Dr. Vincent Onywera
Visiting Scholar from Kenya – June to September 2009
Email

Physical Activity Epidemiologist and Fitness Consultant
Founding member of KIDS-CAN Research Alliance
Kenyatta University
Department of Exercise and Sports Science
Nairobi, Kenya

Rank

Visiting scholar from Kenya

Degrees

  • B.Ed (Hons) – Physical and Health Education(Kenyatta  University)
  • M.Ed – Physical and Health Education (Kenyatta  University)
  • PhD – Kenyatta University

Teaching Areas

  • Exercise physiology
  • Laboratory procedures in Sport and Exercise
  • Kinanthropometry
  • Fitness Testing and evaluation across populations

Awards

  • Kenyatta University Undergraduate Aaward-1999
  • Kenyatta University Staff Development Aaward-2000
  • Kinanthropometry Certification (ISAK 1) -2007

Research Interests

  • Epidemiological/physical activity transition in Africa
  • Interplay between nature and nurture in relation to obesity
  • Pediatric Physical Activity and Obesity
  • Kinanthropometry and Spirometry
  • The remarkable performance of Kenyan runners
  • Physical activity, fitness and health measurement

Projects Recently Completed

  • Kenyan International Development Study-Canadian Activity Needs (KIDS-CAN) Research Alliance development, 2008

Projects in Progress

  • Kenyan International Development Study-Canadian Activity Needs (KIDS-CAN) research program

Administrative and Professional Activities/Interests

  • Scientific Reviewer  – International Council for Health, Physical Education,

Recreation, Sport, and Dance (ICHPER·SD) Journal of Research

  • Associate Editor and Scientific Reviewer – African Journal of Applied

Human Sciences (AJAHSK)

  • Scientific Reviewer- African Journal for Physical, Health Education, Recreation & Dance(AJPHERD)
  • Director, Kenyatta University Website
  • Deputy Director, Kenyatta University IAAF Athletics Academy
  • Secretary, Kenya Anti-Doping Agency (KADA)
  • Member, School of Applied Human Sciences Executive Board

Other tidbits

A soccer player who represented his Primary and Secondary schools to provincial level. Was a member of the University Soccer and Athletics team that competed nationally and in the East Africa University Games. Certified (ISAK 1) Kinanthropometrist. Member of:

  • International Physical Activity and the Environment Network
  • International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE)
  • International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry (ISAK)
  • International Council for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Sport and Dance (ICHPER·SD)
  • African Physical Activity Network (APAN)
  • Africa Association of Health, PE, Recreation, Sport and Dance-(AAHPERSD)

Truncated Biography

Dr.Onywera is a lecturer at Kenyatta University, Department of Exercise, Recreation and Sport Science. He got his PhD in 2007 from Kenyatta University where he studied the phenomenal performance of Kenyan distance Runners. His PhD was to analyze the interplay between nature and nurture in explaining the phenomenon performance of East African Runners in international Distance running events. He teaches exercise physiology as well as laboratory procedures courses to both undergraduate and postgraduate students over and above academic supervision of graduate students who are drawn from the greater East Africa and the great lakes region. Dr. Onywera has been a strong and consistent advocate of healthful living through physical activity in the greater East Africa and the Great Lakes Region: A place where people are living under difficult sociocultural and economic circumstances.

He has on several occasions been invited by the Kenyan Ministries of Education, Ministry of Youth and Sport as a facilitator on various issues touching on Physical Education for health and wellness. He has also attended several regional meetings organized by the CDC/IUHPE such as the IUHPE/CDC 5th Annual Seminar on Cardiovascular Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Epidemiology held in Bagamoyo, Tanzania, in 2008. He recently participated in a workshop organized by the Indian Centre for Chronic Disease Control (CCDC).The workshop took place in Zanzibar and was on Capacity Strengthening of Policy Makers and Programme Managers for Prevention & Control of Non-communicable Diseases”. The meeting brought together participants from Eastern, Central and Southern Africa regions. The workshop was conducted and supported under the International Union for Health Promotion and Education Global Programme on Health Promotion Effectiveness (IUHPE)/CDC Co-operative Agreement.

In 2007, he was instrumental in working by a Canadian team led by Dr. Mark Tremblay of the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute (CHEO-RI) in establishing the Kenyan International Development Study- Canadian Activity Needs Research Alliance (KIDS-CAN).

Dr.Onywera is married to Mary Auma. They two children, Fidel (born 2001) and Meeghan (born 2008).They have two adopted children, John and Eric (born, 1994) over and above his parents (John and Meresa) whom he is also taking care of as his ‘children’.