In this episode of Living Well: Public Health for All, host Lisa Koontz is joined by Dr. Kyle Kercher and IU School of Public Health-Bloomington students Luke Troyer and Maddie Mastin to explore the role sport can play in advancing public health. The conversation focuses on Hoosier Sport, a campus-community initiative that partners with schools and local organizations to create youth programs centered on physical activity, mentorship, and leadership development. Kercher discusses how sport-based programming can support both physical and social well-being, while Luke and Maddie share what it’s like to help design and implement these programs as students working directly with local communities.
Dr. Kyle Kercher is an assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology at the Indiana University School of Public Health–Bloomington and the founder of Hoosier Sport, a campus–community initiative that uses sport and physical activity to support youth health and development. His work focuses on translating public health research into real-world programs that expand access to physical activity, particularly in under-resourced communities. Through Hoosier Sport, Kercher collaborates with schools, students, and community partners to design sport-based programs that promote health, leadership, and long-term well-being.
Host Lisa Koontz is the Director of Faculty Operations at the Indiana University School of Public Health, Bloomington. In this role, she works closely with faculty across disciplines to support research, teaching, and community engagement initiatives that address real-world public health challenges. With a deep understanding of how public health research moves from idea to implementation, Koontz brings an insider’s perspective on how academic work translates into programs, policies, and practices that affect everyday life. As host of Living Well: Public Health for All, she guides conversations that connect research to lived experience, helping listeners understand not just what researchers study, but why it matters for Hoosiers.