UNT kinesiology, health promotion and recreation professor Tao Zhang has been elected to membership as a Fellow in the National Academy of Kinesiology (NAK).

The NAK is a members-based, non-governmental organization which aims to encourage and promote the study and educational applications of the art and science of human movement and physical activity. It also honors individuals who have contributed significantly to the study or application of the art and science of human movement and physical activity with election to its membership.

"It is the highest academic honor in my field of kinesiology and health promotion," Zhang says of the accomplishment. "I'm so glad to represent UNT at this national level."

Academy membership is restricted to 200 Active Fellows, with an unrestricted number of International Fellows. Potential Fellows are nominated annually by current Fellows and the most eminent are elected following a rigorous, multistage review process.

Dr. Zhang is a tenured full professor and director of the Pediatric Movement and Physical Activity Laboratory at UNT. He has made more than 190 research presentations at international, national and state conferences, published about 100 referred research articles and book chapters, authored over 120 peer-reviewed research abstracts and conference papers and secured about 20 funded research grant projects from federal agencies and research foundations. This includes his current Head Start to Healthy Lifestyle project (2021-2026) funded by the United States Department of Agriculture and Texas Department of Health and Human Services. His official induction ceremony will take place at the 94th Annual Meeting of the NAK this September in Pittsburgh.

"I feel so honored and humbled to accept this invitation to join the NAK as a Fellow," Zhang says. "I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to my Department of Kinesiology, Health Promotion and Recreation, the College of Education and UNT. I could not reach such a high academic achievement without all this support. I'm so grateful to receive so much support from my colleagues and my graduate students for the past decade at UNT."