Dr. Elward Kendall Alford is the George L. "Chip" Luffey Endowed Professor in Kinesiology.
He is a professor of kinesiology and head of the University of Louisiana at Monroe Department of Kinesiology in the College of Education and Human Development.
Alford earned a Ph.D. in kinesiology from the University of Texas and a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology from the University of Texas.
From 1984-1986, he held a post-doctoral research award from the Brain Research Institute of UCLA, working with preeminent physiologists Drs. V. Reggie Edgerton, Roland R. Roy, and Arthur Vailas examining the etiology of muscle and bone physiology during spaceflight and the concurrent exposure to microgravity.
His specific research examined the role of muscle activations with and without development of force in the maintenance of robust muscle function.
Alford is currently involved in several professional and academic associations, including:
- American College of Sports Medicine
- American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance
- American Society of Biomechanics
- Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (formerly NARHA)
A large volume of his scholarly works has been published in numerous professional outlets. Alford’s most recent research has focused on the impact of hippotherapy on both gross and fine motor function, particularly among children suffering with cerebral palsy.
Additionally, he is studying the concept of multiple attention capacity as it relates to skilled movement.
Alford has had a varied and colorful professional life, having begun his career as a high school teacher and coach.
He then became a high school athletic director and later a college baseball coach and professor. He took a few years away from academia as a staff songwriter in the Nashville country music industry, and returned to academia as a professor and department head.
He is an avid horseman, having commanded a mounted sheriff’s posse, and enjoys sports and outdoor recreation.
About the Endowment:
The George L. "Chip" Luffey Endowed Professor in Kinesiology endowment was established by the Luffey family to encourage and reward excellence in teaching and demonstrate scholarly expertise in the fields of kinesiology and exercise sciences.