Dr. Peter Katzmarzyk stands as a preeminent leader in public health research with specialized expertise in obesity epidemiology and physical activity studies. He currently serves as Professor and Associate Executive Director for Population and Public Health Sciences at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, where he holds the distinguished Marie Edana Corcoran Endowed Chair in Pediatric Obesity and Diabetes. With over two decades of dedicated research experience, Dr. Katzmarzyk has established himself as an internationally recognized authority on pediatric obesity and metabolic disorders across diverse populations. His scholarly journey has been marked by significant contributions to understanding ethnic health disparities and the complex relationship between sedentary behavior and health outcomes globally.
Dr. Katzmarzyk's groundbreaking research has significantly advanced scientific understanding of the global obesity epidemic through rigorous population-based studies and multinational collaborations. As Principal Investigator of the International Study of Childhood Obesity, Lifestyle and the Environment (ISCOLE), he led a comprehensive investigation involving over 7,000 children from 12 countries, establishing critical evidence for obesity prevention strategies worldwide. His highly influential 2009 publication on sitting time and mortality, which has garnered over 2,500 citations, fundamentally reshaped scientific understanding of sedentary behavior's impact on cardiovascular health and cancer risk. Through his extensive body of work comprising more than 70 peer-reviewed scientific articles, Dr. Katzmarzyk has provided essential evidence for public health guidelines regarding physical activity and obesity prevention across the lifespan.
Beyond his research contributions, Dr. Katzmarzyk has profoundly influenced the field through leadership roles in major national and international health initiatives and organizations. He serves as a valued editorial board member for leading journals including the International Journal of Obesity and Pediatric Obesity, helping to shape scholarly discourse in the field. His active participation on the Science Board of the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition and various committees related to children's health demonstrates his commitment to translating research into policy and practice. Dr. Katzmarzyk continues to advance global health capacity through his ongoing work building research infrastructure in physical activity and obesity across multiple world regions, ensuring his contributions will have lasting impact on future generations of researchers and public health practitioners.
