Distinguished Professor Neville Owen

Biography

Neville is Distinguished Professor in Health Sciences in the Centre for Urban Transitions, and a Senior Scientist in the Physical Activity Laboratory at Baker Heart & Diabetes Institute. His research deals with preventing type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer, through understanding and influencing physical activity and sedentary behaviours (too little exercise and too much  sitting). This includes studies on behavioural measurement, epidemiological and experimental analyses of the health consequences of too much sitting, and novel uses of transportation surveys and spatial data -- all for identifying new opportunities for disease prevention via an interdisciplinary body of evidence on urban living and urban environments that can inform policy and planning initiatives. He is a long-standing Clarivate highly-cited researcher, has published some 600 peer-reviewed papers and co-edited the book: Sedentary Behavior and Health (Human Kinetics, 2017). Broadly, his research findings contribute to improving population health and healthy ageing through innovations in transport, urban planning, workplace policy, and health care.