Graduate education faculty
Director, Physical Activity Epidemiology Laboratory
Dr. Zan Gao obtained his Ph.D. from Louisiana State University in 2007. He is a faculty at the School of Kinesiology in the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, specializing in physical activity and health. Dr. Gao’s research has primarily focused on promoting health with emerging technology through population-based physical activity interventions. In the past several years, Dr. Gao has given over 218 presentations at various international and national conferences. He has also published 3 books, 27 book chapters and 115 research articles (including over 90 first-/senior-authored) in peer-reviewed journals such as Obesity Review, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Journal of Physical Activity and Health, Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport (RQES), and the Journal of Teaching in Physical Education (JTPE). Dr. Gao has been the recipient of several international and national awards, including the 2008 National Association for Kinesiology and Physical Education in Higher Education Hally Beth Poindexter Young Scholar Award, 2009 American Alliance of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (AAHPERD) Mabel Lee Award, 2013 National Association for Sport and Physical Education Curriculum and Instruction Heitmann Young Scholar Award, and 2015 SHAPE America Leroy T. Walker Young Professional Award. Dr. Gao has been the principal investigator of National Institute of Health research grant, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Grant and AAHPERD Seed Grant. He also serves as a reviewer for many journals including, but not limited to RQES, JTPE, the Journal of Physical Activity and Health, and Obesity Review, as the Section Editor for Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science, Associate Editor for RQES, the Editorial Board Member for the JTPE, Journal of Clinical Medicine, Games for Health, Journal of Health and Sports Science, and International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, and Editor-in-chief for Column-Research, Teaching, and Media in Kinesiology. He is currently the Fellow of American College of Sports Medicine and the Fellow of AAHPERD Research Consortium.
2016 - present |
Associate Professor of Physical Activity and Health, School of Kinesiology, The University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN |
2012 - 2016 |
Assistant Professor of Physical Activity and Health, School of Kinesiology, The University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN |
2010 - 2012 |
Assistant Professor of Exercise Science, Texas Tech University, Department of Health, Exercise and Sport Sciences, Lubbock, TX. |
2007 - 2010 |
Assistant Professor of Sports Pedagogy, University of Utah, College of Health, Department of Exercise and Sport Science. Salt Lake City, UT. |
Selected Research Grants
Gao, Z., Lee, J., Zeng, N., Pope, Z.C., Zhang, Y., & Li, X. (2019). Home-based exergaming on preschoolers’ energy expenditure, cardiovascular fitness, body mass index and cognition: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 8, 1745. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm8101745 (impact factor: 5.68)
Gao, Z., & Wang, R. (2019). Children’s motor skills competence, physical activity, fitness, and health promotion. Journal of Sport and Health Science, 8(2), 114 -121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jshs.2018.12.002 (impact factor: 3.64)
Gao, Z., Zeng, N., Pope, Z., Wang, R., Yu, F. (2019). Effects of exergaming on motor skill competence, perceived competence, and physical activity in preschool children. Journal of Sport and Health Science, 8(2), 106 -113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jshs.2018.12.001 (impact factor: 3.64)
Pope, Z., Lee, J., Zeng, N., Lee, H., & Gao, Z. (2019). Feasibility of smartphone application and social media intervention on breast cancer survivors’ health outcomes. Translational Behavioral Medicine, 9(1), 11-22. https://doi.org/10.1093/tbm/iby002 (impact factor: 2.989)
Gao, Z. (2018). Trajectory changes of young children’s objectively determined of physical activity, sedentary behavior, and body mass index. Childhood Obesity, 14(4), 259-264. (Impact factor: 2.53)
Ye, S., Lee, J., Stodden, D., Gao, Z. (2018). Impact of exergaming on children’s motor skill performance and health-related fitness: A quasi-experimental study. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 7, 261. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/jcm7090261 (impact factor: 5.58)
Gao, Z., Pope, Z., Lee, J., Stodden, D., Roncesvalles, N., Pasco, D., Huang, C., & Feng, D. (2017). Impact of exergaming on young children’s school day energy expenditure and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity levels. Journal of Sport and Health Science, 6, 11-16. (impact factor: 2.59)
Zeng, N., Pope, Z., & Gao, Z. (2017). Acute effect of virtual reality exercise bike games on college students’ physiological and psychological outcomes. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. (impact factor: 2.88)
Gao, Z., Chen, S., Huang, C., Stodden, D., & Xiang, P. (2016). Investigating elementary school children’s daily physical activity and sedentary behaviors during weekdays. Journal of Sport Science. (impact factor: 2.25)
Gao, Z., Lee, J., Pope, Z., & Zhang, D. (2016). Effects of exergaming on children’s classroom behaviors and effort. Games for Health Journal, 5(5). DOI: 10.1089/g4h.2016.0049 (impact factor: 2.03).
Gao, Z., Chen, S., Pasco, D., & Pope, Z. (2015). Effects of active video games on physiological and psychological outcomes among children and adolescents: A meta-analysis. Obesity Reviews, 16, 783-794. doi: 10.1111/obr.12287 (impact factor: 7.995)
Gao, Z., & Chen, S. (2014). Are field-based exergames useful in preventing childhood obesity? A systematic review. Obesity Reviews, 15, 676-691. doi: 10.1111/obr.12164 (impact factor: 7.995)
Gao, Z., Hannan, P. F., Xiang, P., Stodden, D., & Valdez, V. (2013). Video game–based exercise, Latino children’s physical health, and academic achievement. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 44(3S3), s240-s246. (impact factor: 4.28)
Gao, Z., & Podlog, L. (2012). Urban Latino children’s physical activity levels and performance in interactive video dance games: Effects of goal difficulty and goal specificity. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine,166(10), 933-937. (impact factor: 4.25)
Gao, Z. (2012). Urban Latino school children’s physical activity correlates and daily physical activity participation: A social cognitive perspective. Psychology, Health and Medicine, 17(5), 542-550. DOI:10.1080/13548506.2011.647699. (impact factor: 1.53)