Dr. Connie Tompkins is an associate professor of exercise science with expertise in the prevention and treatment of childhood and adolescent obesity. During her graduate and post-doctoral career, Dr. Tompkins conducted extensive testing and research on body composition, physiological responses to exercise prior to- and following weight loss, and the metabolic effects of obesity in children and adolescents. Since joining the Department of Rehabilitation and Movement Science in 2010, she has led several school-based, physical activity interventions as well as REWARD TEENS, a multi-disciplinary, adolescent weight management program.
Dr. Tompkins’ current research focuses on perceptual and physiological variables, including cognitive control, food addiction, and negative affect- factors that may potentially inhibit an adolescent’s participation in- and adherence to physical activity. She is also a co-Investigator, alongside researchers from education and psychology, on a project funded by the Vermont Children’s Health Improvement Program (VCHIP). This interdisciplinary project involves implementing- and evaluating the impact of a physical activity program in preschool classrooms in an effort to improve outcomes for Vermont’s at-risk children. Dr. Tompkins also teaches several courses in the Exercise and Movement Science program.