Dr. Segar is recognized for her interdisciplinary research on creating sustainable lifestyle behaviors within the unpredictability of the real world and training clinicians in next-generation science-based patient-centered counseling, emphasizing physical activity and healthy eating.
Dr. Segar’s translational research is widely recognized as relevant and practical worldwide and she is frequently quoted in media (The New York Times, NPR, and The Washington Post, etc.). She was named inaugural chair of the United States National Physical Activity Plan’s Communication Committee, has been a speaker for the World Health Organization, was an adviser to the Department of Health and Human Services, and was past director of the University of Michigan’s Sports, Health, and Activity Research and Policy Center.
Dr. Segar was selected to deliver a keynote lecture at the Society of Behavioral Medicine’s annual conference (April, 2023), a Presidential Lecture at the American College of Sports Medicine’s annual conference (June, 2017), and a keynote lecture at the North American Society for Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity’s 2025 annual conference (June, 2025). She also delivered the Illinois State University’s School of Kinesiology’s annual Esther Larson McGinnis (ELM) Scholar Lecture (October, 2019) and was chosen for a Distinguished Lecture at Kansas State University’s Kinesiology Department (February, 2019).
Dr. Segar is interested in the ways in which societal norms and gendered pressures influence people’s healthy behavior decision-making and develops and evaluates digital interventions for lifestyle behaviors to address them. She has received funding from the National Institutes of Health, American Association of University Women, and the American College of Sports Medicine, among others. Her research has generated accolades from organizations such as the Society of Behavioral Medicine, the North American Menopause Society, and the State of Michigan’s Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness, Health, and Sports. She speaks to academic, industry, and lay audiences, sharing the latest science on the methods and messages that underlie sustainable behavior change.
Her scholarly books are written to be understandable across audiences. Her first book, NO SWEAT! (Amacom, 2015), explains the societal norms and gender pressures that inhibit exercising and the science and method for converting exercise from a chore into a gift, creating the high-quality and stable motivation that underlies long-term participation. It was a bestselling book and is being used as a core text in training professionals in health coaching and patient counseling. Her second book, THE JOY CHOICE: HOW TO FINALLY ACHIEVE LASTING CHANGES IN EATING AND EXERCISE (Hachette Go, 2022) was named “one of the best health books experts read by 2022” in The Washington Post and describes the emerging science about how to create behavioral resilience for healthy eating and regular physical activity.
Her multidisciplinary training includes a doctorate in Psychology (PhD), a master’s degree in Health Behavior/Health Education (MPH), a master’s degree in Kinesiology (MS), and fellowships in translational research and health care policy from UM.
1239 Lane Hall