Dr. William Simpson,associate professor of health and human performance at UW-Superior, will present two lectures and a short presentation in Tokyo from Oct. 1 to 6 on behalf of the American College of Sports Medicine.

Each fall the Japanese Fitness Association hosts a Health Fitness Specialist Workshop for examination candidates and continuing education students. As part of the workshop, the association invites one member from the American College of Sports Medicine to lecture and meet participants.

Simpson was asked to give two one-hour lectures on exercise and recovery, with one lecture focusing on cancer recovery and the other on training and recovery. In addition, he will give a short presentation on credentials and certification.

"It's simple but exciting," Simpson said.

In preparation for the presentations,Simpson has researched leading causes of death and types of cancer in both the United States and Japan. That research has benefited both his upcoming presentation and his students at UW-Superior.

"That's something to talk about when I teach pathopsychology - the cultural differences," he said.

As part of his research, Simpson has looked into rates of Alzheimer's Disease in Japan and the United States. In this country, Alzheimer's ranks among the 15 leading causes of death while in Japan it ranks 26th.

"The reason we're seeing more Alzheimer's in the U.S. is that people are living longer; but they live longer in Japan - longer and healthier," he said. "That's the kind ofthing I look at and think (about) what they are doing differently. Cultural, genetic - what causes the discrepancy? I'll bring that to my classes."

Simpson hopes to use his research as an opportunity to encourage his students to think critically about the topic and others like it to enable them to become problem-solvers in their careers.

Whilein Japan, Simpson also hopes to make connections for possible future internships for students.