Unit Leader
Assoc Prof Ben Desbrow
Contact details for Assoc Prof Ben Desbrow
Before his academic life he worked as a clinical dietitian at the Wesley Hospital in Brisbane for 8 years focused in the areas of oncology, stem cell transplantation and haemodialysis. In 1999, Ben was awarded the first Nestlé Fellowship in Sports Nutrition at the Australian Institute in Sport in Canberra. Since this time Ben has also worked for British Olympic Team, the Australian Institute of Sport Cricket Centre of Excellence in Brisbane as well as completing a PhD in sports nutrition. Ben is the current program convenor of the Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics at Griffith University and is the Nutrition Emerging Research Area leader within the Research Centre for Clinical and Community Practice Innovation.
Unit Members
Dr Michael Leveritt
Contact details for Dr Michael Leveritt
HDR Students
Lauren Ball
Title: Nutrition and General Practice
Description: As a result of the current Health Care Reform, numerous health care roles are changing to provide a more efficient service. The investigation of the general practice setting for nutrition promotion is required in order to define the general practice role as we move forward in the Health Care Reform. Other topics of examination include general practice nutrition education, responsibilities, competencies and ideologies.
Chris Irwin
Title: of my PhD is: Dehydration, Alcohol and Cognitve Function.
Often, when people participate in sport, they don't rehydrate enough to relieve the dehydration effects. In addition, following the activity they may have a few alcoholic drinks and then operate a motor vehicle to drive home. Even if their blood alcohol concentration is below the legal limit to drive, the combined effects of exercise dehydration and alcohol may impose a significant cognitive defecit similar to that of an alcohol intake above the legal driving limit. This research will investigate the link between exercise induced dehydration and alcohol intake on cognitve ability, specifically trying to establish if additional cognitive defecits occur when both are combined.