Posted May 2020. I apologize for being so slow.
2018 was a hectic year, with continuing efforts to act like a semi-retired person. There was lots of travel and many memorable experiences, which is one reason I was so late posting this blog.
Banff, Canada. Active Living Research Conference. February 9-14.
This was my first big event of the year. The Banff location was the first one outside of the USA and the first in really cold weather. My observation was that everyone was struck with the beauty of the area, and the Conference had all the ingredients that always make ALR a special event.
Local First Nation leaders made us feel welcome during the Opening Ceremony
During the snowshoeing event, we saw some local wildlife.
This is the group who went snowshoeing.
This was a great presentation on designing places that make people want to come outside in the cold.
Guadalaraja, Mexico. Physical activity conference. February 21-24.
Guadalajara has a beautiful historical city center.
Another successful pedestrian street.
On a day trip we visited the city of Tequila. On the way we passed by many agave fields like this one.
This is our host, Juan Lopez-Taylor (far left), with visitors Charlie Foster and Bill Kohl, and a couple of Juan’s students. We are being welcomed to the Cuervo factory.
These are the hearts of agave that are roasted, then squeezed, fermented, and distilled to make tequila.
These people are coming out of Flinders Street station, which is the main rail station. It is a clear demonstration of how public transit is active travel.
This is the first vegan vending machine I have seen. It is on Bourke Street, one of the main streets of Central Melbourne.
Kite surfers make the most of Melbourne’s wind.
This kind of beauty is why I always go walking in the forest on my trips to Australia, usually organized by Neville Owen.
Melbourne alley life is rich with cafes, music, and murals. They really enhance the urban experience.
This older couple were moving slowly, but because of the good pedestrian infrastructure they were able to get around and enjoy the city.
Jim’s First Visit To China. March 11-25, 2018.
Please see the separate blog on my 2018 visit to China. At first I had two invitations to go to China. Xiaobo (Bob) Wang invited me during his year-long visit to San Diego in 2016. Then I met Hongjun Yu at the American College of Sports Medicine conference, and he invited me to visit Tsinghua University in Beijing. I asked both of them to coordinate plans for my visit, which they started doing. However, in mid-2017, I learned that Bob Wang had died unexpectedly at age 38 while playing basketball. See my blog in memory of Bob Wang (https://drjamessallis.wordpress.com/2017/11/17/in-memoriam-xiaobo-bob-wang/). The nature of the planned visit changed. The main purpose would be to lecture and consult at Tsinghua University, but I would also visit Bob’s wife and son in Zengzhou and present a lecture in Bob’s honor to his colleagues at the University. I want to thank Hongjun and Bob’s wife Lily (her American name) for working together to plan the visit.
Hongjun and I take advice from Confucius on the Tsinghua University campus.
Lecturing at the Art & Science of Health Promotion in San Diego. March
I’m grateful to Michael O’Donnell (left) for inviting me to speak at the annual Health Promotion Conference in San Diego. He has been a supporter of my work throughout my career.
Here is an activity break after my talk. This part is a mini-lesson in surfing, but everyone on the stage led a short activity.
Columbus, OH. Society of Public Health Educators, and award presentation. April 3-6.
I was honored to receive the Elizabeth Fries Prize for Health Education at the Society of Public Health Educators (SOPHE) Conference. The award included an invited lecture that I turned into a publication.
Sallis, J.F. (2018). Needs and challenges related to multilevel interventions: Physical activity examples. Health Education and Behavior, 45(5), 661-667.
Viktor Bovbjerg (left, husband of Elizabeth Fries) and Larry Green present the award to me.
I took advantage of having the stage to lead the group in an activity break.
I confess to taking an extra day to tour the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in nearby Cleveland, OH.
Jimi Hendrix had a childhood dream—and lived it.
Decoration on Jerry Garcia’s Rosebud guitar.
Atlanta, GA. Georgia State U. Award Lecture. April 9-10.
In back-to-back award events, I was honored to be the first recipient of the Mike and Terry Metzler Distinguished Lecture in the School of Kinesiology and Health at Georgia State University in Atlanta. Terry and Mike Metzler are to my left.
I enlisted some help so I could treat this audience to an activity break.
New Orleans. Society of Behavioral Medicine and French Quarter Festival. April 10-15.
Our annual physical activity colleague dinner.
My brother John came down from Jackson, Mississippi to enjoy the French Quarter Festival. Behind is Jackson Square and the Cathedral.
I was impressed the Festival provided this bicycle valet.
Everybody parties in New Orleans.
Guadalajara, Mexico. University physical activity symposium. April 18-21.
I was pleased to make a return visit to Guadalajara to speak at a university-wide symposium. A highlight of the trip was participating in a celebration of International Bicycling Day by riding on a Via Verde (greenway, or rail-trail in this case).
We started our route at an actual rail station.
This sign describes the Via Verde program.
This is an example of scenery along the trail. It mainly went through sugar cane fields, which were at all stages of growth.
Here we are at the end of the ride, where there was a celebration with speeches.
This was a town along the route.
