Associate ProfessorMegan Teychenne

Associate Professor Megan Teychenne is a behavioural epidemiologist at Deakin University’s Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition. She specialises in the intersection of physical activity and mental health, with a strong commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of women – including postnatal women and those who have experienced gender-based violence.

An international leader in her field, Associate Professor Teychenne has published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers that shape contemporary understanding of how physical activity influences mental health. She has secured nationally competitive funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC Investigator Grant, 2021–26), the National Heart Foundation of Australia and the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF).

Her research has informed over 100 policy documents across more than 20 countries – including those produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the British Heart Foundation, and the World Health Organisation – and has been featured in hundreds of media stories. As a recognised expert, she is frequently invited to share her work through radio, television and keynote presentations, including more than 20 invited national and international talks for leading professional bodies such as Exercise & Sports Science Australia, Sports Medicine Australia and the Asia Pacific Society for Physical Activity.

Associate Professor Teychenne contributes directly to shaping national policy as an expert member for Australia’s Mental Health Guidelines for Community Sport and the National Heart Foundation’s Blueprint for an Active Australia (2025). She also brings extensive leadership and mentoring experience, supervising PhD candidates, Honours and Masters students and Postdoctoral Research Fellows, and serving in key institutional leadership roles including: Deputy Co-ordinator of the IPAN EMCR Program (2025–current); Co-Chair of the Faculty of Health’s ‘Program to Support Academic Careers Equitably’ (pACE) (2022–2025); and founding Chair of IPAN’s Consumer Advisory Network (2021–2023).

She is Associate Editor for the prestigious British Journal of Sports Medicine (2025–current), was Associate Editor for Mental Health and Physical Activity (2019–2025), and serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Physical Activity and Health (2026–current).