Professor Belinda Parmenter is a clinical academic, accredited exercise scientist (AES), accredited exercise physiologist (AEP), and the Discipline Lead for Sports and Exercise Science in the School of Health. Belinda is the co-founder and national chair of the Australian Cardiovascular Alliance (ACvA) Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) Working Group and a member of the SPHERE Cardiac and Vascular Clinical Theme Leadership Group. Belinda has over 25 years of clinical experience prescribing and delivering exercise for people at risk of or with cardiovascular disease. Her experience includes specialising in assessing, prescribing, implementing and supervising exercises for this population.
Belinda's PhD investigated the use of high-intensity progressive resistance training for patients with intermittent claudication from PAD, for which she was awarded the Exercise and Sports Science Australia (ESSA) Medal for the most outstanding thesis in the field of Exercise and Sports Science. Belinda continues to investigate optimal exercise prescriptions for the amelioration of cardiovascular risk, as well as for the treatment of peripheral artery disease with a primary interest in the effect of cardiovascular disease on aerobic capacity and muscle strength and endurance, as well as the effect of exercise on reducing symptoms from those with and at risk of cardiovascular disease across the lifespan.
Some of her current projects include investigating ways to improve regular incidental physical activity and promote continued sports and exercise participation across adolescence and into adulthood. She is working with the Matilda Centre at Sydney University to develop eHealth interventions for adolescents to increase physical activity levels and reduce sedentary behaviour, and she is developing similar programs for adult populations with the UNSW Medicine & Health Lifestyle Clinic.
Professional Membership
- Exercise and Sports Science Australia (ESSA)
- Australian Cardiovascular Alliance (ACvA) and ACvA Peripheral Artery Disease Working Group
- American Heart Association
Professional Social Media
Research grants
| Grant / project name | Investigators | Funding body and Australian $ value | Year(s) | Focus of research grant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Patient-led goal setting and pain education to reduce blood pressure and increase physical activity in low back pain (CAPACITY) | Dr Matthew Jones Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis Professor James McAuley Professor Aletta Schutte Professor G Lorimer Moseley Professor Kathryn Refshauge Professor Lorraine Smith Associate Professor Christopher Williams Dr Adrian Traeger Dr Aidan Cashin Professor Manuela Ferreira Associate Professor Ruth Peters Professor Stephen Goodall |
MRFF Effective Treatments and Therapies: A$1,400,000.00 | 2023-2027 | Exercise for blood pressure and low back pain |
| 2023 Health4Life Parents and Teens: a co-designed and scalable eHealth intervention to reduce modifiable cancer risk factors among socio-economically disadvantaged adolescents | Dr Katrina Champion Professor David Lubans Professor Nicola Newton Professor Louise Baur Professor Maree Teesson Professor Catherine Mihalopoulos Dr Lauren Gardner Professor Bonnie Spring Professor Timothy Slade Associate Professor Cath Chapman Professor Tracy Burrows Dr Louise Thornton Dr Stephanie Partridge Associate Professor Matthew Sunderland |
MRFF Maternal Health and Healthy Lifestyles: A$1,619,922.00 | 2024-2027 | eHealth interventions for prevention of cancer risk factors in teens |
| 2022 Supervised Home Exercise for Peripheral Artery Disease (SHAPE) | Professor Jon Golledge Dr Clare Arnott Professor Rachel Neale Dr Nicola Burton Professor Clare Heal Dr Aaron Drovandi Dr Joseph Moxon Ms Jenna Pinchbeck Professor Chris Askew Associate Professor Richard Norman Dr Dylan Morris Associate Professor Robyn Clay-Williams Dr Elizabeth Austin |
MRFF Cardiovascular Health Mission: A$1,000,000.00 | 2022-2026 | Home exercise programs for people with peripheral artery disease |
| 2022 Metformin for treating peripheral artery disease Related walking Impairment Trial (MERIT) | Professor Jon Golledge Dr Clare Arnott Prof Edward Strivens Prof Clare Heal Prof Chr Reid Dr Aaron Drovandi Dr Joseph Moxon Ms Jenna Pinchbeck Assoc Prof Richard Norman Dr Dylan Morris Prof Chris Askew Prof Sarah Louise Larkins Mrs Rachel Quigley Prof Yvonne Cadet-James |
MRFF Dementia Aging and Aged Care Mission: A$1,215,367.00 | 2022-2026 | Metformin for improving walking capacity in people with peripheral artery disease |
| 2021 A randomised controlled trial to test if a novel remotely supervised program (PAD-medical) improves delivery of key secondary prevention treatments, risk factor control and health-related quality of life of people with peripheral artery disease | Prof Jon Golledge Prof Bruce Neale Dr Clare Arnott Prof Toby Richards Prof Gemma Figtree Prof Richard Norman Prof Robyn Gallagher Prof Chris Askew Dr Gian Luca |
National Heart Foundation Strategic Grant: A$1,000,000.00 | 2021-2026 | Remotely delivered exercise programs for people with peripheral artery disease |
Research areas
- Exercise treatment for peripheral artery disease and cardiovascular disease
- Physical activity for prevention of cardiovascular disease
- Physical activity and exercise to improve mental health outcomes in anxiety, depression and PTSD
- Depression in cardiovascular diseases and musculoskeletal conditions including osteoarthritis and osteoporosis
Teaching areas
- Physical activity and health
- Exercise assessment, prescription and delivery in cardiovascular diseases
- Exercise assessment, prescription and delivery for cardiovascular risk
Professor Belinda Parmenter's specialist areas of knowledge include physical activity and cardiovascular health, strength/weight training, progressive resistance training, exercise prescription for cardiovascular risk factors, physical activity and exercise for mental health conditions