Griffith University

Position

Brief History

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.

Current teaching areas

• Clinical Dietetics
• Nutrition Assessment
• Exercise and Sports Nutrition
• Professional Placement Program

Research expertise

• Applied sports and clinical nutrition research  
• The effect of nutrition and ergogenic aids on exercise performance
• Food-borne drug research (specifically caffeine and alcohol)

Publications

• Irwn C, Goodwin A, Leveritt M, Davey AK, Desbrow B. Alcohol Pharmacokinetics and Risk-Taking Behaviour Following Exercise Induced Dehydration. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behaviour. 2012 Press
• Ball L, Hughes R, Desbrow B, Leveritt M. Patients' Perceptions of Nutrition Care Received from General Practitioners: Focus on Type 2 Diabetes. Family Practice 2012 in Press
  
• Reeves A, Sosnowski K, White H, Leveritt M, Desbrow B. Multi-disciplinary evaluation of a critical care enteral feeding algorithm. Nutr & Dietetics 2012 in press
• Desbrow B, Biddulph C, Devlin B, Grant G.D, Anoopkumar-Dukie S, Leveritt M. The effects of different doses of caffeine on one hour of cycling performance. J Sports Sci. 2012 30(2): 115-120
  
• James J E, Bloomer R, Cox G, Davis J, Desbrow B, Graham T. Caffeine and physical performance. J Caff Res. 2011 1(3): 145-151
• Cody S, Desbrow B, Ferguson M. Queensland metropolitan dietitians: an exploratory investigation of factors affecting workforce engagement. Nutr & Dietetics 2011 68: 195-200
• Irwin C, Desbrow B, Ellis A, O'Keffe B, Grant G, Leveritt M. Caffeine withdrawal and high-intensity endurance cycling performance. J Sport Sci 2011 29(5): 509-515
• Hughes R, Desbrow B. An evaluation of clinical dietic student placement casemix exposure, service delivery and supervisory burden. Nutr & dietics 2010, 67(4): 287-293
• Desbrow B. Sports nutrition and exercise in cardiac rehabilitation. Cardio Gen Prac 2009 9:24
  
• Desbrow B, Barrett C, Minahan C, Grant G and Leveritt M. Caffeine, cycling performance & exogenous CHO oxidation: a dose-response study. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009 41(9):1744-1751.
• Desbrow B, Leveritt M, Hughes R, Jones L and Scheelings P. An independent analysis of consumer exposure to caffeine from retail coffees. Food Chem Toxic. 2007 45:1588-1592.
• Desbrow B; Minahan C; Leveritt M. Drink-Flavor Change's Lack of Effect on Endurance Cycling Performance in Trained Athletes. Int J of Sport Nutr and Exerc Metab, Volume 17, Issue, 4 Aug 2007:315-327.
• Desbrow B; Leveritt M. Well-Trained Endurance Athletes' Knowledge, Insight, and Experience of Caffeine Use. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, Volume 17, Issue, 4 Aug 2007:328-339.
• Desbrow B, Leveritt M. Awareness and use of caffeine by athletes competing at the 2005 Ironman?? Triathlon World Championships. Int. J. Sport Nutr Ex. Met. 2006 16:545-558.
• Hughes R and Desbrow B. The aspiring dietitians study: A pre-enrolment study of students motivations, awareness and expectations relating to careers in nutrition and dietetics. Nut and Dietetics 2005 62:106-109.
• Desbrow B, Bauer J, Blum C, Kandasamy A, McDonald A and Montgomery K. Assessment of Nutritional Status in Haemodialysis Patients Using PG-SGA. J Renal Nutr 2005 15(2):211-6.
• Desbrow B, Anderson S, Barrett J, Rao E and Hargreaves M. Carbohydrate-Electrolyte Feedings and 1h Time Trial Cycling Performance Int J of Sport Nutr and Exerc Metab, 2004 14:1-9.
• Cox GR, Desbrow B, Montgomery PG, Anderson ME, Bruce CR, Macrides TA, Martin DT, Moquin A, Roberts A, Hawley JA and Burke LM. Effect of different protocols of caffeine intake on metabolism and endurance performance. J Appl Physiol. 2002 Sep;93(3):990-9.
• Burke, L.M., Hawley, J.A., Angus, D.J., Cox, G.R., Clark, S., Cumming, N.K., Desbrow, B., and Hargreaves, M. Adaptations to high-fat diet persists during exercise despite high carbohydrate availability. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2002 Jan;34(1):83-91.
• Burke L.M., Cox GR, Cummings NK and Desbrow B. Guidelines for daily carbohydrate intake: do athletes achieve them? Sports Med. 2001;31(4):267-99.
• Blanchard MA, Jordan G. Desbrow B, MacKinnon LT and Jenkins DG. The influence of diet and exercise on muscle and plasma glutamine concentrations. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2001 Jan; 33(1):69-74.Book

Book Coauthorships

• Burke L, Cox G, Cummings N, Desbrow B & Minehan M. Survival for the fittest: the Australian Institute of Sport official cookbook for busy athletes. Murdoch Magazines 1999.

Book Chapters

• Burke L, Cort M, Cox G, Crawford R, Desbrow B, Farthing L, Minehan M, Shaw N & Warnes O. Supplements and Sports Foods (Chapter 16). In Clinical Sports Nutrition 3rd ed. McGraw-Hill, Sydney, 2006.
• Burke L, Desbrow B & Minehan M. Dietary Supplements and Nutritional Ergogenic Aids (Chapter 17). In Clinical Sports Nutrition 2nd ed. McGraw-Hill, Sydney, 2000.