ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa.—Elizabethtown College Athletics announced Joel French as the new Human Performance Lab Director.

French is an accomplished educator, physiologist, and researcher with more than two decades of experience in fitness, healthcare and academia. French comes to Etown from Concordia University, where he served as an adjunct faculty member teaching courses in clinical exercise assessment and advanced exercise prescription.

"We're very excited to have Joel join our team," Elizabethtown College Director of Athletics, Chris Morgan said.  "The experiences and skill set that he brings will create tremendous learning opportunities for our students."

While teaching, French held several other jobs such as being the Head of Fitness/Sports Science at Tempo Fitness where he served as the health and science expert, creating strength and conditioning programs for members. While there, French also collaborated on marketing, product, and engineering projects. Prior to working at Tempo Fitness, French was the Director of Sports Science and Performance at CU Sports Medicine and Performance Center, where he directed a team on providing sports science nutrition services to athletes.

For three years, he acted as the Senior Director of Research and Fitness at Orangetheory where he integrated science based best practices into Orangetheory's content and technology products. From 2017-14, French worked for the Mayo Clinic as an Exercise Physiologist where he developed and delivered new disease prevention and fitness programming for more than 1,000 athletes.

"I am very excited to join Etown to continue and expand the services provided by the Human Performance Lab," French said. "My goal is to use the best science to help Etown's student-athletes improve their health and performance as well as reduce their risk of injury."

French holds multiple certifications as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (NSCA), an Exercise Specialist/Physiologist (ACSM), and a personal trainer (ACE).

French is a graduate of the University of Sioux Falls, where he obtained his Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Exercise Science. He then went on to earn his Master of Science in Exercise Physiology from St. Cloud State University. French holds Doctorate in Applied Exercise Physiology from the University of Florida.

The Human Performance Lab (HPL) at Elizabethtown College, in partnership with Orthopedic Associates of Lancaster (OAL), LTD, offers personalized attention and comprehensive analysis to community members and sports teams seeking to enhance their performance. Unlock your full potential by scheduling an appointment: etown.edu/hpl.