PutraWEfit UPM Recognized by ACSM’s Exercise is Medicine^® Program for Creating Culture of Wellness on Campus 

PutraWEfit UPM among 193 Campuses Honored Worldwide 

PutraWEfit UPM is one of 193 universities and colleges around the world to be honored by Exercise is Medicine^® (EIM) for its efforts to create a culture of wellness on its campus. Through the various activities that was carried in 2025, from the running of the PutraWEfit clinic to interagency collaborations, it helped PutraWEfit UPM earn gold-level designation from the Exercise is Medicine^® On Campus (EIM-OC) program. Exercise is Medicine® is a community-impact initiative of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

“We are thrilled to recognize these campuses’ commitment to make movement a part of daily campus culture and give students the tools to cultivate physical activity habits that will benefit them throughout their lives,” said CEO Katie Feltman, CAE. “These campus programs are nurturing future leaders who will advance a key tenet of Exercise is Medicine: making physical activity assessment and promotion a standard in health care.” 

“The efforts taken by PutraWEfit UPM in the EIM-OC program has encouraged not only the clients participating in the clinic program to increase their daily physical activity, but have also inspired paramedics, doctors, and future generations—our students, to be more physically active.” said Dr Abdul Hadi, 2026’s PutraWEfit coordinator on the impact of EIM-OC to UPM.

In 2025, from the efforts of all those involved with PutraWEfit, a wide range of activities were conducted. Besides the usual running of the PutraWEfit clinic, where clients irrespective of age, gender and body habitus can join and participate in the wellness program to monitor and improve their weight and general fitness, PutraWEfit collaborated with ProtectHealthÒ in their month-long activity titled “Let’s Break the Steps”. Participants from various government agencies competed not only individually but also interagency. The objective of the competition was to break the sedentary lifestyle by increasing the daily steps. The winner was decided based on the maximum number of daily steps over a period of one-month with the minimum steps required being 5000 steps per day. With daily encouragement from Dr Hanifatiayah, UPM’s team leader, UPM managed to come out on top, winning not only the first prize for the individual category but also interagency.

Under the leadership of Dr Nurainul Hana in 2024 and Dr Puteri Shanaz in 2025, PutraWEfit had its 2^nd and 3^rd PutraWEfit workshop respectively. The workshop attracted participants from primary care with interest in improving fitness in their clients and included doctors, nurses and physiotherapists. Topics included the physiology of exercise and its benefits in the management of chronic conditions, overcoming barriers to exercise, and managing weight loss in adolescence to name a few. Besides lectures, there were also practical skills sessions such as calories counting, motivational interviewing for physical activity counseling, fitness assessment using the 6-minute walking test or 3-minute step test and interpreting body composition analysis. The workshop covered a holistic approach to weight loss and fitness.

This year, PutraWEfit will conduct its 4^th annual workshop with the theme “Road to Fitness, A Network of Health” on 18^th July 2026. It will be a one-day workshop where experts from various backgrounds share their knowledge, experiences and skills, combining both lectures and hands-on sessions. With this year’s theme on networking, speakers include family medicine specialists, sports medicine specialists, clinical psychologists, dietitians, and private fitness instructors. The workshop is open to all those interested in wellness, exercise and fitness, from government sectors to private sectors, undergraduate students and even to postgraduate students.  

Of the 193 campuses recognized this year, 94 received Gold, 35 received Silver, 17 received Bronze, and 47 renewed their active status. All Gold, Silver, Bronze, and renewed universities and colleges will be officially honored on May 27 at the EIM recognition ceremony at ACSM’s Annual Meeting.

EIM-OC calls upon universities and colleges to promote physical activity as a vital sign of health and encourages faculty, staff and students to work together to improve the health and well-being of the campus community.  

EIM-OC launched its recognition program in 2014 to honor campuses for their efforts to create a culture of wellness. Schools earn Gold, Silver or Bronze status based on their activities. Gold level campuses have created a referral system where campus health care providers assess student physical activity and refer students as necessary to a certified fitness professional as part of medical treatment. Silver campuses engage students, faculty and staff in education initiatives and make movement part of the daily campus culture. Bronze level campuses promote and generate awareness of the health benefits of physical activity. Renewed schools are actively developing and enhancing their programs, positioning themselves for advancement in the recognition system.

 

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About Exercise Is Medicine 

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) co-launched Exercise is Medicine® (EIM) in 2007 with the American Medical Association. ACSM continues to manage the global health initiative, which seeks to make physical activity assessment and promotion a standard in clinical care, connecting health care with evidence-based physical activity resources for people everywhere of all abilities. EIM is committed to the belief that physical activity promotes optimal health, is integral in the prevention and treatment of many medical conditions and should be regularly assessed and included as part of health care. Visit www.ExerciseisMedicine.org for additional information. 

About the American College of Sports Medicine 

The American College of Sports Medicine is the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world. More than 50,000 international, national and regional members and certified professionals are dedicated to advancing and integrating scientific research to provide educational and practical applications of exercise science and sports medicine. More details at www.acsm.org.

Tarikh Input: 05/05/2026 | Kemaskini: 06/05/2026 | nadia_rahman