Dr Susan Dewhurst
- sdewhurst at bournemouth dot ac dot uk
- http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2747-9122
- Associate Professor & Head of Department of Rehabilitation and Sport Sciences
- Bournemouth Gateway Building BG504, St Pauls Lane, Bournemouth, BH8 8GP
Biography
Dr Susan Dewhurst is Head of Department and Associate Professor in Exercise Physiology in the Department of Rehabilitation and Sport Sciences. Having previously worked as a lecturer and researcher in academic institutions in Scotland, NW England, Denmark and Rome, and as a Senior Scientific Officer at the Ministry of Defence, she brings a broad range of teaching and scientific experiences to BU.
Research Biography:
My main pleasure is seeing people of all ages active. This is especially true for the older age group whereby being active lets us engage with society and allows us to make the most of our latter years.
For many older people, however, being active isn’t so easy. The natural ageing process makes us more susceptible to slips and falls. When this happens confidence in our physical ability can go, along with the desire to participate in activities which we once enjoyed, whether it be visits to shopping centres or country walks. A consequence of avoiding these activities is that our physical abilities can decrease, ironically, making us more likely to fall...
My main research goal is to try to break this downward spiral that can occur as we start to become less steady on our feet. This interest includes findings new ways to identify people at risk of a fall or fall related fracture and interventions that can be put in place to help overcome these risks.
Examples of ongoing projects include a community-based project to increase accessibility to fall prevention screening and interventions. This project is targeting any adult who would like early interventions to maintain or improve their balance and reduce their risk of falls and fall related fractures.
A second research area is using my knowledge of muscle degeneration to mitigate the fall and frailty risk of adults with Chronic Kidney Disease undergoing Dialysis.
Postgraduate research supervision:
1. Fall and fragility fracture screening and intervention
2. Prevention of muscle degeneration in health and disease
3. Other areas in health ageing aligned to my expertise
moreJournal Articles
- Yasar, Z., Elliott, B.T., Kyriakidou, Y., Nwokoma, C.T., Postlethwaite, R.D., Gaffney, C.J., Dewhurst, S. and Hayes, L.D., 2021. Sprint interval training (SIT) reduces serum epidermal growth factor (EGF), but not other inflammatory cytokines in trained older men. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 121 (7), 1909-1919.
- Yasar, Z., Dewhurst, S. and Hayes, L.D., 2019. Peak power output is similarly recovered after three-and five-days’ rest following sprint interval training in young and older adults. Sports, 7 (4).
- Bampouras, T.M. and Dewhurst, S., 2018. A comparison of bilateral muscular imbalance ratio calculations using functional tests. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 32 (8), 2216-2220.
- Thomas, N.M., Donovan, T., Dewhurst, S. and Bampouras, T.M., 2018. Visually fixating or tracking another person decreases balance control in young and older females walking in a real-world scenario. Neuroscience Letters, 677, 78-83.
- Maslivec, A., Bampouras, T.M., Dewhurst, S., Vannozzi, G., Macaluso, A. and Laudani, L., 2018. Mechanisms of head stability during gait initiation in young and older women: A neuro-mechanical analysis. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, 38, 103-110.
- Maslivec, A., Bampouras, T.M. and Dewhurst, S., 2017. Head flexion and different walking speeds do not affect gait stability in older females. Human Movement Science, 55, 87-93.
- Thomas, N.M., Dewhurst, S., Bampouras, T.M., Donovan, T., Macaluso, A. and Vannozzi, G., 2017. Smooth pursuits decrease balance control during locomotion in young and older healthy females. Experimental Brain Research, 235 (9), 2661-2668.
- Dixon, H., Baker, C.E., Baker, J.S., Dewhurst, S. and Hayes, L.D., 2017. Sodium bicarbonate ingestion improves Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test I performance: a randomized crossover trial. NUTRITION AND DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS, 9, 23-27.
- Thomas, N.M., Bampouras, T.M., Donovan, T. and Dewhurst, S., 2016. Eye movements affect postural control in young and older females. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 8 (SEP).
- Ruggiero, L., Dewhurst, S. and Bampouras, T.M., 2016. Validity and reliability of two field-based leg stiffness devices: Implications for practical use. Journal of Applied Biomechanics, 32 (4), 415-419.
- Bampouras, T.M. and Dewhurst, S., 2016. Carrying shopping bags does not alter static postural stability and gait parameters in healthy older females. Gait and Posture, 46, 81-85.
- Thomas, N.M., Dewhurst, S. and Bampouras, T.M., 2015. Homogeneity of fascicle architecture following repeated contractions in the human gastrocnemius medialis. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, 25 (6), 870-875.
- Bazzucchi, I., De Vito, G., Felici, F., Dewhurst, S., Sgadari, A. and Sacchetti, M., 2015. Effect of exercise training on neuromuscular function of elbow flexors and knee extensors of type 2 diabetic patients. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, 25 (5), 815-823.
- Dewhurst, S., Peacock, L. and Bampouras, T.M., 2015. Postural stability of older female scottish country dancers in comparison with physically active controls. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, 23 (1), 128-132.
- Dewhurst, S. and Bampouras, T.M., 2014. Intraday reliability and sensitivity of four functional ability tests in older women. American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 93 (8), 703-707.
- Dewhurst, S., Nelson, N., Dougall, P.K. and Bampouras, T.M., 2014. Scottish country dance: Benefits to functional ability in older women. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, 22 (1), 146-153.
- Dewhurst, S., Nelson, N., Dougall, P.K. and Bampouras, T.M., 2014. Scottish Country Dance: Benefits to Functional Ability in Older Women. JOURNAL OF AGING AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, 22 (1), 146-153.
- Dewhurst, S., Bargh, M.J., Davidson, C. and Bampouras, T.M., 2014. Loaded and unloaded marching: Implications for fluid replacement. Open Sports Sciences Journal, 7 (SPEC.ISS1), 16-21.
- Dewhurst, S., MacAluso, A., Gizzi, L., Felici, F., Farina, D. and De Vito, G., 2010. Effects of altered muscle temperature on neuromuscular properties in young and older women. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 108 (3), 451-458.
- Dewhurst, S., Riches, P.E. and De Vito, G., 2007. Moderate alterations in lower limbs muscle temperature do not affect postural stability during quiet standing in both young and older women. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, 17 (3), 292-298.
- Dewhurst, S., Graven-Nielsen, T., De Vito, G. and Farina, D., 2007. Muscle temperature has a different effect on force fluctuations in young and older women. Clinical Neurophysiology, 118 (4), 762-769.
- Dewhurst, S., Riches, P.E., Nimmo, M.A. and De Vito, G., 2005. Temperature dependence of soleus H-reflex and M wave in young and older women. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 94 (5-6), 491-499.
Grants
- It takes a community to prevent a fall (UKRI, 01 Sep 2021). Awarded
- Relationship between head position, visual focus and balance during walking as a risk factor of falls in older age (THE DOWAGER COUNTESS ELEANOR PEEL TRUST, 01 Nov 2014). Awarded