Brendon Stubbs

I am a clinical-academic physiotherapist with an interest in physical activity & mental health, the mind-body interface, healthy ageing and meta-research.  I have a BSc (Hons) in Physiotherapy, MSc in Neurological Rehabilitation & PhD in Pain Medicine & Rehabilitation.   

I work locally and (inter)nationally with a fantastic group of collaborators with whom I have published over 500 academic papers in several leading journals across multiple scientific fields.   

Key recent publications include European Psychiatric Association guidelines & position statement on the use of physical activity for severe mental illness and a Lancet Psychiatry commission on improving the physical health & wellbeing of people with mental illness (released late July 2019).    

Together with Dr Simon Rosenbaum (UNSW, Australia) we published the first evidence based book on the use of physical activity for the treatment of people with mental illness.

In 2018, I was awarded the best research paper by a senior investigator from the Schizophrenia International Research Society. 

Research Interests

• Physical activity & mental health/illness 
• Physical health in people with mental illness 
• Meta research  

Expertise and Public Engagement

Our research has been covered in multiple (inter)national media outlets.  For instance 

Sky News online and TV appearance https://news.sky.com/story/exercising-regularly-cuts-risk-of-depression-by-16-study-suggests-11346264 covering the paper https://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp.2018.17111194  

ITV news report https://www.itv.com/news/london/2017-05-12/london-university-finds-link-between-mental-illness-and-heart-disease/  covering the paper https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/wps.20420  

New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/16/well/move/how-exercise-might-keep-depression-at-bay.html  covering the paper https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0091743516303139?via%3Dihub  

BBC News https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-48148945  

My research has also been covered in popular podcasts. For instance, I recorded a podcast with Deliciously Ella which has been listened to over 100,000 times and was number 1 in the UK podcast charts in the health category & top 10 of all podcasts at the time of release https://player.fm/series/deliciously-ella/the-science-behind-why-exercise-is-good-for-your-body-and-your-mind-with-dr-brendan-stubbs