Global impact
We are driving international impact through innovative, evidence-based programs that bridge research, education, and industry. From school classrooms to national health systems, our work is shaping how communities around the world engage with sport and movement.
By integrating expertise through multi-disciplinary collaboration, we are not only advancing academic knowledge but also delivering scalable programs with measurable outcomes. We are creating tools, programs, and frameworks that are both evidence-based and commercially viable.
We have a history of cross-institutional partnerships with universities and organisations from around the world. Expressions of interest are welcomed from academics including post graduate students who wish to participate in our Academic Visitor programme. This programme is intended for scholars with a clearly defined research agenda who wish to visit Newcastle to make use of the Collaborative’s facilities and staff, engage with partners and share their research.
Please note that our capacity to contribute to costs of travel and accommodation is very limited and requires a long lead time. Visiting scholars should assume that they will need to be self-funded.
Resistance Training for Teens (RT4T) is a school-based program designed to equip adolescents with the competence, confidence, motivation, and knowledge to engage in foundational resistance training.
RT4T comprises four key components:
- Structured resistance training sessions delivered at school
- Classroom lessons covering resistance training and related health topics
- Access to a dedicated RT4T tablet and smartphone app
- Classroom energiser breaks incorporating resistance exercises.
More than 500 teachers across ~300 schools in NSW have received training and support to implement RT4T. In 2024, Professor Lubans and team partnered with the University of Southern Denmark to evaluate a culturally adapted version of RT4T in Danish schools. This collaboration led to a successful grant from the Danish Heart Foundation, enabling the scale-up of RT4T in Denmark in partnership with the University of Southern Denmark and Danish School Sports (2025-2028).
More than 6,800 daughters and dads have experienced the profound benefits of the innovative, world-first physical activity and wellbeing program ‘Daughters and Dads Active and Empowered’, developed by Professor Philip Morgan.
First piloted in 2015, the program harnesses father-daughter relationships to improve physical and mental health and advance gender equity by challenging biases among participants and facilitators.
In its first decade, eleven high quality scientific journal publications and 20+ prestigious awards have highlighted the program’s wide-ranging benefit including: improving the physical activity levels of girls and men, building girls’ confidence and competence for sport; nurturing dads as gender equity advocates; and strengthening father-daughter bonds.
The program has been implemented across 5 countries through over 40 partnerships and described by the World Health Organisation as an example of an 'inspirational and effective initiative'.
In February 2019, the University of Newcastle, in partnership with the University of Ottawa, convened an international, multidisciplinary workshop to address one of public health’s most pressing challenges: scaling evidence-based physical activity interventions for population-level impact.
Led by Professor Ron Plotnikoff, the workshop brought together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to explore the real-world barriers, facilitators, and tensions involved in translating research into sustainable, system-wide practice.
The insights generated have since shaped national frameworks in Australia and Canada, influencing how governments assess the feasibility, cost-effectiveness, and adaptability of health interventions. Published findings in 2022 have contributed to global implementation science by reframing scale-up as a dynamic, non-linear process requiring long-term partnerships, flexible design, and strategic alignment with policy priorities.
This work positions the GSMC as a leader in global health research, demonstrating its capacity to convene international expertise and generate knowledge that informs policy and practice across borders. By advancing scalable solutions to physical inactivity - a global issue linked to billions in healthcare costs - the University is helping to shape healthier societies worldwide.
Events are more than moments of celebration, they’re strategic investments in a city’s future. Dr Alana Thomson's research is reshaping how the world understands the long-term value of sport and cultural events. From Olympic-scale spectacles to local festivals, this work is influencing how governments, industries and communities plan for legacy.
Globally recognised and cited by organisations like the OECD and the International Olympic Committee, Dr Thomson is driving a shift in thinking: success isn’t just measured in ticket sales or tourism dollars, but in how events activate public spaces, contribute to community wellbeing, strengthen local industries and connect elite sport with grassroots communities.
By translating complex legacy frameworks into practical tools, this work empowers cities to design events that leave lasting social, cultural and economic benefits. It’s helping ensure that major events don’t just pass through, but build momentum for sustainable community impact.
Professor Suzanne Snodgrass' research into human movement is changing how the world prevents injury, manages pain, and supports healthy ageing.
Globally, falls are the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related deaths. Suzanne’s team is tackling this challenge head-on by developing innovative ways to detect early balance decline in adults under 65 and designing targeted interventions that combine physical and cognitive training. Their ambitious goal is to help people stay active, independent and injury-free for longer.
The impact extends to elite sport. In collaboration with the NBA, Suzanne’s research is informing injury prevention strategies for professional basketball players, influencing clinical practice around the world and shaping training programs from the top tier to grassroots youth sport.
Physically Active Children in Education (PACE) is a model of implementation support designed to help primary schools meet mandated physical activity policies.
Co-developed with the University of Newcastle, Hunter New England Health, NSW Ministry of Health, and the NSW Department of Education, PACE provides structured support including teacher training, educational materials, leadership engagement, support from in-school champions, and ongoing consultation.
Between 2017-2023, four large-scale RCTs demonstrated that PACE increases teacher-delivered physical activity by approx. 45 mins/week and more than triples the proportion of teachers meeting the 150-minute policy. The model is now embedded in health service delivery, reaching > 700 schools and 240,000 students annually, and has been shortlisted for expansion to all NSW schools.
PACE has been recognised internationally as a global exemplar of policy implementation and received the NSW Health Keeping People Healthy Award in 2022.
Living with type 2 diabetes or long‑COVID can make exercise feel overwhelming, even though staying active is often one of the best ways to feel better.
This project looks at how exercise can be safely and effectively used to help people manage type 2 diabetes and long‑COVID symptoms like breathlessness and ongoing fatigue.
The goal is simple: help people get back to regular movement, or start exercising for the first time, in ways that feel achievable and supportive. By improving how exercise is prescribed and delivered, this research aims to make physical activity a realistic part of recovery and long‑term health.
Many people live with ongoing digestive issues such as bloating, pain, or irregular bowel habits. These are often called functional gastrointestinal disorders, meaning the gut doesn’t work as it should, even though there’s no clear disease or damage.
This project is the first to explore whether high‑intensity interval training (HIIT) - short bursts of challenging exercise followed by rest - can help. The program combines aerobic activity (like cycling or fast walking) with resistance training (strength exercises).
Researchers want to know whether this style of exercise is safe, manageable, and beneficial for people with digestive conditions, and whether it can improve symptoms and quality of life.
What a mother does during pregnancy may shape her child’s future health in ways we are only beginning to understand.
The IMPACT project explores how physical activity during pregnancy affects a child’s brain development and mental health. Rather than focusing only on physical growth, this research looks at how movement may support emotional wellbeing and cognitive development later in life.
By understanding these connections, the project aims to offer clearer guidance to expectant parents about how staying active during pregnancy might benefit both mother and child.
Balance problems don’t suddenly appear in old age. They often begin much earlier.
The Balance for Health project focuses on adults in middle age, a key window when small changes can make a big difference later on. Researchers study common balance challenges in the lab to understand why they happen and how they relate to thinking skills like memory and attention.
The team then designs targeted exercise programs to help improve balance and brain health. The long‑term aim is to lower the risk of falls and conditions like dementia by stepping in early, before serious problems develop.
Long hours at a desk can take a real toll on the neck and shoulders.
This project is developing a new approach to reduce long‑term neck pain in office workers. It focuses on improving posture and reducing how much time people spend sitting still during the workday.
Researchers are also creating a new measurement tool that tracks how the neck and upper body move in real‑world settings, not just in a lab. This helps ensure the exercises are realistic, practical, and suited to everyday work environments.
Chronic pain affects more than the body, disrupting sleep, mood, work and relationships.
This project studies whether guided breathing exercises can help people manage ongoing pain. The program is delivered online in small groups and led by an allied health professional, such as a physiotherapist or exercise specialist.
By teaching breathing techniques that calm the nervous system, researchers hope to give people a simple, affordable way to reduce pain and feel more in control. The long‑term aim is a self‑management program that eases the burden of chronic pain for individuals and their families.
For many young people, movement doesn’t feel like “exercise”, which is where dance can make a difference.
This project focuses on girls aged 13–19 and explores whether dance can boost mental health, self‑esteem, and overall quality of life. The first phase involves designing a dance program that feels enjoyable, inclusive, and supportive.
The second phase tests how practical the program is, including whether young people sign up, stick with it, and feel positive about the experience. The researchers also look at how well they can measure changes in wellbeing, to understand dance’s potential as a meaningful mental health intervention.
Positive experiences in sport can shape how children feel about movement – and about themselves – for years to come.
The MASTER program is designed to support children’s physical health, mental wellbeing, and social skills through enjoyable, supportive sporting experiences. Rather than focusing only on performance or winning, the program emphasises confidence, teamwork, and emotional development.
MASTER is based on strong research evidence and works by supporting the adults who matter most. It helps teachers and sports coaches build the skills they need to create high‑quality sport programs that are safe, inclusive, and engaging so children are more likely to stay active and enjoy being involved.
Many weight‑loss programs fail because they’re hard to stick to, or because they expect people to give up the foods they enjoy.
SHED‑IT is a low‑cost program designed specifically for men, helping them lose weight in realistic and sustainable ways. The focus is on long‑term habits, not quick fixes or strict diets.
