KU School of Medicine professor wins prestigious Chancellor’s Club Research Award
Joseph Donnelly will receive the honor from Chancellor Douglas Girod in a special ceremony at the Jayhawk Welcome Center April 14.
On April 14, the University of Kansas Medical Center will acknowledge individuals for their research contributions in a ceremony on the Lawrence campus. This year’s Chancellor’s Club Research Award will go to Joseph Donnelly, Ed.D., professor in KU School of Medicine’s Department of Internal Medicine and director of the Division of Physical Activity and Weight Management.
This award has been given annually since 1992 in recognition of exceptional achievements that have had a significant and long-term impact on a research field, work that has profoundly affected later development of a field or a productive record of significant research. The winner receives $10,000.
“This award is confirmation that our group is pursuing meaningful studies that are aimed at improving health and wellbeing,” Donnelly said. “Many individuals in our division (Physical Activity and Weight Management) have and are currently contributing to this effort.”
Donnelly earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Davis & Elkins College in Elkins, West Virginia, a master’s degree in exercise physiology from Eastern Illinois University in Charleston and a doctorate in exercise physiology from West Virginia University in Morgantown.
His research interests include nutrition, physical activity, comorbidities and weight management in elementary school children, individuals with intellectual and developmental disorders, individuals with mobility-related disabilities and rural populations.
He founded the Weight Control Research Project in 1986, which since 1997 has been known as The University of Kansas Weight Management Program. Donnelly’s team does investigations related to nutrition, physical activity and weight management, largely supported by the National Institutes of Health.
“We do clinical trials that investigate better ways to support improved nutrition and physical activity, usually but not always in the context of weight management,” he explained. “We are interested in children through the elderly, special populations including individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities as well as rural populations.”
By shining a light on their important work, students can learn more about careers in research. But Donnelly said research isn’t for everyone, you need to be an “idea person” as well as competitive.
“It’s sort of like sports: You develop teammates, which is one of the best parts of research,” he said. “A strong work ethic is needed because research is not a nine-to-five job. If you are an inquisitive person, you will be able to discover new things, which is both fun and rewarding. No two days are the same.”