Laurie Whitsel

Laurie Whitsel, PhD, is currently the National Vice President of Policy Research for the American Heart Association (AHA). In addition to leading the association’s policy research and translation efforts, she covers specific areas of policy development around prevention, including ending tobacco and nicotine addiction, health promotion, obesity, physical activity, and policy implementation and outcome evaluation. Laurie is the senior advisor to the Physical Activity Alliance which is the nation’s broadest coalition dedicated to promoting physical activity for health. She is helping to lead national policy and systems change to integrate physical activity assessment, prescription, and referral into health care delivery and improve population health. She also serves on the board of directors for the American Council on Exercise. Her PhD is from Syracuse University and she is a Fellow and member of the AHA’s National Scientific Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health.