John Graham Honored for Lifetime Contributions
Since 1993, the Boyd Epley Award for NSCA Lifetime Contributions has honored individuals who have exhibited historical impact, achievements and dedication to the National Strength and Conditioning Association over the course of their careers.
Receiving this honor in 2026 is John Graham, MS, CSCS,*D, RSCC*E, FNSCA, the Senior Network Administrator for Lifestyle Health & Wellness, Fitness & Sports Performance at St. Luke’s University Health Network.
Named after Boyd Epley, NSCA’s founder, this award is considered the most prestigious honor an NSCA Member can achieve.
“John personifies St. Luke’s commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of the communities we serve,” St. Luke’s Physician Group President Jared King said. “He has used his deep expertise in strength, conditioning and wellness to make a meaningful difference in the lives of community members, patients and athletes across our region, helping develop programs that bring St. Luke’s mission to life and support people at every stage of their fitness and health journey.”
Graham is pursuing his Doctorate of Health Sciences at East Stroudsburg University and has served as an adjunct professor at multiple colleges and universities.
His service to the NSCA spans governance, certification, education and publication. He was a member of the NSCA Board of Directors from 2001 to 2003, including as Vice President in 2002 and Secretary/Treasurer in 2003. He also contributed through the NSCA Certification Committee from 2010 to 2017, chairing it from 2012 to 2017, and the Conference and Education Committee, which he chaired from 2004 to 2009. In NSCA publications, Graham was editor of the Exercise Technique Column in the Strength and Conditioning Journal (SCJ) from 2000 to 2011, has served as an associate editor for the SCJ since 2008 and received the SCJ Editorial Excellence Award in 2000.
Beyond his NSCA service, Graham has authored or contributed to peer-reviewed and lay publications and presented on strength and conditioning, chronic disease and disability management, and health, fitness and metabolic training. He also coordinates, designs and implements exercise prescriptions for athletes, fitness populations and individuals with chronic conditions and disorders. His work has earned recognition from organizations and institutions including the American Council on Exercise, Medical Fitness Association, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, business publications and state government bodies.
About St. Luke’s
Founded in 1872, St. Luke’s University Health Network (SLUHN) is a fully integrated, regional, non-profit network with annual net revenue of more than $4.5 billion. With 23,000+ employees at 16 hospital campuses and 350+ outpatient sites, it is the Lehigh Valley’s biggest employer.
The Network’s service area includes 11 counties in two states: Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey. St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital is based at the Bethlehem Campus.
Dedicated to advancing medical education, St. Luke’s is the preeminent teaching hospital in central-eastern Pennsylvania. In partnership with Temple University, the Network established the Lehigh Valley’s first and only four-year medical school. It also operates the nation’s oldest continuously operated School of Nursing, established in 1884, and 60+ fully accredited graduate medical educational programs with 550+ residents and fellows. Additionally, the St. Luke’s College of Health Sciences opened in 2026.
In 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ranked St. Luke’s #1 – ahead of Houston Methodist and Mayo Clinic, two of the nation’s most prestigious institutions – as the nation’s top health system for quality, safety and patient experience. This objective recognition, based on public data reported to the government, reaffirms St. Luke’s preeminent position as THE BEST OF THE BEST among the most respected health care systems in the United States.
St. Luke’s has been named a Leapfrog Group Top Hospital and a Newsweek World’s Best Hospital. In 2026, all of the Network’s eligible hospital campuses were awarded Medicare’s highest ratings for quality, efficiency and patient satisfaction. The Network also earned straight A’s for safety from Leapfrog across all of its acute care hospitals. It has earned 100 Top Hospital designations from Premier 12 years in a row, including in 2026 when the Network was identified as THE #1 MEDIUM-SIZE HEALTH SYSTEM IN THE COUNTRY. Utilizing the Epic electronic medical record (EMR) system for both inpatient and outpatient services, the Network is a multi-year recipient of the Most Wired award recognizing the breadth of SLUHN’s information technology applications such as telehealth, online scheduling and online pricing information.
Information provided to TVL by:
Sam Kennedy
