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ERNIE MEDINA, JR., DrPH - Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Medina is a preventive care specialist who has spent the last 13 years working at Beaver Medical Group in Redlands, Ca., helping patients of all ages overcome lifestyle-related diseases such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.
In light of the growing pediatric obesity epidemic, Dr. Medina and XRtainment Zone are collaborating with California State University of San Bernardino to conduct research on the effectiveness and viability of "exertainment" as a tool in the fight of this epidemic. Dr. Medina is also the originator and co-founder of XRtainment Zone LLC, a first-of-a-kind center combining the latest in exergaming equipment and professional programming for total wellness in the family. He recently incorporated exergaming into the Zone’s Family FitZone class, a pediatric and family weight management class.
Because of Dr. Medina's interest in kids, he is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to not only get kids to exercise, but to want to keep exercising. In 1998, when he saw his first demonstration of the Trazer computer game where a young girl was jumping and dancing in order to play a video game-the seed was planted for what is now the XRtainment Zone. Since that time, Dr. Medina has been collecting, networking, and researching games and hardware for exertainment. This has led to the belief that exertainment or exergaming provides a unique intervention that overcomes many of the obstacles faced with promoting physical activity to kids.
In 1989, after graduating with his Bachelor of Science degree from Andrew University, located in Berrien Springs, Michigan, Dr. Medina attended Loma Linda University School of Public Health where he earned both his Master's of Public Health (Health Promotion emphasis) and Doctorate in Public Health (emphasis in preventive care) in 1993. He completed internships at Desert Hot Springs Heart Institute, Kaiser Permanente's Preventive Medicine Dept., Cooper Aerobic Center, and Beaver Medical Group.
Dr. Medina is a certified Health and Fitness Instructor by the American College of Sports Medicine. He is also the former Executive Director of the American Preventive Care Association. Besides working at Beaver Medical Group, Dr. Medina is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Health Promotion at Loma Linda University's School of Public Health where he guest lectures, supervises doctoral interns at Beaver Medical Group, and serves on doctoral students' dissertation committees.
In his personal time, most of Dr. Medina's extracurricular activities involve kids. He is a former co-director of the Adventurer Club (co-ed youth ages 4-9), a leader in the children division of his church, and has organized several kid's triathlons. Dr. Medina is married to Dr. Keri Medina, an associate professor at Loma Linda School of Nursing. They have a daughter, Summer, who is actively involved on the Redlands Swim Team, ballet, and competing in kid's triathlons. |
