Rate My Professor Bethany Gower

Dr Bethany Gower is a Lecturer in Clinical Exercise Physiology in the School of Allied Health and Human Performance within the College of Health at Adelaide University. She earned her Bachelor of Clinical Exercise Physiology from the University of South Australia between 2014 and 2017, followed by a Masters by Research from the same institution from 2018 to 2020, and a Doctor of Philosophy from 2020 to 2025. Her research specializations and academic interests include allied health and rehabilitation science, allied health therapies excluding mental health services, exercise physiology, preventative health care, public health, and sports science and exercise. Gower's expertise is in clinical exercise physiology, focusing on evidence-based assessments and interventions to inform exercise prescription in clinical settings.

Gower has authored and co-authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, primarily systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and meta-regressions that advance understanding in exercise physiology and public health. Key publications include her first-authored paper, 'The Relationship Between Digit Ratio (2D:4D) and Aspects of Cardiorespiratory Fitness: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis' (American Journal of Human Biology, 2025); contributions to 'International norms for adult handgrip strength: a systematic review of data on 2.4 million adults aged 20 to 100+ years from 69 countries and regions' (Journal of Sport and Health Science, 2025); 'Effects of pre- and post-surgery physical activity interventions on physical activity and sedentary behaviour levels following knee and hip arthroplasty: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials' (Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, 2025); 'Prospective associations between systolic blood pressure, serum cholesterol, and physical activity behaviour and the development of cardiovascular disease' (Preventive Medicine, 2024); 'Recommendations for objective cardiovascular assessment to inform clinical exercise prescription: An Exercise Physiologist and Physiotherapist expert consensus' (Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 2023); and 'Mechanisms Underlying Range of Motion Improvements Following Acute and Chronic Static Stretching: A Systematic Review, Meta-analysis and Multivariate Meta-regression' and 'Optimising the Dose of Static Stretching to Improve Flexibility: A Systematic Review, Meta-analysis and Multivariate Meta-regression' (both Sports Medicine, 2025). These works highlight her impact on clinical exercise practices and population health metrics. Gower is eligible to co-supervise Masters and PhD students and currently co-supervises a Master of Research candidate investigating digit ratio as a predictor of physical performance and game statistics in junior Australian football players.