Karen E. McConnell, Ph.D., CHES
Associate Professor
School of Physical Education
Pacific Lutheran University
Dr. McConnell is an Associate Professor in the School of Physical
Education at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington.
She joined PLU in 1998 after completing her doctorate in Curriculum and
Instruction in Exercise and Wellness from Arizona State
University. Dr. McConnell earned both her B.A in Sports Medicine
and an M.A in Exercise Science from the University of the Pacific.
Dr. McConnell's interdisciplinary wellness background is applied to
both her research and service activities. A focus on women's
health issues, specifically educating others about eating disorders,
body image and weight related behaviors, is of particular
interest. In addition, Dr. McConnell has served as a consultant to
the Comprehensive Health Education Foundation and the State Office of
the Superintendent of Public Instruction in the development and
implementation of the Essential Academic Learning Requirements and the
Washington Assessment of Student Learning in Health and Fitness.
She is also a co-author of Fitness for Life Teacher’s Resources ,
Instructor’s Manual and Teacher’s Lesson Plans (5th Edition), part of
the number one selling high school fitness curriculum in the nation.
Dr. McConnell is a regular presenter at state, regional and national
conferences. She serves on the advisory and editorial boards of
the Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal, and sits on numerous
department and university committees. She has been
recognized as the Washington Alliance for Health, Physical Education,
Recreation and Dance University Professional of the Year (2001) and as
a recipient of the prestigious Arthur Broten Young Scholars Recognition
Program Award (2001).
As a health educator, Dr. McConnell is committed to engaging student
learning in the classroom and to instilling in her students a value for
healthy lifestyle choices. Helping students to understand and to
value themselves are cornerstones of her teaching philosophy and life
passion. At Pacific Lutheran University she teaches courses such
as Food and Health, Health Psychology, School Health, Health &
Society, Big Fat Lies and Personalized Fitness.
Away from campus Dr. McConnell enjoys traveling and has been to Japan,
England, Spain, France, Austria, Italy, Czech Republic, Hungary,
Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Mexico and Canada.
Among her activities and hobbies she enjoys outdoor recreation,
photography, cooking and spending quality time with her dog.
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"There's only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving and that's your own self"
Aldous Huxley
"Life is like a game of cards. Each
of us must accept the cards life deals us. But, once they are in
hand, we alone must decide how to play them."
Voltaire
"Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life"
Confucius
"Trust in what you love...you never know
where it will lead you. The important thing is to love
something. Even if it's skateboarding or car mechanics, or
whistling. Let yourself love it completely."
Natalie Goldberg
"You were born God's original. Try not to be someone's copy"
Marian Wright Edelman
"Only you are knowledgeable enough when the matter at issue is who you are, what you want to do with your life"
Alice Koller
"Your life's work does not exist 'out
there'...You can't order up a perfect career or set of careers the way
you might order a lawn mower from the Sears catalogue. Being too
concerned with what is 'out there' before you know what you want 'in
here' puts you in a position of powerlessness.
Laurence Boldt
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