Announcements
A TCU assistant professor and researcher just earned the university's first-ever Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) award for his research and project on early breast cancer detection and screening.
The $250,000 grant is awarded to Austin Graybeal Ph.D. ’21, assistant professor of kinesiology in Harris College, to continue developing a mobile 3D imaging technology, breast cancer risk image-generated health tool (BRIGHT), to help predict breast density and encourage more people to get mammograms for early breast cancer detection.
The goal? To increase access, especially in rural Texas communities, for early risk-detection technology via a mobile application on your phone.
The Department of Kinesiology is proud to announce a new articulation pathway connecting TCU students to the Tufts University Doctor of Physical Therapy Program. This collaboration creates a stronger pipeline from undergraduate preparation to professional training and clinical practice by:
- Streamlining the admissions process for qualified applicants.
- Promising 10 admissions per campus (programs in Seattle, Phoenix, Boston & Atlanta)
- Reducing tuition costs (future DPT students can working at a clinic owned by ATI physical therapy are eligible for $42,000 reduction in tuition )
Together, these partnerships strengthen TCU’s commitment to preparing future physical therapists who are academically prepared, professionally connected, and ready to lead on patient care.
New research from Harris College’s Locomotor Performance Laboratory links differences in the biological makeup of male and female bodies to jumping performance. The findings, just published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, offer insights into the biological determinants of jumping performance that were not previously understood.
Authored by Emily Haag, applied health sciences professor and co-director of the LPL, and co-authored by Peter Weyand, kinesiology department chair and director of the LPL, the research shows that sex differences in the muscles matter a lot for jumping high, but relatively little for jumping far.
Four students in the Physical Education All-Level and Physical Education Strength & Conditioning programs were recently recognized and awarded for their outstanding work.
1. Jude Pannell – 2025 College of Education Preservice Clinical Teacher of the year. He was nominated and selected by teacher education faculty and staff for his exceptional work as a clinical student teacher. A physical education major student has not been selected for this honor in 15 years.
2. Brendan Chambers – Honored as the 2025/2026 recipient of the Juanita Freemon McLean Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship is for a physical education major who demonstrates involvement in activities related to teaching and is a member of the Texas Organization for Physical Education Teachers (TAHPERD).
3. McKenzie Harrison & Brandon Schuler – recognized as a TAHPERD (Texas Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance) Outstanding Student of the Year. It is in recognition of students’ dedication and participation in developing healthy habits of physical activity and for their excellent performance in the physical education teacher prep program.
The U.S. Play Coalition awarded Debbie Rhea, professor of kinesiology, with the 2025 Joe L. Frost Award for Distinguished Research. The award recognizes a body of exceptional research that has enhanced and expanded the study of play. Rhea is the director of the LiiNK Center for Healthy Play, which began as a research intervention to bridge the gap between academics and the whole child. The inaugural Joe L. Frost Award was presented to its namesake, who was one of America’s leading experts on play and playgrounds known as the contemporary father of play advocacy. The U.S. Play Coalition is a partnership that promotes the value of play throughout life.
Caleb Voskuil ’24 has is awarded the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) Challenge Scholarship.
Students conducted approximately 50 health screenings at the Special Olympics Texas Fall Classic this October and share their experience.
Internationally renowned biomechanist and physiologist Peter G. Weyand, Ph.D., has been named the new chair of the Department of Kinesiology.
Faculty Expert Robyn Trocchio, Ph.D., explains the psychology behind professional football kicker, Brett Maher, of the Dallas Cowboys.
While several other universities were recognized across the nation, there was only one accredited Division I program in Texas – TCU.