Patrick M. Davitt, PhD, CSCS, FACSM, is the program director of Exercise Physiology at Saint Joseph’s University, in Philadelphia, PA. He earned his PhD in nutritional physiology and biochemistry at Rutgers University, with a specialization in exercise physiology, under the mentorship of Dr. Shawn Arent. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Connecticut, under Dr. Jeff Volek, where he studied low carbohydrate/ketogenic dieting in ultra-endurance athletes. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), a level 1 CrossFit trainer and has a functional movement screen, level 1 certification. Dr. Davitt was the head sports nutritionist for the Rutgers University Football Team for 6 years. He has worked with the Greater New York Regional Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), and previously was the 2018 Chapter president, and is an ACSM Fellow and Exercise is Medicine (EIM) Ambassador. He is also a Maxwell Certified Coach and Speaker.
Dr. Davitt specializes in all things exercise and health, with a concentration in energy metabolism and fitness testing and he has over 15 years’ experience studying energy expenditure, performing various fitness testing and working with various populations, from sedentary individuals to elite professional athletes. Recent and ongoing research focuses on metabolic and physiological impacts of varied carbohydrate/fat combinations, fueling with different carbohydrate beverages and the impact of pack weight and fatigue on energy expenditure and perception of effort/cognition, in various populations, including ultra-endurance athletes, first responders and military. He has given presentations and seminars at the local and national level, has published in many peer-reviewed journals, and has been featured in National Geographic, Outside Magazine, Runners World, Sports Illustrated Germany, Philadelphia Inquirer, Men’s Running UK Magazine, and more. He is an associate editor for The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research and peer-reviews for Journal of American College of Nutrition, Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, PLOS ONE journal and the Journal of Comparative Exercise Physiology.
He is the co-founder of a trail racing company called CTW Endurance, hosting ultra-endurance trail races around the Hudson Valley for the past 6 years.
He is the co-host of the podcast Valued Pursuit, hoping to bring insight and experience of the pursuit of value and chasing a better version of ourselves. Alongside this, he holds a second-degree black belt in Taekwondo, reflecting a commitment to discipline and skill.
Dr. Davitt is an avid fly-fisherman, hiker (26 out of 46 Adirondack, NY peaks) and ultra-endurance trail runner himself, most recently completing the 2021 Eastern States 100-mile trail race.
