EXERCISE PROGRAM FOR THE PREVENTION OF OSTEOPOROTIC FRACTURE
With
Belinda Beck,
Professor of Exercise Science,
Griffith University &
Owner and Director, The Bone Clinic &
Member of Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee
Healthy Bones Australia (formerly Osteoporosis Australia)
RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Southport, Queensland, Australia | May 2025
Dr Beck is an international leader in the effects of mechanical loading on bone health. Dr Beck graduated from The University of Queensland (BHMS[Ed]) and the University of Oregon (MSc and PhD) and completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in the Stanford University School of Medicine (California, USA.) She is a Professor of Exercise Science at Griffith University Gold Coast campus, where she has led the Bone Densitometry Research Laboratory since 2004.
Dr Beck has been awarded $7.6M in research grant funding to work on both animal and human models, from basic to clinical research. She has extensive experience leading clinical trials and the development of methodologies in musculoskeletal measurement. Her particular focuses have been exercise interventions across the lifespan for bone health, and bone stress injuries in athlete and military populations. In recent years she developed the first effective exercise program for the prevention of osteoporotic fracture.
The impact and significance of her work are reflected in 108 peer-reviewed journal articles (80% Q1 journals, 83.3% in top 25% journals by CiteScore), 7 chapters and 16 consumer publications in her field. Over 35% of her publications are in the top 10% most viewed publications worldwide (SciVal).
She has supervised 11 PhD, 5 Masters and 13 Honours students to completion and is currently supervising 2 PhD students, 1 Masters and 1 Honours student, along with three research associates (fellows and assistants). She has delivered 40 invited presentations worldwide (e.g., London, Italy, France, Germany, and the USA) and 57 nationally. She is a Board member of the International Osteoporosis Foundation Capture the Fracture programme, Sports Medicine Australia, the Australian and New Zealand Bone and Mineral Society and a Fellow of the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research, the American College of Sports Medicine, Sports Medicine Australia and Exercise Sports Science Australia.
Dr Beck’s research impact stems from the results of successful and innovative clinical trials and methodological studies that have changed practice in the fields of osteoporosis and military medicine and research practice. The implementation of her research outcomes in the real world seek to make genuine and significant differences to the quality and productivity of people.
Source: Adapted from supplied copy
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Investigating new approaches to target plaque inflammation in atherosclerosis
Associate Professor Peter Psaltis is an Academic Interventional Cardiologist who holds Level 2 NHMRC Career Development and National Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellowships. He has Faculty positions within the University of Adelaide, Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN) and South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI). Within SAHMRI, he is the Co-Theme Leader of the Lifelong Health, Program Leader of Heart and Vascular Health and Co-director of the Vascular Research Centre in the Lifelong Health Theme.
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Muscle Cell Communication and Repair
Dr. William Roman is a Group Leader at the Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute (ARMI) at Monash University. He obtained his PhD from Paris Descartes University and Freie University of Berlin, focusing on nuclear positioning during skeletal muscle development. Dr. Roman’s research journey has taken him across the globe, including postdoctoral work in Barcelona, tissue engineering in Lisbon, and a brief stint at Stanford University.
At ARMI, Dr. Roman leads innovative research on intercellular communication within muscle organs. His work involves growing human muscles on chips to understand how skeletal muscle cells interact with neurons and tendons. This research aims to develop better models for studying muscle diseases, drug screening, and even applications in cellular agriculture and biorobotics.
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Touched by bowel cancer and chasing science outcomes
Dr Josephine Wright is a Senior Research Fellow in the Gut Cancer group. She has been developing a translational network of labs, hospitals and clinics to enable validation of new approaches to prevent and treat colorectal and gastric cancer. Her key focus is studying human tumour organoids to better personalise therapy in cancer.