The program uses practical tools such as printed guides, short videos, and a food‑tracking app. There are no in‑person sessions required, making it flexible and easy to fit around work and family life. The aim is simple: help men make healthier choices while still enjoying everyday food.
Losing weight doesn’t have to mean extreme dieting or giving up life’s pleasures.
Workplace POWER (Preventing Obesity Without Eating like a Rabbit) helps men take a practical, down‑to‑earth approach to weight loss. The program focuses on real food, realistic changes, and habits that can last.
It’s an award-winning, research-based program that has been delivered in workplaces across Australia, including police services, construction companies, and major industrial organisations. By bringing the program into the workplace, POWER makes it easier for men to learn, support each other, and improve their health without disrupting daily routines.
The program’s success has been recognised nationally, showing that health promotion works best when it’s relatable, achievable, and grounded in real‑world conditions.
When dads make healthy choices, their children are more likely to follow.
Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids is a community program that supports fathers to be positive role models for their children. It focuses on practical ways dads can support healthy eating, regular physical activity, and stronger family relationships. By learning effective parenting strategies and making small, realistic lifestyle changes, fathers improve their own health while supporting their children’s physical activity, eating habits, and overall wellbeing. Its success has been recognised with multiple awards, showing just how powerful family‑based approaches can be.
Habits start early and parents play a crucial role.
Healthy Youngsters, Healthy Dads is designed for fathers and their preschool‑aged children. The program supports families during the early years, when routines around food, movement, and behaviour are still forming.
It provides evidence‑based parenting strategies that help families eat well, be more active together, and support children’s physical and mental wellbeing. The aim is to build a healthy foundation that benefits both children and dads, long before school years begin.
Teenagers are busy, stressed, and often sit for long periods during the school day, which can affect both health and learning.
Burn 2 Learn is a school‑based physical activity program for senior secondary students. It uses short, structured exercise sessions to improve fitness while also supporting mental wellbeing. Importantly, the program is designed to fit into the school day. By getting students moving, it aims to boost concentration, reduce stress, and even support academic achievement, showing that exercise can help both body and mind.
Young people with disabilities often face extra barriers to being active at school.
Burn 2 Learn Adapted creates inclusive opportunities for adolescents with disability to take part in regular physical activity during school hours. The program includes short bursts of higher intensity aerobic and muscle strengthening exercises, alongside encouragement to be active outside of school.
Beyond fitness, the program also builds physical literacy, meaning motivation, confidence, skills, and knowledge about movement. This helps young people feel more capable and confident about staying active as they move toward adulthood.
Teachers play a key role in how much movement children get each day so iPLAY uses a whole of school physical activity program in primary schools to encourage active lifestyles. It uses an online training platform to support teachers with the knowledge and tools they need to include more movement in the school day.
Rather than relying on one‑off activities, iPLAY takes a comprehensive approach. It helps schools create environments where physical activity is valued, planned, and part of everyday learning, supporting children’s health, ability to focus and school enjoyment.
Learning to Lead is a school-based program for primary school students that explores how children’s leadership development can shape confidence, behaviour, and wellbeing. The program helps children build skills such as communication, responsibility and selfbelief.
The project also looks at how leadership programs affect teachers. By improving classroom behaviour and student confidence, these programs may help reduce teacher stress and support a more positive learning environment for everyone.
Children often learn best when their bodies are active, not still, so Thinking While Moving is a curriculum-based program that combines learning with movement in primary schools. Rather than separating physical activity from classroom time, the program integrates movement into lessons.
By getting children moving while they learn, the program aims to increase physical activity and improve on task behaviourhelping children focus, engage in class, and enjoy being active as part of everyday learning.
Scaling Up Physical Activity Promotion
In February 2019, the University of Newcastle, in partnership with the University of Ottawa, convened an international, multidisciplinary workshop to address one of public health’s most pressing challenges: scaling evidence-based physical activity interventions for population-level impact.
Led by Professor Ron Plotnikoff, the workshop brought together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to explore the real-world barriers, facilitators, and tensions involved in translating research into sustainable, system-wide practice.
The insights generated have since shaped national frameworks in Australia and Canada, influencing how governments assess the feasibility, cost-effectiveness, and adaptability of health interventions. Published findings in 2022 have contributed to global implementation science by reframing scale-up as a dynamic, non-linear process requiring long-term partnerships, flexible design, and strategic alignment with policy priorities.
This work positions the GSMC as a leader in global health research, demonstrating its capacity to convene international expertise and generate knowledge that informs policy and practice across borders. By advancing scalable solutions to physical inactivity - a global issue linked to billions in healthcare costs - the University is helping to shape healthier societies worldwide.
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.