Prof. Wojtek J. Chodzko-Zajko

Wojtek Chodzko Zajko earned a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science from the University of London and a Ph.D. degree from Purdue University, also in Exercise Science. Chodzko-Zajko’s primary research interests are in the area of aging and health. For the past twenty-five years he has focused on the effect of exercise and physical activity on health and quality of life in old age. Chodzko-Zajko is Head of the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Chodzko Zajko is active in the dissemination of information about healthy aging through his work on several major professional advisory boards. In 1996 he was appointed to the Scientific Advisory Committee of the World Health Organization charged with developing WHO Guidelines for Physical Activity Among Older Persons. Recently, he served on a WHO taskforce charged with extending this work by developing a strategy for integrating physical activity into a more comprehensive program of active aging. Chodzko-Zajko is the Principal Investigator on a series of projects charged with developing a national strategy for promoting healthy aging in the USA. The National Blueprint: Increasing Physical Activity among Adults Age 50 and Older serves as a guide for multiple organizations, associations, and agencies, to inform and support their planning work related to increasing physical activity among America's aging population. Recently, Chodzko-Zajko chaired the writing group which authored the 2009 American College of Sports Medicine’s Position Stand on Physical Activity and Exercise for Older Adults. Chodzko-Zajko served as founding Editor of the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity from 1992-2002. He serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the American Council on Exercise. Chodzko Zajko is frequently invited to disseminate information about healthful aging as a keynote speaker in national and international meetings. Chodzko-Zajko has appeared on many television and radio shows, including the NBC Today Show, National Public Radio, and CNN.

In addition to his work in the area of aging, Chodzko-Zajko is a photographer whose work has been exhibited in museums and galleries throughout Europe, North America, and Asia.

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