The Cooper Institute established an annual conference series in 1997 with the express goal of stimulating scientific research related to all aspects of physical activity and public health. Each year a specific topic is identified, and the leading scientific experts in that field are asked to present lectures to summarize what we know about the topic, to discuss gaps that exist in our knowledge base, and to formulate recommendations for research and practice. The 2003 Cooper Institute conference, and the focus of this application, is entitled """"""""Physical Activity and Mental Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach."""""""" This is a timely topic because the mental health benefits of physical activity have gained increased attention in recent years. However, there is a paucity of venues for multidisciplinary collaboration to promote the scientific study of the effects of physical activity on mental health outcomes and to develop clinical recommendations for prescribing physical activity for mental health promotion. Therefore, the proposed conference will bring together individuals from diverse fields in an effort to further existing dialogue and collaboration on physical activity on mental health topics. The objectives of the conference are to (1) assemble a diverse group of leading experts to summarize what we know about the influence of physical activity on specific aspects of mental health and psychological functioning, from neurobiology to clinical outcomes; (2) stimulate discussions on how exercise interventions may be used in the prevention and treatment of mental disorders and to develop evidence-based recommendations for mental health practitioners; (3) examine research design and measurement issues to improve the methodologies used to study the influence of physical activity on mental health; and (4) develop a comprehensive set of recommendations for future research in this area and promote the scientific study of physical activity and mental health through multidisciplinary collaboration. The scientific program committee is unaware of any other national, regional, or local meeting in recent years that has focused exclusively on these objectives. Based on our previous record of successful organization and execution of conferences resulting in far-reaching publications, we are confident that we can build on this success to develop, organize, and publish conference findings. The conference will be held in Dallas, Texas at The Cooper Institute, October 23-25, 2003. Participants will be scientists and practitioners working in the fields of psychiatry, psychology, neuroscience, exercise science, behavioral medicine, and public health.
