October 20, 2026 | Erin Bluvas, bluvase@sc.edu
Mark Sarzynski, a professor in the Department of Exercise Science, has been selected as an Active Fellow in the National Academy of Kinesiology (NAK). Sarzynski’s election is a reflection of his contributions to the field of kinesiology through scholarship and professional service.
“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Sarzynski to the Academy,” says NAK President Howard N. Zelaznik. “His leadership and scholarship exemplify the qualities we seek in Fellows – advancing knowledge, mentoring the next generation, and strengthening the future of kinesiology.”
Fellows are selected following a rigorous, multistage review process after they are nominated by current Fellows. Elected Fellows are represent the most elite researchers in the field who have made sustained and distinguished contributions to kinesiology over an extended period of time.
Since he arrived at the Arnold School in 2015, Sarzynski has been building his expertise in understanding the responses of lipids and lipoproteins to behavioral interventions. In his Foundations of Lipids and Exercise (FLEX) Laboratory, Sarzynski and his team employ integrated -omics (e.g., genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, transcriptomics, lipidomics, and diverse cellular assays) to reveal new insights into these areas, particularly high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particles.
As a result, Sarzynski has become an internationally recognized leader in the field – disseminating his work through more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and six book chapters and more than 150 presentations and abstracts around the field while securing over $7 million in external funding as principal investigator.
At USC, Sarzynski has served as graduate director for the Ph.D. in Exercise Science program (then ranked #1 by NAK), where he continues to contribute as a committee member. He is also an Executive Committee Member for USC’s predoctoral NIH T-32 Behavioral-Biomedical Interface Program.
Sarzynski’s service extends to his role on multiple NIH study sections and his leadership as director of the HERITAGE Family Study – one of the largest exercise training studies ever conducted. He has also served on the Steering Committee and held the Chair position for the GenBioPAC (Genomics and Biology of Physical Activity Consortium) and currently serves as a member of the American Heart Association Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health’s Physical Activity Committee. Over the years, he has mentored dozens of students from undergraduate to postdoctoral level as well as numerous junior faculty members.
“It is clear through his research, leadership, dissemination, service and mentorship activities, that Dr. Sarzynski is consistently making positive contributions to the field of kinesiology,” says exercise science chair Shawn Arent. “Through his career, he has demonstrated a sustained level of achievement and excellence and is committed to furthering the goals of the Academy. There is no doubt that he is incredibly deserving of this honor. He is such an outstanding representative of this department.”
Sarzynski is a 2008 alumnus of the Ph.D. in Kinesiology program at Michigan State University, which he followed with a postdoctoral fellowship and additional research experience in human genomics at Pennington Biomedical Research Center. In addition to his election as a Fellow in NAK, he is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association. Sarzynski’s work has been further recognized with the 2026 Henry J. Montoye Scholar Award (Southeast Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine) and the Arnold School’s Faculty Research Award.