Rate My Professor Mandy Hagstrom

Mandy Hagstrom is an exercise scientist specializing in resistance training and its physiological effects. She earned her PhD in Exercise Physiology from the University of Western Sydney, MSc in Exercise Rehabilitation from the University of Auckland, Postgraduate Diploma in Exercise Rehabilitation from the University of Auckland, and BSc in Sports Science from the University of Auckland. Her academic career spans multiple institutions, including the University of New England where she was affiliated with the School of Science and Technology and contributed to exercise science education through the Exercise Nutrition Laboratory Practical Workbook in 2023.

At the University of New England, Hagstrom's research focused on resistance training interventions for breast cancer survivors, demonstrating improvements in immune function, inflammation markers, fatigue, and quality of life. Key publications from this period include 'The effect of resistance training on markers of immune function and inflammation in previously sedentary women recovering from breast cancer: a randomized controlled trial' (2016) and 'Resistance training improves fatigue and quality of life in previously sedentary breast cancer survivors: a randomised controlled trial' (2016). She has produced over 40 peer-reviewed publications, including systematic reviews and meta-analyses such as 'The Effect of Resistance Training in Healthy Adults on Body Fat Percentage, Fat Mass and Visceral Fat: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis' (2021), 'Sex Differences in Adaptations in Muscle Strength and Size Following Resistance Training in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis' (2021), and 'If exercise is medicine, why don’t we know the dose? An overview of systematic reviews assessing reporting quality of exercise interventions in health and disease' (2022). Her work addresses sex-specific responses to exercise, body composition changes, and equity in exercise science research. Hagstrom has received the Exercise and Sports Science Australia Accredited Exercise Scientist of the Year (2023), Faculty of Medicine Hero’s Award for Individual Exceptional Leadership (2022), and multiple School of Health Sciences awards for research, education, and leadership. She appeared in a 2018 ABC interview discussing strength training benefits for immune function in breast cancer survivors.