Biography

Professor Ron Plotnikoff is the Chair in Physical Activity and Population Health Education at the University of Newcastle which he commenced in June 2009.

In 2010 he also took on the role as Director of the Priority Research Centre in Physical Activity & Nutrition.

Background: Prof Plotnikoff relocated from the University of Alberta, Canada (School of Public Health and Faculty of Physical Education) where he held a nationally-funded Chair in Physical Activity and Population Health and directed the Physical Activity and Population Health Research Laboratory

Track record: Professor Plotnikoff is an internationally regarded researcher in population health and physical activity research. He has an outstanding track record with over 180 peer-reviewed publications in print/press (116 in the past 5 years), and a further 25 under revision/review; over $8 million as a Chief Investigator and over $40 million as a co-investigator on population health research grants. He has received 5 Salary Research Awards which include a Canadian Institutes for Health Research-funded Applied Public Health Chair Award, an Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research-funded Health Scholar Award and most recently, a 5 year NHMRC Senior Research Fellowship.

Professor Plotnikoff's research focuses on individual/behavioural and environmental-level theory and intervention development/testing for the prevention and management of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, as well as the promotion of healthy body weight and general health of the population through physical activity. This research is conducted across various target populations (i.e., children, youth, adults, women, indigenous) and settings (i.e., clinics, schools, workplaces, communities, and the broader population).

Qualifications

• PhD (Medicine), University of Newcastle, 1995
• Master of Education, University of Newcastle, 1992
• Master of Educational Studies, University of Newcastle, 1986
• Bachelor of Arts (Education), Eastern Washington University - Cheney - USA, 1980

Research

Research keywords

• Behavioural Epidemiology
• Behavioural Medicine
• Education
• Exercise Psychology
• Health Education
• Health Promotion
• Health Psychology
• Physical Activity
• Physical Activity & Population Health
• Physical Activity & Public Health

Research expertise

In June 2009 I was appointed as Chair in Physical Activity and Population Health Education at the University of Newcastle. I've held 5 major research salary awards over the past 10 years while at the University of Alberta, Canada, including a Canadian Applied Public Health Chair (in Physical Activity and Population Health) funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR); CIHR is equivalent to Australia's NHMRC. I have published 170 refereed papers. I have generated over $8M as Chief Investigator and over $40M as a Co-Investigator in operating grant funding. I have supervised 9 Post-doctoral Fellows and been involved in the supervision of over 50 higher degree students. I have served on several national (Canadian) grant review panels and prior to leaving Canada, I declined an invitation to serve on a National Institutes of Health (US) special panel on knowledge translation research grants related to diabetes prevention.

I have multi-disciplinary training which includes Kinesiology, Education (2 Masters Degrees), Behavioural Epidemiology (PhD) & Community Medicine (Post-doc). My interdisciplinary research and publications over the past 15 years cross the fields of public health, health psychology, health promotion/education, exercise psychology, and behavioural epidemiology. My early career/publications were focused on teacher education. In 1998 I was recruited as the founding faculty for University of Alberta's Centre for Health Promotion Studies (an interdisciplinary centre integrating all 6 of the University's allied health-related faculties). I was also selected to serve on a number of University committees regarding recommendations for interdisciplinary research and teaching, and social science research related to research funding.

Most of my research in both Canada and Australia involves intersectoral partnerships including public health authorities, health and education national/ provincial/ regional government sectors, school boards, workplace organizations, health professional affiliations (e.g. physician groups). For example, I am the co-Director/Chief Investigator for the Healthy Alberta Community project (ongoing since 1994) for chronic disease prevention and obesity reduction in Alberta Communities. This is a government and university-based partnership (with initial funding of $3M) and a World Health Organisation (WHO) Demonstration Project. I have also lead national policy initiatives/documents related to a number of health- related issues (e.g. women and cardiovascular disease, workplace health which required modified Delphi techniques in establishing consensus with academics, NGOs and related sectors).

