Bess H Marcus Author

Bess H. Marcus, PhD, is a professor in the departments of community health and psychiatry and human behavior at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University and director of the Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine at the Miriam Hospital. Dr. Marcus is a clinical health psychologist who has spent the past 20 years conducting research on physical activity behavior and has published more than 150 papers and book chapters as well as three books on this topic.

Dr. Marcus has developed a series of assessment instruments to measure psychosocial mediators of physical activity behavior and has also developed low-cost interventions to promote physical activity behavior in community, workplace, and primary care settings. Dr. Marcus has participated in panels for the American Heart Association, American College of Sports Medicine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Institutes of Health; these panels have created recommendations regarding the quantity and intensity of physical activity necessary for health benefits. Marcus was also a contributing author to the Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity and Health. She served as an advisor on the curriculum development for Project Active and is a coauthor of Active Living Every Day (Human Kinetics). Marcus is recognized internationally for her outstanding research in helping people to become more physically active and has spoken on this topic worldwide.

Marcus makes time to be physically active on most days of the week. She enjoys walking, swimming, and cycling with her husband, Dan, her three children, and friends.

LeighAnn Forsyth, PhD, is a clinical health psychologist. She has a private practice specializing in weight management, body image, and women's health. She also is an adjunct professor of psychology at Cleveland State University, where she conducts research on physical activity adoption and lectures on behavior modification.

During a clinical internship and two-year postdoctoral fellowship at the Brown University Center for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine at the Miriam Hospital, Forsyth participated in several research programs applying the stages of motivational readiness to promote physical activity adoption.

She has published several professional articles and book chapters on physical activity promotion and the stages of motivational readiness and serves as a consultant on physical activity research grants. Forsyth is a member of the Society of Behavioral Medicine and the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Society.

With three young children, Forsyth receives a daily dose of physically active parenting. She also enjoys jogging, hiking, playing tennis, and biking. She and her husband, Paul, and their children reside in Shaker Heights, Ohio.