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Katherine Boyer, professor of kinesiology in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences, was one of 15 distinguished scholars inducted as fellows into the National Academy of Kinesiology. Boyer was recognized during the academy’s 95^th annual meeting on Oct. 3, in Portland, Oregon, for her distinguished and sustained contributions to the field of kinesiology through scholarship and professional service.

The National Academy of Kinesiology is an honorary organization whose Fellows are eminent scholars advancing the art and science of human movement and physical activity. The academy’s dual purpose is to encourage and promote the study and educational applications of kinesiology and honor, by election to fellow, those whose scholarly and professional contributions have moved the field forward.

“Dr. Boyer’s induction as a Fellow in the National Academy of Kinesiology is based on her excellence in research that focuses on the biomechanical and neuromuscular mechanisms underlying loss of mobility associated with aging and joint pathology,” says Richard van Emmerik, professor and chair of the Department of Kinesiology. “In addition, she has provided sustained leadership at the University of Massachusetts Amherst as well as to her professional discipline, serving on the executive council of the International Society of Biomechanics, chairing the Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Study section at the National Institutes of Health, and being the editor in chief of the Journal of Applied Biomechanics.”

Since joining the UMass Amherst faculty in 2012, Boyer has led the Musculoskeletal Orthopedic Biomechanics Lab in advancing research on neuromuscular, mechanical and energetic contributors to changes in human performance across the lifespan. By understanding how muscle fatigue or joint pain may compound age-related muscle weakness to alter the mechanics of walking and energy cost of walking her research is working to identify strategies to extend our health spans into old age. She has also investigated the development of non-invasive interventions such as shoes or apparel to stimulate or support functional needs to enhance sports performance, minimize injury risk, and/or reduce painful disease symptoms.