About the Academy

Evidence connecting physical activity to health, longevity and improved disease management is well recognized. Over 9,200 PubMed citations between 2015 and 2023 alone document the role of exercise as medicine across dozens of clinical conditions. The NIH Common Fund launched the Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium (MoTrPAC) in 2016 with about $170 million in initial awards,¹⁵⁴ and its first major findings were published in 2024.^35,36 Yet, while 86% of providers believe exercise matters for their patients, only 16% actually prescribe it.^37–39

There is no dedicated, comprehensive, post graduate education program that trains individuals in the range of knowledge and skills defining exercise medicine diagnostics and therapeutics, although elements are found in a number of subspecialty programs.

The Academy of Exercise Medicine was created to address this gap: to define the core competencies of this field, support the development of training programs, and grow the professional community that will make exercise medicine part of the standard of care.

AEM is working to create, nurture, and implement a core set of EMD&T knowledge and skills essential for clinicians across a wide range of medical specialties.