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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Tyrosine Kinases in cancer recurrence
Dr Yu Yu leads the Oncology and Gynaecology Research Program at Curtin Medical Research Institute . Dr Yu is also a senior research fellow at Curtin Medical School.
Dr Yu Yu’s laboratory is working on better ways to treat cancers, particularly ovarian cancers which are resistant to conventional chemotherapy. The aims are for better informed treatment choice and reducing unnecessary exposure to ineffective chemotherapy and its potential adverse effects.
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Clinical pathways for acute care in Tasmanian Emergency Departments
Assoc Prof Viet Tran has built Emergency Medicine Research in Tasmania from the ground up, which has culminated in the success of a AUD$3 million Australian Government Medical Research Futures Fund grant looking into the Implementation of Clinical Pathways for Acute Care in Tasmania project. Dr Tran is also the Emergency Medicine Discipline lead within the Tasmanian School of Medicine and has key roles to play within Emergency Medicine training. He feels privileged to be able to teach and mentor across the whole spectrum of becoming a doctor, from watching students grow into junior doctors, senior registrar and as fellow medical specialists.
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Systems genetics to determine risk of developing diabetes complications
Professor Morahan invented the term “Systems Genetics” for the science field that examines how genetic variants can affect whole networks of genes and whole systems; there are now several laboratories and institutes of systems genetics around the world. He also developed the next-generation genetic resource, The Gene Mine, the most powerful of its type in the world, used globally in rapid mapping and identification of genes. Collaborators nationally and internationally have tested The Gene Mine for traits and diseases in which they specialise.
