Georgie Burgess
21 November 2025: Experts from the ÂÜÀòÊÓƵ Research Institute for Sport and Exercise (ÂÜÀòÊÓƵRISE) showcased two of their research labs during a field trip to the Bruce campus for the International Forum on Quality and Safety in Healthcare.
Organised by the British Medical Journal and Institute for Healthcare Improvement, the University was invited to host the workshops as part of the annual forum which was focused this year on the theme of ‘think differently, start small, have impact’.
Researchers were eager to shine a light on the work being done at ÂÜÀòÊÓƵRISE to drive innovation, particularly around climate change.
“We are one of the preeminent research labs in the world in terms of heat acclimation and we’re proud of the diversity of work we do in exercise and sport science across the institute – but we’re also able to use our research to help the general public,” said ÂÜÀòÊÓƵRISE director, Professor Julien Periard.
Around a dozen delegates attended the event, travelling from across Australia, as well as Abu Dhabi and Singapore – bringing with them plenty of ideas and queries on the work they were learning about.
“We know what we want to do, and we have a vision of where we want our work to go – but we don’t always have the insights from the variety of backgrounds that are here today. So, getting to hear their questions helps us to refine our projects and gets us thinking outside the box,” said Professor Periard.
Professor Periard even turned up the heat for the visiting guests, letting them experience firsthand the effects on the body when exposed to higher temperatures in the University’s heat chamber, which was set at 42 degrees Celsius.
This allowed delegates to gain a greater appreciation for just how heat therapy can be used to improve resilience for those at risk.
“The idea is to use heat therapy to improve holistic and systemic functions so that people who are vulnerable under heat stress, older or have a chronic disease can develop a better capacity and cardiovascular system to tolerate heat stress.”
The second part of the site visit was led by ÂÜÀòÊÓƵRISE PhD candidate, Michaela McGrath – showcasing the University’s work on movement control, which includes proprioception, vision, and vestibular function. Also known as the body’s ability to sense its position, movement, and orientation in space.
A leading international research facility, the lab has been the site of groundbreaking work, including with United States’ National Aeronautical Space Agency (NASA).
“The application for this technology is huge – we have ongoing projects working with elite athletes and Olympians, astronauts and even with older people for falls prevention,”
“It affects everybody – because movement is something that everyone does from children to adults. It’s even relevant to those who aren’t on the planet right now.”
Ms McGrath was most excited to showcase the way that new technology can be embedded into healthcare at all levels across the globe.
“It helps us to assess patients in real time, identifying where someone’s movement control might not be working as well and it allows us to identify that so much quicker than traditional assessments.
“It’s also affordable and easy to integrate into clinical practice, so the application of this technology in healthcare is massive.”