Research Cluster

The Clinical Exercise and Rehabilitation Research Cluster (CERC)

A young woman sitting on a leg press in a gym.

Our Aim

The Clinical Exercise and Rehabilitation Research Cluster’s (CERC) aims are to participate in multi- and inter-disciplinary research and influence policy with the purpose of preventing and managing acute and chronic musculoskeletal conditions and injuries and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) that contribute towards mitigating morbidity to enhancing health and wellness across the lifespan.

Our Vision

The Clinical Exercise and Rehabilitation Research Cluster’s (CERC) vision is to create clinical, community-led, and governmentally-driven solutions for all persons to live a healthy long life, free from preventable suffering and disability caused by musculoskeletal conditions and preventable non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Our Mission

The Clinical Exercise and Rehabilitation Research Cluster (CERC) brings together the expertise and skills of academics, industry, and relevant stakeholders concerned with addressing the following societal issues:

Issue 1: Prevent ever-growing prevalence of acute and chronic musculoskeletal conditions and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) to reduce morbidity and treatment cost, while enhancing quality of life.
Issue 2: To manage established acute and chronic musculoskeletal conditions and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) to reduce morbidity, mortality and treatment cost of existing conditions and diseases, while enhancing quality of life.
Issue 3: Optimise the outcomes in individuals with already established NCD through the development of novel and innovative tools.
Issue 4: Understanding the mechanisms, incidence, and prevalence to inform the primary prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in a way that contributes to mitigating morbidity and elevating long-term quality-of-life.
Issue 5: Understanding the mechanisms, incidence and prevalence to inform the rehabilitation and management of traumatic and gradual-onset injury in a way that contributes to mitigating morbidity and elevating long-term quality-of-life.
Issue 6: Curb local and international health inequalities through appropriate and scientifically-driven prevention and management mechanisms.

Related research degrees

Our research

Reducing Health Inequalities

Implementation of a Community-Based Mind-Body (Tae-Bo) Physical Activity Programme on Health-Related Physical Fitness in Rural Black Overweight and Obese Women with Manifest Risk Factors for Multimorbidity
Hematologic responses following concurrent Taekwondo and resistance training in under-resourced communities
Financial wellness and debt as a predictor of physical wellness and claims

A healthier life for everyone

Associations between cardiorespiratory fitness, fatness, hemodynamic characteristics, and sedentary behaviour in primary school-aged children.
Fitness Changes in Adolescent Girls Following In-School Combined Aerobic and Resistance Exercise: Interaction With Birthweight
The triglyceride to high‐density lipoprotein ratio identifies children who may be at risk of developing cardiometabolic disease
Genetics and exercise health in strength training
Responsiveness to endurance training can be partly explained by the number of favourable single nucleotide polymorphisms an individual possesses
Establishing a proof of concept for the effects of low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet (LCHFD) and physical activity on body composition in type 2 diabetes
Immune Function Response Following a Low-carbohydrate, High-fat Diet (LCHFD) in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes
Concurrent low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet with/without physical activity does not improve glycaemic control in type 2 diabetics

Obesity prevention and treatment

'At risk' waist-to-height ratio cut-off points recently adopted by NICE and US Department of Defense will unfairly penalize shorter adults. What is the solution?
Obese individuals do not underreport dietary intake to a greater extent than nonobese individuals when data are allometrically-scaled.
The associations between physical activity intensity, cardiorespiratory fitness, and non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease
The Hypertriglyceridemic Waist, Waist-to-Height Ratio, and Cardiometabolic Risk
Efficacy of Home-Based Callisthenic Resistance Training on Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Overweight Compared to Normal Weight Preadolescents
Comparative effects of high-intensity versus moderate-intensity concurrent aerobic and resistance exercise training on obese females
Effects of endurance and high intensity training on ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 levels and arterial pressure in obese and normal weight adolescents
A novel treatment for sleep apnoea - taking back control for a better life (ongoing with grant funding)

Improving quality of life as we grow older

Effects of high-intensity interval training on health-fitness, health related quality of life, and psychological measures in college-aged smokers
Effects of aquatic therapy on balance in older adults
German volume training for health promotion: Acute vasopressor, pulmonary and metabolic responses
Effect of combined aquatic and cognitive training on quality of life, fall self-efficacy, and motor performance in aged with varying cognitive status