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Professor

David Dunstan

Head, Baker Deakin Department of Lifestyle and Diabetes and Chair, Lifestyle and Diabetes

Faculty of Health/School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences/Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition

Orcid identifier0000-0003-2629-9568
  • Head, Baker Deakin Department of Lifestyle and Diabetes and Chair, Lifestyle and Diabetes
    Faculty of Health/School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences/Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition
  • +61 3 924 46313 (Work)
  • Melbourne Burwood Campus, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, Victoria 3125

BIO

Key aspects of the role: * To facilitate and sustain the development of
research collaborations and partnerships between Baker Laboratories and Deakin
University * To oversee the identification and subsequent application for
research from national and international sources to support the ongoing
development and sustainability of the Baker-Deakin Department of Lifestyle and
Diabetes * To lead a team of researchers in the sedentary behaviour and
physical activity field to enhance the achievement of Deakin's strategic goals
in research, engagement and innovation

Professor David Dunstan is the head of the Baker-Deakin Department of
Lifestyle and Diabetes within the Institute for Physical Activity and
Nutrition. He also holds the positions of Deputy Director and Laboratory Head
(Physical Activity) at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute. His research
focuses on understanding the adverse health consequences of too much sitting
and the potential health benefits resulting from frequently breaking up
sitting time with active countermeasures. In particular, he has developed
effective strategies to reduce and break up sitting time in adults with or at
risk of developing chronic diseases and to support office workers to reduce
sedentary behaviour in workplace settings. He is also interested in how best
to implement efficacious 'sit less and move more' interventions at scale
within healthcare settings for those living with or at risk of chronic
disease. He was supported by external research fellowships for 16 years and
has been a Chief Investigator on 18 nationally-funded studies worth
approximately $17 million and 11 international studies from the UK, USA,
Sweden and Finland worth more than US$20 million. Professor Dunstan was a
Clarivate Highly Cited Cited Researcher in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021, placing
him in the top 1% most cited for his subject field and year of publication. He
has published over 340 peer-review papers and 5 book chapters and has a Scopus
H-index of 79. Other highlights include: being an invited author on the 2016
Physical Activity/Exercise and Diabetes Position Statement of the American
Diabetes Association; invited presentations at scientific meetings for the
American Diabetes Association and European Society for the Study of Diabetes;
and current Vice-President of the Asia-Pacific Society for Physical Activity
(ASPA).

Professor David Dunstan is the Chair of Lifestyle and Diabetes and holds a
joint appointment at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute and Deakin as the
head of the Baker-Deakin Department of Lifestyle and Diabetes. Professor
Dunstan has previously been supported by a Senior Research Fellowship
(National Health and Medical Research Council), a Future Fellowship
(Australian Research Council) and a VicHealth Public Health Research
Fellowship.

With his disciplinary background in exercise physiology, his primary research
focuses on understanding the role of physical activity and sedentary behaviour
in the prevention and management of chronic diseases. His research interests
include:
a) Epidemiology of adult sedentary behaviour and physical activity
(prevalence, trends and associations with health outcomes)

b) Design and implementation of experimental trials investigating the health
benefits of regularly breaking up time spent sitting with activity in adults
(and children/youth)

c) Design and implementation of real-world behaviour change trials examining
the impacts of interventions targeting sitting less and moving more in adults

d) Translation of research evidence into policy and practice

Professor Dunstan leads the only sedentary behaviour research program in the
world that integrates epidemiology, laboratory-based experiments, real-world
behavioural interventions and translational research. He has been a Chief
Investigator on 18 nationally-funded studies worth approximately $17 million
and 11 international studies from the UK, USA, Sweden and Finland worth more
than US$20 million. He has published more than 340 peer review papers and 5
book chapters. He was recognised as a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher in
2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022, placing him in the top 1% of researchers
globally. He is ranked second internationally for sedentary behaviour research
(expertscape.com).

He was the recipient of the Top Ranked Vanguard Grant in Victoria (Heart
Foundation) in 2014. Other highlights include: an invited author on the 2016
Physical Activity/Exercise and Diabetes Position Statement of the American
Diabetes Association; invited presentations at scientific meetings for the
American Diabetes Association and European Society for the Study of Diabetes;
and current Vice-President of the Asia-Pacific Society for Physical Activity
(ASPA).

His current research focus is directed at understanding how best to implement
efficacious 'sit less and move more' interventions at scale within the
healthcare setting for those living with chronic diseases and elucidating the
effects of sedentary behaviour on brain health.

DEAKIN UNIVERSITY CURRENT APPOINTMENT

  • Head, Baker Deakin Department of Lifestyle and Diabetes and Chair, Lifestyle and Diabetes
    Deakin University, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences

FIELDS OF RESEARCH (2020)

  • Clinical sciences
  • Sports science and exercise
  • Epidemiology
  • Nutrition and dietetics
  • Public health

AREA/FACULTY

  • Faculty of Health

DEPARTMENT/SCHOOL/INSTITUTE

  • School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences

STRATEGIC RESEARCH AND INNOVATION CENTRE

  • Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition