Meet the Associate Editors

Paolo Emilio Adami, MD, PhD, Sports Medicine Specialist, World Athletics
Paolo Emilio is a Medical Doctor specialised in Sports Medicine. He is the Medical Manager of the Health and Science Department World Athletics, based in the Monaco Principality. He looks after the organisation of health and medical services during World Athletics Series events; designs and develops research projects in the field of health, sports medicine and sports sciences; promotes walking, running, jumping and throwing disciplines to the general population for health enhancing purposes.
Paolo Emilio completed his Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology at the University of Rome “Foro Italico”, investigating the cardiovascular and metabolic adaptations to high intensity training modalities. Before joining World Athletics, he worked as a team physician for Med-Ex, Medicine and Exercise, Medical Partner of Scuderia Ferrari, with the Ferrari Formula 1 and WEC Endurance Racing Teams.
His research interests include cardiovascular adaptations induced by exercise, prevention of sudden cardiac death, effect of air pollution on health and athletic performance, pre-participation assessment of elite, Olympic and Paralympic athletes, cardiovascular effects of drugs and doping substances, and the use of exercise for health enhancement and prevention.
Between 2008 and 2017 he was also committed to volunteering in the European Non-Governmental Sports Organisation ENGSO Youth, first as a committee member, then as vice chair and finally chairing the committee.
He enjoys practicing all sort of outdoor sports, particularly running, cycling, backcountry skiing, sailing and windsurfing.

Stephane Bermon, MD, PhD, World Athletics
Stéphane BERMON, MD, PhD is Director, Health & Science Department, World Athletics based in Monaco. In addition, he is Sport Physician and Exercise Physiologist at the Monaco Institute of Sports Medicine (IM2S), Medical Advisor and TUE Committee Chairman for the UIM (Union Internationale Motonautique) and Member of the IBSF (International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation) Medical and Antidoping Committee.
He has published more than 60 original articles in international peer- reviewed scientific journals and books with a focus on Exercise Physiology and Sports Medicine and is on the editorial board of Exercise Immunology Review and Frontiers in Sports and Active Living as well as peer reviewing for amongst other Lancet, Journal of Applied Physiology, Medicine and Sciences in Sports and Exercise, Exercise Immunology Review, International Journal of Sports Medicine, Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, and Frontiers in Physiology. Dr Stéphane Bermon is also a Board Member and Past President (2013-2015) of the International Society for Exercise and Immunology (www.isei.dk) as well as a member of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).
As a former Professional Snowboarder (1987-1990), he continues to enjoy snowboarding, as well as cycling and surfing.

Kim Buchholtz , PhD , LUNEX University
Kim Buchholtz completed a PhD in Exercise Science at the University of Cape Town (UCT) in 2021 investigating the role of balance and agility in mountain bikers. She graduated with a BSc Physiotherapy and an MPhil Sports Physiotherapy from UCT in 2005 and 2013, respectively. She is currently a lecturer in musculoskeletal physiotherapy at LUNEX International University of Health, Exercise and Sport in Luxembourg. Kim worked extensively in an orthopaedics and sports physiotherapy setting, before joining UCT as a part-time lecturer in 2016. She has travelled as head Physiotherapist of the Australian Blind Cricket team to the Blind Cricket World Cups held in Cape Town (2014), India (2017) and the UAE (2018). She has a particular research interest in injury epidemiology and in the factors affecting injury in sport, and physical activity for health and wellness.

Josephine Chau , PhD , Macquarie University
Josephine Chau , is a Senior Lecturer in Public Health in the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. Jo has expertise in physical activity and sedentary behaviour epidemiology, measurement and intervention. Her research aims to promote active living and prevent lifestyle risk factors for non-communicable diseases, particularly in the workplace setting. She also has an interest in research about play streets for promoting physical activity and community wellbeing, using time use data to study health behaviours, and examining the potential population health benefits of vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity (VILPA).

Samuel Chalmers, PhD , University of South Australia
Samuel Chalmers, is a Lecturer at the University of South Australia and an ESSA accredited Applied Sport Scientist. He previously worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow in Sport Physiology and Performance at Western Sydney University and a Lecturer at The University of Sydney. Dr Chalmers has a keen interest in the physiology of sport and exercise, particularly relating to safety and performance within hot and humid environments. This has led to a research and industry focus on the development of extreme heat policies, including funding with the NHMRC and partnerships with national and international sporting organisations (Swimming Australia, Rowing NSW, FIFA, AFL, and Tennis Australia). Dr Chalmers also researches injury prevention in youth sports, ranging from injury surveillance projects through to testing the efficacy of injury screening tools and has a long-standing partnership with the Under 18 South Australian National Football League.

Steve Cobley, PhD , University of Sydney
Stephen Cobley is an Associate Professor in the Discipline of Exercise and Sport Science within The Faculty of Medicine and Health at The University of Sydney. Steve’s research interests examine the developmental factors facilitating or inhibiting athlete development from a bio-ecological and multi-disciplinary perspective. Steve is co-editor of “Talent identification and development: International perspectives” (Routledge, 2012); “The Routledge handbook of talent identification and development in sport” (Routledge, 2017) and “Talent identification and development: International perspectives” (2nd Ed; Routledge, 2020). Steve’s research and applied work has led to the evaluation, modification and writing of athlete development programs and policy for numerous sporting organisations.

Örjan Dahlström, PhD , Linköping University
Örjan Dahlström is docent in Psychology with specific focus on Health and Sports and associate professor in disability research at the Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, Sweden. He has a background in Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics and holds a PhD in Disability Research. He is a member of Athletics Research Center, Sweden. He has research experience from several different areas, with a focus on scientific methodologies and statistical methods.

Sean Docking, PhD , La Trobe University
Dr Sean Docking is a Research at Monash Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Cabrini Institute as part of the Wiser Healthcare Program. Dr Docking has an established track record as an expert in diagnostic imaging in tendinopathy and is ranked as the 6th most published author in tendinopathy since 2012. His current research focuses on understanding the value of diagnostic imaging in musculoskeletal conditions in attempt to address its potential over-utilisation. He is currently undertaking a Masters of Health Economics to gain a unique perspective for issues related to musculoskeletal conditions and sports and exercise medicine.

Monika Frenger, PhD , Saarland University
Monika is a Lecturer in Sports Science within the Saarland University. Her research lies in the field of sports economics and sociology.

While her doctoral dissertation was based on the topic of doping, she is currently devoting her time to many issues related to club sports with topics on volunteerism, club development, and talent development. A particular focus of the work here is in the area of soccer, where Monika has also published on topics of market value development, social media activities and the influence of investors.

Her doctoral thesis has received several awards, including the Science Award of the German Olympic Sports Confederation. Monika has also a background in maths and teaches in the area of statistics and methodology.

Andrew Gardner, Ph.D., D.Psy(ClinNeuro), The University of Newcastle
Associate Professor Andrew J. Gardner is a Research Fellow at the Priority Research Centre for Stroke and Brain Injury, the School of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Newcastle, and the Hunter Medical Research Institute (Australia). He is also the co-Director of the Hunter New England Local Health District Sports Concussion Clinic. He is a clinical neuropsychologist with a particular interest in sports concussion. His research interests cover the full spectrum of concussion, from injury prevention with tackle techniques, to injury identification via video analysis, to acute assessment through the validation of various measures, to the evaluation of later-in-life brain and mental health of retired athletes. The translational focus of these research programs aims to advance knowledge and improve health care by generating evidence-informed data to advance policy development.

Hakan Gauffin, PhD , Linköping University
Håkan Gauffin is an Associate Professor in Orthopedic Surgery at the University hospital and Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences at Linköping University, Sweden.
His main clinical interests are sports medicine and knee surgery. The main focus in research was initially biomechanics but has shifted to more long-term clinical studies about ACL- and meniscal injuries. In the Athletics Research Center he is involved in studies of different sports, but mainly Athletics both on the elite and recreational side.
A further interest is in women soccer. He has been team-doctor for many years for the three-times national champions from his hometown. His is also involved in WECIS; the Women UEFA Elite Club Injury Study.
He has received awards for best paper awards at major world conferences.
He has been a squash player on national top-level and has been three times national team champion and moreover a former long-distance runner at decent level.
His wife in a Neurologist and both their children are now also doctors. For eight months (2006-2007) he had a position as an Orthopedic Surgeon at Ballarat Hospital, Victoria. The children studied at Ballarat Grammar and the family spent a lot of time at the Ballarat squash center.

Olivier Girard, PhD , University of Western Australia
Dr Olivier Girard (https://www.oliviergirard.com/) is an Associate Professor in human performance at the University of Western Australia in Perth (Western Australia). He spent nearly 20 years in the field of exercise physiology and sport biomechanics (France, Qatar, Switzerland and Australia) on developing and facilitating performance outcome-based solutions for elite athletes, coaches and the rest of their support team. The main focus of his research is to elucidate the mechanisms and adaptations that modulate human performance and health during exercise and physical activity with environmental stress (heat and altitude). Olivier has published over 160 articles in peer-reviewed journals (6500 citations; H-factor of 43; >250 co-authors from >35 countries) and 25 book chapters in the field of exercise physiology/sports biomechanics and has presented his work on more than 200 national and international conferences (including over 40 invited/keynote lectures).

Justin Guagliano, PhD , Western Sydney University
Dr Justin Guagliano is a Lecturer in Health Promotion at Western Sydney University. Prior to joining Western, he completed post-docs in MRC Epidemiology Unit and Centre for Diet and Activity Research at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom and the Department of Kinesiology at Kansas State University in the United States.
Justin is primarily interested in conducting research that promotes health and prevents obesity and chronic diseases in young people through community and family-based interventions. He is also interested in reducing health disparities among underserved populations, examining the motivational underpinnings for physical activity behaviour, and behavioural epidemiology – to understand the patterns and determinants of physical activity behaviour in young people.

Jia Han, PhD , Shanghai University
Jia Han is a registered physiotherapist in Australia, and he is also a biomedical engineer and a scientific and clinical researcher. He obtained Bachelor of Engineering and Master of Biomedical Engineering from Tongji University, one of the prestigious universities in China. He then studied Master of Physiotherapy and PhD in Health Science at the University of Canberra (UC), Australia.
Dr Han is the Vice President of National Sport Physiotherapy Committee of China Physiotherapy Association. He has been appointed Professor in Physiotherapy and Sports Rehabilitation at the Shanghai University of Sport (SUS), leading the first master of physiotherapy program in China, teaching musculoskeletal and sport physiotherapy units and providing clinical and research supervision. He is also an adjunct professor at University of Canberra Research Institute for Sport and Exercise (UC-RISE) and Faculty of Health, Arts and Design of Swinburne University of Technology, co-supervising PhD and Masters research students.
Dr. Han’s research focus includes the proprioceptive mechanisms underlying human movement control. Dr. Han has attracted over $800,000 competitive research funding. He is currently the leading investigator of three international collaborative research programs on proprioceptive deficits associated with musculoskeletal injuries, neurological disorders, and ageing.

Michelle Hall, PhD , University of Melbourne
Dr Hall is Senior Research Fellow and a Dame Kate Campbell Fellow at the Centre for Health Exercise and Sports Medicine, University of Melbourne. In 2020, Dr Hall began her 5-year National Health and Medical Research Council Emerging Leader Investigator Fellowship (EL1) with the aim to enhance health outcomes for people with hip and knee osteoarthritis by improving therapeutic effects of exercise and adjunct treatments. Dr Hall has a strong background in exercise and health science with a BSc(Hons) from Dublin City University (2008) and MSc in the Biological Basis of Physical Activity from Iowa State University (2010) and a PhD from University of Melbourne (2015). Dr Hall’s research is recognised as influential in moving both the scientific field and patient care forward with >50 publications and contribution to clinical guidelines.

Sharief Hendricks, PhD , University of Cape Town
Dr Hendricks is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Cape Town and a Visiting Fellow at Leeds Beckett University (United Kingdom). He has been awarded the prestigious University of Cape Town Fellow Young Researcher Award, and was a finalist for the TW Kambule-NSTF Award (an award for South Africa’s top scientists). In 2019, he was listed on the Mail and Guardian’s Top 200 Young South Africans. He is currently the President-Elect for the South African Sports Medicine Association (the first non-physician to hold this position) and a Fellow of the European College of Sport Science. In addition to being an Associate Editor of JSAMS, Sharief is the Social Media Editor for the European Journal of Sport Science (since 2014). His research involves injury prevention, sport performance and athlete welfare. Other research includes how engaged researchers and stakeholders are in health research and innovation, and how medical journals use social media to communicate research. Outside of his research work, Sharief enjoys diving and gardening.

Xanne Janssen, PhD, University of Strathcylde
Xanne Janssen, PhD is a Senior Lecturer in Sport and Physical Activity in the Department of Psychological Sciences and Health at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, UK. Xanne has expertise in the epidemiology and measurement of 24-hour movement behaviours (physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep). Her research aims to promote healthy lifestyles in children and young people. She also has an interest in using data from wearable technology to support behaviour change and help with the prevention and management of non-communicable diseases.

Anthony Leicht, PhD , James Cook University
Anthony Leicht is an experienced academic and researcher with >25 years of expertise in the physiological responses to exercise with a particular emphasis on cardiac autonomic control, cardiovascular function, and exercise/physical activity capacity. He has a special interest in basketball and officiating, and has published extensively within the exercise and sport science field. He has been involved in the successful reception of funding and awards, supervised successful postgraduate students, and a member of several national/international exercise science and physiological organisations including appointment as a Fellow of Exercise and Sports Science Australia and European College of Sport Science.

Rachel Lord, PhD , Cardiff Metropolitan University
Rachel is a Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Physiology within the Cardiff School of Sport and Health Sciences. Rachel's research broadly aims to address adaptation and control of the cardiovascular system to a range of stimuli. Her research spans the topics of The Athlete's Heart, healthy ageing and exercise as medicine in both healthy and clinical populations from cardiac, cerebrovascular and neural perspectives. Rachel is a member of the management group for the Centre for Health, Activity and Wellbeing Research (CAWR). She is also Chair of the Natural Sciences School of Sport and Health Sciences Ethics Panel at Cardiff Metropolitan University.

Joseph Lynch , PhD , Australian National University
Joseph Lynch is a Research Fellow at the Trauma and Orthopaedic Research Unit and a Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University’s Medical School. Dr Lynch has a strong background in exercise and health science with a BSc (Hons) and MSc in Human Kinetics from the University of Ottawa and a PhD from Australian National University. Dr Lynch’s research combines medical imaging with musculoskeletal modelling to understand mechanisms of musculoskeletal injury and disease. In particular, Dr Lynch is interested in the effect of anatomical variation on clinical outcomes and joint function and understanding factors which influence patient reported and biomechanical outcomes following surgery.

Reider Lystad, PhD , Maquarie University
Dr Reidar P. Lystad is a Research Fellow at the Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University (Australia). He is an injury epidemiologist with a particular interest in sports injury, traumatic brain injury, paediatric trauma, and combat sports. His research is centred around conducting large population-based cohort studies using data linkages of administrative data collections to investigate health outcomes following injury and to guide improvements in health service delivery and health policy.

David Mann, PhD , Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
David Mann is an Associate Professor in Skill Acquisition at Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. He is a qualified Optometrist, and after studying Sport Science did a PhD in visual-motor control in sport while at the Australian Institute of Sport. He completed post-doc positions at the University of Hong Kong and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam before accepting a position to continue in Amsterdam. He currently teaches Talent Identification and Development in sport and works with a range of organisations including the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB), International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA), Royal Dutch Hockey Federation (KNHB), UEFA, and Royal Dutch Baseball and Softball Federation (KNBSB). He is the Director of the International Paralympic Committee Research and Development Centre for the Classification of Athletes with Vision Impairment. He recently completed an MBA specialising in management and strategy development in sport.

Yorgi Mavros, PhD , University of Sydney
Dr Mavros is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist with Exercise and Sport Science Australia, and a Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney. His work has focussed on the use of resistance training in the management of chronic disease across the lifespan. This has included type 2 diabetes, cognitive impairment, peripheral arterial disease and mental illness.

Carly McKay, PhD , University of Bath
Dr Carly McKay (BKin, Msc, PhD, FHEA) is a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) of Injury Prevention and the Director of Studies for the PG Dip/MSc in Sport and Exercise Medicine in the Department for Health at the University of Bath. She completed her MSc at the University of Calgary (2008) and her PhD at the University of Western Ontario (2011), followed by a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre (University of Calgary) from 2011-2015.
Dr McKay is a Deputy Director of the Centre for Sport, Exercise and Osteoarthritis Research Versus Arthritis (UK) and a Deputy Director of the Centre for Health and Injury and Illness Prevention in Sport (CHi2PS) at the University of Bath. She is also a member of the Centre for Motivation and Health Behaviour Change (Bath) and the International Qualitative Research in Sports Medicine (QRSMed) special interest group. Her primary research focus is on understanding the role of psychosocial and behavioural factors in sport injury risk and recovery, and using behaviour change approaches to support injury prevention strategies. She also has an interest in understanding the short- and long-term impact of sport injury on athlete quality of life.

Dr Izzy Moore, PhD , Cardiff Metropolitan University
Dr Izzy Moore is a Reader in Human Movement and Sports Medicine at Cardiff Metropolitan University. Her research has focused on understanding how and why we move the way we do, from both a performance and injury perspective. She obtained her PhD on economical running from the University of Exeter and has since led several injury epidemiology projects working directly with sporting governing bodies to inform injury prevention and management policies. In addition, she specialises in running-related rehabilitation and has received national and international research awards within the field.

Dr Andrea Mosler, PhD , La Trobe University
Dr. Andrea Mosler is a Specialist Sports and Exercise Physiotherapist and NHMRC Research Fellow at La Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre. Her PhD project was on risk factors for hip/groin pain in professional male football players and she currently works on hip/groin pain, injury prevention, and women in sport research projects.

Kate Pumpa , PhD , University College Dublin
Professor Kate Pumpa is Exercise Physiologist and Sports Dietitian, with expertise in optimising sporting performance through nutritional and physiological interventions. Kate has extensive clinical and research experience in High Performance Sport, particularly in Rugby Union and Basketball. Kate is a Professor of Sport and Exercise Physiology at University College Dublin, where she engages in teaching, research, and Doctoral student supervision. Kate completed her PhD at the Australian Institute of Sport in 2008 before consulting as a Sports Dietitian to Leinster Rugby Club based in Dublin, Ireland until 2010. Kate joined the University of Canberra in a teaching and research position in 2010, finishing her position there in 2022 to return to Ireland in a new role at University College Dublin. Throughout her academic career, Kate has continuously consulted as a Sports Dietitian to sporting teams including Rugby Australia’s Wallabies, Wallaroos, Junior Wallabies and Sevens Programs, along with Basketball Australia’s Opals, Boomers and Centre of Excellence athletes, and The University of Canberra Capitals. Professor Pumpa's research focuses on the evaluation and application of nutritional interventions and energy expenditure assessment in athletes to assist with nutrition prescription and the health and wellbeing of athletes.

Steven Stovitz, MD , University of Minnesota
Steven Stovitz, MD, MS is a Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Minnesota. He has served as a Team Physician at the University of Minnesota and for the U.S. National Volleyball teams. Dr. Stovitz has a master’s degree in clinical research. From 2008 – 2013, his research focused on physical activity and obesity, with a special emphasis on pediatric obesity. Over the past few years, his clinical practice has returned to general primary care medicine and his academic interests have focused on how we can best conduct, interpret and communicate evidence for the purpose of shared medical decision making.

Jeanette Thom, PhD , University of Sydney
Jeanette is an Associate Professor in Exercise Physiology and the research lead of the Exercise Physiology Research Group in the Faculty of Medicine and Health at UNSW Sydney. Her research activities primarily focus on exercise rehabilitation and training in healthy ageing and clinical groups (e.g. arthritis, dementia) to increase muscle mass and function and improve joint health. Jeanette completed her PhD in Exercise Physiology at the University of Sydney in 2001 investigating skeletal muscle disuse. In 2002 Jeanette moved to the UK to begin a postdoctoral position in an EU funded Framework V project titled ‘Better Ageing’, overseeing the Manchester Metropolitan University work package. The research at MMU centred on the neuromuscular adaptations to exercise training and the cost of walking in older people. In 2005 Jeanette moved to Bangor University, north Wales where her research also encompassed the effects of exercise in rheumatoid arthritis on muscles, joints, and cardiovascular fitness and in people with dementia. She moved to UNSW in June 2014 and was the Head of the department of Exercise Physiology for over 5 years.
To date Jeanette has over 70 peer-reviewed research publications in international journals and led research teams and been invited to work on large collaborative research projects in Australia and the UK. She has received funding from organisations such as ESRC, ESF and the MRC, including for the IDEAL programme on the quality of life in people with dementia in the UK. She has reviewed manuscripts for over 22 different international journals for over 20 years. Additionally, she is the outgoing President of the Australian Council of Heads of Exercise, Sport and Movement Sciences.