Dr. Judith A. Flohr is a Professor Emerita of Kinesiology at James Madison University (JMU) and currently serves as the Founding Director of the Morrison Bruce Center for the Promotion of Physical Activity for Girls and Women. Dr. Flohr founded the MBC to honor the legacies of Drs. L. Leotus Morrison and Patricia J. Bruce. However, she also envisioned the Center as a “place” for faculty to engage in teaching, scholarship, and service. Specifically it was Dr. Flohr’s hope that faculty and students (undergraduate and graduate) would deliver outreach programs and conduct research that would enhance girls and women’s levels and knowledge of physical activity, as well as advance the understanding of the impact of exercise on women’s health and risks for disease. Furthermore, Dr. Flohr also believed that the Center could serve to help nurture and develop students’ leadership skills and interest in scholarship by engaging them in the design and delivery of programs and research projects. During her tenure at JMU, she was the Director of the Human Performance Laboratory, Coordinator of the Exercise Science and Leadership Program, and taught graduate and undergraduate courses in Exercise Science.
Dr. Flohr served three terms as President of the Faculty Women’s Caucus and received the Founder’s Award in 2006 from the Caucus. In 2013, Dr. Flohr received the Service Award from the Southeast American College of Sports Medicine (SEACSM). As a faculty member at JMU, she received the Distinguished Teaching Award in 2000 and the Distinguished Service Award in 2006. Dr. Flohr is a Fellow in the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and served as President of the Southeast American College of Sports Medicine (SEACSM). She served on the ACSM Board of Trustees as the Chapter Trustee and on the ACSM Foundation Board of Directors.
Dr. Flohr received her Bachelor’s degree in Animal Physiology from The University of California-Davis, her Master’s in Physical Education (Exercise Physiology) from the University of California-Davis, and her Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. Prior to her appointment at JMU, she was a faculty member at the College of Wooster where she became the first woman in the United States to coach a men’s intercollegiate swim team. At Wooster, she was the Men’s and Women’s Swimming Coach and taught exercise physiology and kinesiology. Dr. Flohr was also a faculty member in the Physical Education Department at Oberlin College where she taught exercise physiology and kinesiology and served as the Women’s Swimming Coach and Women’s Tennis Coach.
Dr. Flohr’s research interests included women and children’s physical activity, with an emphasis on the relationship between physical activity and risk for cardiovascular disease in post-menopausal women. Perhaps most notable of her research projects was the WAIAT study (Women Atherosclerosis Inflammation and Thrombosis), which engaged JMU alumnae and local area women and examined the impact of physical activity and diet on emerging and non-traditional risk factors for cardiovascular disease in post-menopausal women.
In her retirement, Dr. Flohr continues to make contributions to the Morrison Bruce Center by serving on the Advisory Board. In addition, Dr. Flohr incorporates regular swim workouts, walks, and bicycle rides around Rockingham County and takes kayak trips to lakes and/or quiet coastal waters. Most importantly, Dr. Flohr serves as chief playmate and friend to her dogs.
