A webinar presented by the ANZFPS Early-Mid Career Researcher Sub-Committee

Presenters: Prof. Pazit Levinger, Prof. Debra Waters, Dr. Christina Ekegren

The webinar took place on the 8th May 2023. Prof Levinger discussed the use of the Seniors Exercise Parks to improve physical activity and reduce fall risk. Prof Waters discussed the “Steady As You GO” program, an effective model of community-based peer-led exercise in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Dr Ekegren discussed physical activity and sedentary behaviour in hospital settings.

 Prof Pazit Levinger is a Principal Researcher (Accredited Exercise Physiologist) at National Aging Research Institute. Prof Levinger also holds honorary positions at the Rehabilitation, Ageing and Independent Living Research Centre, Monash University and the Institute for Health and Sports, Victoria University. Prof Levinger’s current research focuses on research translation and community work with local government engagement. Prof Levinger is an expert in the area of age-friendliness outdoor sites specifically designed for older people, and currently works closely with government bodies in strategic development and planning around the built environment and public health impact.

Prof Debra Waters is the Director of Gerontology Research at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. She also holds a Research Professor appointment at the University of New Mexico, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Prof Waters is the co-director of the Otago Falls Network, an executive member of the Australia and New Zealand Falls Prevention Society and on the steering committee of the International Conference on Sarcopenia and Frailty Research (ICFSR). Prof Waters’s research career has been focused on maintaining physical function and preventing sarcopenia and falls in older adults.

Dr Christina Ekegren is a Senior Research Fellow within the Rehabilitation, Ageing and Independent Living  Research Centre. Dr Ekegren research focuses on physical activity in clinical populations, specifically hospitalised patients, older adults, and people recovering from traumatic injury. Dr Ekegren is currently a registered physiotherapist and adjunct researcher with the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, an Honorary Fellow at Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, an Honorary Research Fellow of the Emergency and Trauma Centre, Alfred Health, and a Research Collaborator with the Centre for Ageing Solutions for Mobility, Activity, Rehabilitation and Technology at Vancouver Coastal Health.