During my tenure at the University of Alberta, I was the Senior Research Associate with the Alberta Centre for Active Living a government/university partnership mandated to translate research for health and education practitioners in Canada and abroad (http://www.physedandrec.ualberta.ca/activeliving_centre.cfm). For example, I developed and tested a workplace program standard and audit instrument for workplace physical activity which has been adopted by organizations in numerous countries. Further, much of my research includes effectiveness studies; these research platforms assist in the translation of our efficacy studies in 'real-life' settings. Further, I was part of the Founding Faculty (with 5 other international academics) for developing and teaching an annual 4-day national course on Physical Activity and Public Health for Canadian health professionals and researchers.

Collaboration

Prof. Plotnikoff's work over the past decade has focused on four spheres of research (i.e., physical activity/exercise, diabetes/cardiovascular disease, social-cognitive models, and ecological approaches). It is the interrelationship of these four areas that pivotally directs his research program on physical activity behaviour change interventions in the context of ecological frameworks for the prevention and management of diabetes and cardiovascular disease as well as the promotion of healthy body weight and general health of the population.

Languages

• English
• Russian

Fields of Research

Centres and Groups

Centre

• Educational Research Institute Newcastle (ERIN)
• Hunter Medical Research Institute
• PRC - Priority Research Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition

Group

• Physical Activity and Population Health Education
• Hunter Medical Research Institute - Cardiovascular

Memberships

Editorial Board.

• Member - American Journal of Health Promotion
• Member - Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science

Appointments

Awards

Research Award.

Salary Awards (Peer Reviewed)

Administrative

Administrative expertise

Since 2010 I have been the Director of the Priority Research Centre in Physical Activity & Nutrition at the University of Newcastle.

I established and directed the Physical Activity and Population Health Research Laboratory at the University of Alberta for over 10 years. I was the core member (with 3 others) in establishing the recent Alberta Institute for Physical Activity and Health.

Teaching

Teaching keywords

• Physical Activity & Public Health

Teaching expertise

University of Alberta: 1998 - 2008

Centre for Health Promotion Studies graduate course taught:

INTD 501 Foundations of Health Promotion (1998)

Faculty of Physical Education graduate/undergraduate course taught:

PERLS 582 Physical Activity and Population Health (2007, 2008)

PERLS 541 Social Cognitive Approaches to Health Promoting Behaviour (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006)

HEED 321 Health Education - Individual Approaches to Health Education (2000, 2001)

Faculty of Medicine graduate course taught:

PHS 690 Advanced Methods in Epidemiology (2 x 3 hour sessions) (1999, 2000)

University of Ottawa: 1994 1998

Department of Epidemiology and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine

Teaching (and examining) in the medical undergraduate Community Medicine Program; and

Sessional teaching of MSc Epidemiology classes - Details of the above specific courses can be provided upon request.

Community Health Research Unit, (CHRU): University of Ottawa/ Ottawa-Carleton Health Department

" Scientific Editor, CHRU Perspectives (Quarterly Research Newsletter disseminated nationally) 1996 - 1998.

" Consultant on Women Take Charge Heart Health: Ottawa-Carleton Health Dept. 1998 - 1999.

" Consultant on School-Aged, Heart Health Summer Program Study: Ottawa-Carleton Health Department, 1996.

" Consultant on Adolescent Smoking Project: Ottawa-Carleton Health Dept. 1995 - 1996.

" Chair of the Transtheoretical Model (Stages of Change) Think Tank, 1996 - 1998.

" Member of Health Indicators Think Tank, 1994 - 1995.

The University of Newcastle: 1986 - 1993

Faculty of Education

A list of courses developed, taught and supervised in the Department of Educational Studies, Department of Pedagogy, and Division of Physical Education and Health from 1986 - 1993 can be provided upon request.

Faculty of Medicine

Tutor in Community Medicine; Examiner (orals) in Population Medicine.