Rate My Professor Sarah Valkenborghs

Dr. Sarah Valkenborghs is a Lecturer in Human Physiology in the School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy within the Faculty of Health and Medicine at the University of Newcastle, Australia. She completed her Doctor of Philosophy in Human Physiology at the University of Newcastle in 2019. Possessing over 10 years of experience leading novel research, she focuses on the physiological mechanisms through which exercise elicits benefits in health and is emerging as a leader in the field of physical activity and brain health. Her research aims to deliver the evidence needed so that everyone gets the right advice on the exercise they need to improve their health outcomes. She works alongside clinicians, psychologists, and schoolteachers to provide evidence for supporting people to move and be active in preventing, treating, and managing brain and mental health conditions.

Sarah has conducted multiple studies exploring the effects of movement and exercise on mental health, stress, fatigue, and cognition in a range of populations including senior high school students, pregnant women, infants and toddlers, men with depression, stroke, and multiple sclerosis. Her current research focuses on sensitive periods of development, such as in-utero and adolescence, impacting lifelong health and well-being. She uses high-tech equipment like multi-modal MRI and other techniques to study brain effects. Notable projects include leading the MRI component of the NHMRC-funded ‘Burn 2 Learn’ cluster randomised control trial and investigating physical activity during pregnancy in the NEW1000 study. She has received the 2023 Early Career Research Excellence Award and Leadership Excellence Award from the Office of the Vice-Chancellor at the University of Newcastle, as well as multiple awards from Sports Medicine Australia including Best Paper in Physical Activity and Health Promotion (2021, 2022) and the Asics Medal for Best Overall Paper (2021). Key publications include 'Physical Activity, Fitness, and Executive Functions in Youth: Effects, Moderators, and Mechanisms' (2022), 'The intergenerational effects of parental physical activity on offspring brain and neurocognition in humans: A scoping review' (2022), 'Effect of high-intensity interval training on hippocampal metabolism in older adolescents' (2022), and 'Aerobic exercise and consecutive task-specific training (AExaCTT) for upper limb recovery after stroke: a randomized controlled pilot study' (2019). Additionally, she is the Program Convenor for Biomedical Science Honours and Deputy Theme Leader for Nutrition and Exercise research.