Brianna N. Leitzelar
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Assistant Professor, Physical Activity and Health Promotion
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School of Kinesiology
202A Cooke Hall
1900 University Ave SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455-0376 - leitz025@umn.edu
Areas of interest
- Physical activity and sedentary behavior
- Cancer survivorship
- Health equity
- Chronic pain
- PhD, Kinesiology-Exercise Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- MS, Sport and Exercise Psychology, Ball State University
- MA, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Ball State University
Brianna Leitzelar, PhD, uses community-engaged and mixed methods (observational, qualitative, quantitative) to develop accessible and effective movement-based interventions to improve quality of life and reduce long-term symptoms for cancer survivors, particularly in communities that experience disproportionate effects of cancer and its treatment. Leitzelar aims to (1) partner with underserved communities to ensure movement-related interventions are accessible, (2) understand how to effectively promote movement among cancer survivors with chronic pain, and (3) determine if exercise can effectively manage cancer-related pain. Leitzelar is also the director of the Lifestyle Activity to Advance Cancer Equity (LACE) Lab.
Leitzelar is not accepting graduate students for the 2025-2026 academic year.
Honors and awards
- American Cancer Society 12th Annual Calle and Rodriguez Minority Travel Award for a Top-Ranked Abstract, American Society of Preventive Oncology, 2024
- Edith Peterson Mitchell Health Equity Travel Scholarship, ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group, 2022
Teaching
- KIN 5125: Advances in Physical Activity and Health
- KIN 5365: Health Promotion Program Design and Implementation
Google Scholar
UMN Experts
Orcid ID
- Leitzelar B.N., Almassi N.E., Crombie K.M., Andreae S., Winkle-Wagner R, Cadmus-Bertram L., Columna L., Koltyn K.F. (2024). Intervening to reduce sedentary behavior in African American elders: the “Stand Up and Move More” intervention. Health Promotion Perspectives, 14(2), 149.
- Leitzelar, B.N., Perna, F., Bluethmann S.M. (2024). Feasibility of a physical activity index in clinical practice: Perspectives of providers and cancer patients. Oncology Issues, 39(2), 39-44.
- Leitzelar, B.N. & Koltyn, K.F. (2021). Exercise and neuropathic pain: Current impact and mechanisms. Sports Medicine-Open, 7(1), 1-16
- Crombie, K.M., Leitzelar, B.N., Almassi, N.E., Mahoney, J., and Koltyn, K.F. (2021). The feasibility and effectiveness of a community-based intervention to reduce sedentary behavior in older adults. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 0733464820987919.
- Leitzelar, B. N., Blom, L. C., Guilkey, J., Bolin, J., & Mahon, A. (2020). Regulatory fit: Impact on anxiety, arousal, and performance in college-level soccer players. International Journal of Exercise Science, 13(5), 1430.