Leah Robinson, PhD

Dr. Leah Robinson is a professor of Movement Science at the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology. She is director of the Child Movement, Activity, and Developmental Health Laboratory (CMAH) and Assistant Director of the Michigan Institute for Clinical Health Research (MICHR) KL2 Program 

Dr. Robinson's research agenda takes a developmental approach to three complementary areas: motor skill acquisition/coordination, physical activity, and developmental health in pediatric populations. She seeks to understand the underlying mechanisms of motor skill acquisition because these salient skills are needed to be physically active across the lifespan. Her work also explores the association of motor skills/coordination to health-related constructs and the effects of motor skill interventions on developmental and behavioral health outcomes. Overall, her research explores how motor skill interventions contribute to children’s developmental trajectories. 

As a Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator, Dr. Robinson has received over $14 million dollars in grant funding from organizations such as the National Institutes of Health, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the US Department of Education. Dr. Robinson is a Fellow in the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). Her other professional affiliations include the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA) and the International Motor Development Research Consortium (Founding Member/Advisory Committee). Dr. Robinson has more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and she serves as an Associate Editor for Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.