Tshepang Tshube, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Dr. Tshepang Tshube is a retired athlete and an Associate Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Promotion at the University of Kentucky. He graduated with a PhD in Kinesiology from Michigan State University, concentrating on the Psychosocial Aspects of Sport and Physical Activity. Following his graduation in 2014, he moved to Botswana and took a lecturer position at the University of Botswana for nine years.
Dr. Tshube serves on the International Society for Sport Psychology Managing Council (ISSP). The ISSP is a multidisciplinary society devoted to promoting research, practice, and development in sport psychology throughout the world. Dr. Tshube’s research focuses on youth sports, life skills, mental health, and athletes’ career paths. His research is published in several journals, including the International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, Psychology of Sport and Exercise, and the International Sport Coaching Journal. Dr. Tshube is on the editorial board of several journals, including Case Studies in Sport and Exercise Psychology and Journal of Sport Psychology in Action. The two journals are hosted by the Association of Applied Sport Psychology.
Dr. Tshube has received and managed grants from the World Anti-Doping Agency, the International Olympic Committee, the African Alliance Partnership, and other funders.
Dr. Tshube served as a sports psychologist to Botswana National teams. His first national assignment was the 2015 African Games hosted at Brazzaville, Congo. Botswana won a total of 14 medals (three gold, four silver, and seven bronze). Other roles included the 2018 Commonwealth Games and the 2016 Olympic Games. He has also worked with the national soccer team (The Zebras), which has just qualified for the 2025 African Cup of Nations for the second time in the history of the cup. He worked and traveled with the team to Tunisia and Equatorial Guinea for the qualifier games.
Dr. Tshepang Tshube is part of a team of experts selected to write the International Olympic Committee Consensus Statement on mental health in elite athletes and Youth Athletes Screening. The team is made of experts from a variety of backgrounds, including former Olympic athletes, sports medicine physicians, and researchers.