Keith Diaz, PhD

Keith Diaz, PhD is a certified exercise physiologist and Assistant Professor of Behavioral Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center. He is Director of the Exercise Testing Laboratory at the Center for Behavioral Cardiovascular Health. He conducts laboratory- and observational-based research to elucidate the role of prolonged sedentary behavior in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease, with a specific focus of iteratively optimizing feasible, sustainable, and cost-effective guidelines for reducing prolonged sitting. He currently serves as PI for several federally funded research studies. His work on sedentary behavior has been featured by theNew York Times,CNN,CBS News,NPR, andthe Guardian, among many others. He also is an expert in physical activity monitoring and has conducted several studies evaluating the accuracy of consumer-based activity trackers such as those made by Fitbit. He regularly serves as an expert witness in criminal cases involving physical activity trackers.

Dr. Diaz also devotes his professional efforts toward individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. He is the founder and Co-Director of Project PossABILITY, a disability hiring program at Columbia University Medical Center. He also serves on the Advisory Board for the Center for Dignity in Healthcare for People with Disabilities.