Ash Walker Earns Highest Distinction From National Cardiovascular, Pulmonary Rehabilitation Association
UNC Pembroke assistant professor Ash Walker has earned the highest distinction awarded by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation, bringing more than two decades of leadership and expertise in the field back to students at his alma mater.
Walker was named a Master of AACVPR, a distinction recognizing fellows whose continued contributions to cardiovascular and pulmonary rehabilitation distinguish them as leaders in the profession. He will be recognized during the 41st AACVPR Annual Meeting, Sept. 30-Oct. 2 in San Antonio, Texas.
“This distinction is a huge honor,” Walker said. “It recognizes my years of service not just to AACVPR, but my contributions to the field.”
An assistant professor of Kinesiology, Walker has built a career spanning clinical exercise physiology, cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation, teaching and professional leadership. He earned AACVPR fellowship status in 2015 following years of service, research and leadership in cardiac rehabilitation.
“Dr. Walker’s designation as a Master of AACVPR is a remarkable accomplishment and reflects the caliber of faculty that we are proud to have in the College of Health Sciences,” said Dr. Eva Skuka, dean of the college. “ His leadership and expertise advance the cardiovascular and pulmonary rehabilitation profession while enriching the education our students receive and improving the health of the communities we serve. We are incredibly proud to celebrate this well-deserved distinction.”
Walker’s involvement with AACVPR dates to 2009. He has served as president of both the North Carolina Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Association and AACVPR, the national organization representing professionals working in cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation. He served on the national level from 2022 to 2023.
“I’m a huge advocate for the field,” he said. “That passion is one of the reasons I pursued leadership opportunities at both the state and national levels.”
Walker’s advocacy is rooted in a career dedicated to demonstrating the role exercise can play in medical care. As a clinical exercise physiologist, he has worked in medical fitness for more than 20 years, including more than a decade in cardiac rehabilitation, clinical testing and applied exercise physiology.
For Walker, that career has also brought him full circle to UNCP.
As a UNCP undergraduate, Walker envisioned becoming a strength-and-conditioning coach for college athletes. While working part-time at a fitness center in Lumberton, he encountered a cardiac rehabilitation patient who changed the trajectory of his career.
Walker was working with a patient who had completed cardiac rehabilitation when Angela Fields, a nurse in the program, overheard their conversation.
“I couldn’t help overhearing you talking to him,” Walker recalled Fields telling him. “You are a good teacher. We have this exercise specialist position in cardiac rehab. You should think about applying for it.”
Walker did. He got the job and found the career he has pursued ever since.
He went on to earn both his undergraduate and graduate degrees at UNCP. He began teaching at the university as an adjunct in 2007 before returning in 2023 as a member of the Kinesiology faculty.
“I enter each day grateful to be able to do what I do," Walker said. "I love our students. What a privilege it is to be able to teach at this university.”
As an exercise physiologist in cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, Walker specializes in designing, supervising and monitoring exercise programs for people recovering from heart and lung conditions. Professionals in the field monitor patients’ vital signs and electrocardiograms while helping them safely rebuild strength, improve health and reduce the risk of future medical events.
Walker continues to maintain an active role in the profession while preparing the next generation of exercise and sport science professionals. He serves as the inaugural course director for AACVPR’s Exercise Prescription Masterclass, a virtual program that attracts professionals from across the country, and is a contributor to textbooks used nationally in the field, including in UNCP classrooms.
For Walker, the Master of AACVPR distinction is also an opportunity to show students where their own careers can take them.
“I hope this distinction shows students that this is certainly achievable for them too,” he said.