health care industry and individual consumers. Serving clients for more than 30 years, HealthFitness partners with employers to effectively manage their health care and productivity costs by improving individual health and well-being. HealthFitness serves more than 400 clients globally via on-site management and remotely via Web and telephonic services. HealthFitness provides a complete portfolio of health and fitness management solutions including a proprietary health risk assessment platform, screenings, EMPOWERED(TM) Health Coaching and delivery of health improvement programs. HealthFitness employs more than 3,000 health and fitness professionals in national and international locations who are committed to the company's mission of "improving the health and well-being of the people we serve." For more information on HealthFitness, visit http://www.hfit.com/. Health Fitness Corporation