Meet The Director

Leah E. Robinson, is a Professor in the School of Kinesiology at the University of Michigan. She joined the School as an Associate Professor in January 2015 and was the Chair of Movement Science from July 2017 - July 2020. Dr. Robinson is a Fellow in  the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the National Academy of Kinesiology (#621). 

Her research agenda focuses on understanding motor development and motor coordination in young children. Specifically, she investigates 1) how children achieve competence in motor skills, 2) the effects of motor skills and motor skill interventions on physical activity, and 3) the effects of motor skills and motor skill interventions on developmental and behavioral health outcomes. The work aims to help children achieve competence and confidence in motor skills through evidence-based interventions to live healthy, active lives.

Dr. Robinson is currently funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH - National Heart Lung and Blood Institute and National Institute of Nursing Research) and the NIH Common Fund. She has received research funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation,  Active Living Research, and the University of Michigan Momentum Center for Childhood Obesity. She was the Associate Editor for Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise and served on the Youth Development Advisory Panel for the USA Soccer Foundation. Dr. Robinson was a committee member for the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine - “Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School” report.