Dr. Sallis is a Past-President of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and currently chairs Exercise is Medicine, a joint initiative of ACSM and the American Medical Association. He championed Exercise is Medicine, a program designed to support physician-prescribed exercise. Dr. Sallis is a family physician practicing at Kaiser Permanente in Fontana, California for over 25 years. He also serves as co-director of their sports medicine fellowship and is a Clinical Professor of Family Medicine at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) School of Medicine.
Dr. Sallis lectures and publishes extensively in the area of sports medicine. A spokesperson for ACSM, he frequently provides his expertise and commentary on sports and health news and issues. Among his professional awards, he received the 2008 Community Leadership Award from the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, the 2009 Leonardo da Vinci award for international leadership in sports medicine from the Italian Federation of Sports Medicine (FMSI) and the 2011 Citation Award from the American College of Sports Medicine.
Dr. Sallis received his Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he played intercollegiate basketball. He received his Medical Degree from Texas A&M University and completed his residency in Family Medicine at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Fontana, CA, where he served as chief resident. He is head team physician at Pomona College and Los Osos High School. He is also Board Certified in Family Medicine and holds a Certificate of Added Qualifications in Sports Medicine.
Dr. Sallis was the founding editor-in-chief of the journal Current Sports Medicine Reports and currently serves as section editor for that journal. He also served as chair of the Healthcare Sector for the National Physical Activity Plan and is spokesperson for Every Body Walk!, a national initiative designed to get America Walking.