Paddy Dempsey

Dr Dempsey is a multidisciplinary medical research scientist, with groundings in human physiology, exercise science and medicine/public health. He is currently a National Health & Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia Research Fellow based at the Baker-Deakin Department of Lifestyle and Diabetes - a collaborative partnership between the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute and Deakin University - hosted by the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (Deakin University). He also continues close collaborations with the Baker Heart & Diabetes Institute (Physical Activity, Behavioural Epidemiology and Metabolic/Vascular Physiology laboratories), the Physical Activity Epidemiology Programme (University of Cambridge), the Leicester Lifestyle & Health Research Group within the Leicester Diabetes Centre (University of Leicester), and the Centre for Urban Transitions (Swinburne University of Technology).

Dr Dempsey integrates epidemiological, mechanistic/clinical and interventional research methods to enhance research discovery and translation. His research interests are currently focused on the role of physical activity, sedentary behaviour, sleep, and diet (including their interacting effects) in the prevention and management of chronic diseases - particularly type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. He interrogates these questions using large epidemiological datasets (e.g. UK Biobank, EPIC, Fenland, AusDiab), meta-research, and through human intervention/clinical trials. His research on physical activity, sedentary behaviour and diabetes has appeared in a variety of high-impact medical, physiological, and public health journals; has influenced international physical activity/exercise clinical guidelines for those with diabetes and hypertension; and has received international media attention. He has also been directly involved in physical activity and sedentary behaviour guideline development/writing for the American Diabetes Association, Exercise & Sports Science Australia, and the World Health Organisation.