It was a relaxing and scenic ride. A suitable way to celebrate International Bicycling Day.
April 28. Visit to Nashville, TN.
A jam session with old friends from Jackson, MS. Mike Moss, Fred Knobloch (our host), me, Jack Starr, John Buffalo, a music student of Fred’s.
Minneapolis, MN. American College of Sports Medicine. May 28 – June 2.
Neville and I pose with several of our esteemed colleagues from Japan at ACSM 2018.
Planning for the Third Lancet Physical Activity Series. UCSD campus. June.
This is the group convened by Mike Pratt to plan the next Lancet Physical Activity Series.
Detroit, MI. American Heart Assoc/Voices for Healthy Kids healthy schools policy summit. June 19-21.
After the meeting Sarah Lee and I, along with a colleague toured the Motown Studios.
Inside the small studio where so many iconic songs were recorded.
June. Rails to Trails Conservancy Board Meeting.
A testimonial during the Farewell event for longtime RTC CEO Keith Laughlin.
Melbourne, Australia. ACU. July 12-29.
Here is staff social event for the Behavior, Environment, and Cognition Group, led by Ester Cerin at ACU’s Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research.
I am helping mentor Siona Fernandes from Deakin University (left) and continuing to collaborate with Dr Deepti Adlakha, who happened to be in Melbourne.
Brian Oldenburg hosted me in Healesville, Victoria and took me on some hikes.
Brisbane, Australia. ACSA and CSANZ conference. July 29 – August 5.
I attached a couple of conferences and consultations in Brisbane to my July visit to ACU in Melbourne.
Here is a wonderful group having dinner in Brisbane.
Brief visit to Chennai, India. August
I stopped in to see the Be Activ India! Team (IPEN Adolescent study). I appreciated having dinner and social time at Dr. Mohan’s home. This is Dr. Mohan, Pradeepa Guha, RM Anjana, me, and Ranjani Harish. This visit occurred on my way to the Tibetan Settlement in Mundgod where I became immersed in Tibetan Buddhist culture. See my separate blog on the extraordinary experience.
https://drjamessallis.wordpress.com/2018/09/18/experiencing-the-tibetan-community-near-mundgod-india/
UCSD. Sedentary behavior grants. August 27-29
After attending the Sedentary Behavior meetings at UCSD, Neville and I spent a weekend hiking around Idylwild, CA.
Large areas burned a few months earlier, coming very close to the town.
The unburned areas were often spectacular.
On the way back to San Diego we saw an impressive outdoor gallery of metal sculptures.
Dr. Dan Slater, me, and Dr Cheryl Anderson celebrating our first Zumba class together, led by Jamal, Cheryl’s husband. Our Saturday jog/walk group substituted the Zumba class, a tradition we have continued.
One of the last social outings of the core Active Living Research team: Amanda Walker, Carmen Cutter, Deb Rubio, Chad Spoon.
10/12-28 London, UK and Belfast, Northern Ireland. International Society of Physical Activity and Health. Satellite meeting. Visiting family.
Yes, this is London. Changing of the Guard.
Touring the city with Adewale Oyeyemi.
Jim, Adewale, Neville Owen, and Billie Giles-Corti begin our search for dinner.
Fiona Bull, now at WHO, launches the new physical activity campaign with a memorable and active event.
Speakers and organizers of the multi-sector meeting in Belfast, organized by Ruth Hunter, far left.
Deepti Adlakha, Billie Giles-Corti, and I as we start a walking tour of the Connswater Greenway.
The redevelopment project includes many new amenities, such as this playground near low-income housing.
I had always wanted to go to Stonehenge.
This delightful pedestrian street is in the heart of Bath, England, built by the Romans.
The scenic river in Bath.
This art is in a train station.
I see more bicyclists in London recently, even though the conditions are not very safe. These riders are fearlessly competing with busses for road space.
Meeting to develop a Consensus Report for the NASEM Health and Medicine Division. Strategies for Implementation of Physical Activity Surveillance. Washington, DC. November 1-2, 2018
November 2. Society of Behavioral Medicine Board Meeting in Washington, DC.
California SBM delegation advocating for evidence-based health solutions with Senate staff.
Australia. November 15 – December 12. Including Hobart, Tasmania; Melbourne, Victoria; Brisbane, Queensland; and Sydney, New South Wales.
Elaine Marshall and Rebekah Harrison of the Tasmania Department of Health and Human Services were my enthusiastic hosts for a productive several days in Hobart.
This is one of several outstanding ped/bike bridges in Brisbane. It’s full of evening commuters bicycling in safety.
Congratulations to Brisbane for installing this excellent protected bike path. Now they just need hundreds of kilometers more like this.
I thought it was time to visit my friends in Sydney, so I added a stop at the end of my December trip to ACU in Melbourne. Here are Klaus Gebel, Ding Ding, and Adrian Bauman on a hike in New South Wales.
Here is the PARC team pausing on our after-dinner walk.
This gentleman made walking on the Beltline trail around Atlanta even more enjoyable. Thanks for rocking us. This is a great photo for closing out the 2018 highlights.