Visiting Scientist

Physical Activity Epidemiology

Current work and interests

Paddy is a multidisciplinary medical research scientist, with groundings in human physiology, sport and exercise science and public health. He is a National Health & Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Postdoctoral Fellow based within the Physical Activity Epidemiology programme and the Leicester Diabetes Centre, University of Leicester. He continues close collaborations with several laboratories (Physical Activity, Behavioural Epidemiology and Metabolic/Vascular Physiology) at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute and the Centre for Urban Transitions, Swinburne University of Technology (Melbourne, Australia).

Paddy utilises epidemiological, mechanistic/clinical and interventional research methods to enhance research discovery and translation. His research interests are currently focused on the role of physical activity, sedentary behaviour (i.e. the ‘activity spectrum’), and diet (including their interacting effects) in the prevention and management of chronic diseases – particularly type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. He interrogates these areas using large epidemiological datasets (e.g. UK Biobank, EPIC, Fenland, AusDiab), meta-research, and through human intervention/clinical trials. His research on physical activity, sedentary behaviour and diabetes has appeared in a variety of high-impact medical and public health journals, has influenced international physical activity/exercise clinical guidelines for those with diabetes and hypertension, and has received international media attention. He has also been involved in physical activity guideline development for the American Diabetes Association and the World Health Organization.

Publications

• MRC Epidemiology Unit publications on the Publications Database

Paddy Dempsey

Social Media

@PC_Dempsey