Susan Dewhurst

Dr Susan Dewhurst

  • u_sdewhurst at bournemouth dot ac dot uk
  • Head of School of Allied Health and Exercise Sciences
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Biography

Dr Susan Dewhurst is Head of Department and Associate Professor in Exercise Physiology in the Department of Rehabilitation and Sport Sciences. Having previously worked as a lecturer and researcher in academic institutions in Scotland, NW England, Denmark and Rome, and as a Senior Scientific Officer at the Ministry of Defence, she brings a broad range of teaching and scientific experiences to BU.

Research Biography:

My main pleasure is seeing people of all ages active. This is especially true for the older age group whereby being active lets us engage with society and allows us to make the most of our latter years.

For many older people, however, being active isn’t so easy. The natural ageing process makes us more susceptible to slips and falls. When this happens confidence in our physical ability can go, along with the desire to participate in activities which we once enjoyed, whether it be visits to shopping centres or country walks. A consequence of avoiding these activities is that our physical abilities can decrease, ironically, making us more likely to fall...

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Journal Articles

  • Rattley, C.A., Ansdell, P., Burgess, L., Felton, M., Dewhurst, S., Armstrong, M., Neal, R., 2025. Ventilation differences in the menstrual cycle: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Respiratory Physiology and Neurobiology, 337.
  • Rattley, C.A., Ansdell, P., Armstrong, M., Felton, M., Dewhurst, S., Yendole, K., Neal, R.A., 2025. Aerobic capacity and cardiopulmonary variables are not different between premenopausal, late premenopausal, perimenopausal, and postmenopausal women. Physiological Reports, 13 (15).
  • Beresford, L., Dewhurst, S., Hutchison, A., Pandyan, A.D., 2025. Lower-limb neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) for people with chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2025 (5).
  • Rattley, C.A., Felton, M., Ansdell, P., Dewhurst, S., Neal, R.A., 2025. Comparison of predicted aerobic capacity to measured aerobic capacity in menopausal women: an analysis of three methods. Climacteric, 28 (6), 709-714.
  • Rattley, C.A., Ansdell, P., Armstrong, M., Felton, M., Dewhurst, S., Yendole, K., Neal, R.A., 2025. The effect of intensity on metabolic and ventilatory responses to steady-state exercise in women across the adult lifecycle. European Journal of Applied Physiology.
  • Rattley, C.A., Ansdell, P., Burgess, L.C., Felton, M., Dewhurst, S., Neal, R.A., 2024. Influence of Oestradiol Fluctuations in the Menstrual Cycle on Respiratory Exchange Ratio at Different Exercise Intensities: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis and Pooled-Data Analysis. PHYSIOLOGIA, 4 (4), 486-505.
  • Yasar, Z., Elliott, B.T., Kyriakidou, Y., Nwokoma, C.T., Postlethwaite, R.D., Gaffney, C.J., Dewhurst, S., Hayes, L.D., 2021. Sprint interval training (SIT) reduces serum epidermal growth factor (EGF), but not other inflammatory cytokines in trained older men. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 121 (7), 1909-1919.
  • Yasar, Z., Dewhurst, S., Hayes, L.D., 2019. Peak power output is similarly recovered after three-and five-days’ rest following sprint interval training in young and older adults. Sports, 7 (4).
  • Bampouras, T.M., Dewhurst, S., 2018. A comparison of bilateral muscular imbalance ratio calculations using functional tests. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 32 (8), 2216-2220.
  • Thomas, N.M., Donovan, T., Dewhurst, S., Bampouras, T.M., 2018. Visually fixating or tracking another person decreases balance control in young and older females walking in a real-world scenario. Neuroscience Letters, 677, 78-83.
  • Maslivec, A., Bampouras, T.M., Dewhurst, S., Vannozzi, G., Macaluso, A., Laudani, L., 2018. Mechanisms of head stability during gait initiation in young and older women: A neuro-mechanical analysis. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, 38, 103-110.
  • Maslivec, A., Bampouras, T.M., Dewhurst, S., 2017. Head flexion and different walking speeds do not affect gait stability in older females. Human Movement Science, 55, 87-93.
  • Thomas, N.M., Dewhurst, S., Bampouras, T.M., Donovan, T., Macaluso, A., Vannozzi, G., 2017. Smooth pursuits decrease balance control during locomotion in young and older healthy females. Experimental Brain Research, 235 (9), 2661-2668.
  • Dixon, H., Baker, C.E., Baker, J.S., Dewhurst, S., Hayes, L.D.. Sodium bicarbonate ingestion improves Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test I performance: a randomized crossover trial. NUTRITION AND DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS, 9.
  • Thomas, N.M., Bampouras, T.M., Donovan, T., Dewhurst, S., 2016. Eye movements affect postural control in young and older females. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 8 (SEP).
  • Ruggiero, L., Dewhurst, S., Bampouras, T.M., 2016. Validity and reliability of two field-based leg stiffness devices: Implications for practical use. Journal of Applied Biomechanics, 32 (4), 415-419.
  • Bampouras, T.M., Dewhurst, S., 2016. Carrying shopping bags does not alter static postural stability and gait parameters in healthy older females. Gait and Posture, 46, 81-85.
  • Thomas, N.M., Dewhurst, S., Bampouras, T.M., 2015. Homogeneity of fascicle architecture following repeated contractions in the human gastrocnemius medialis. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, 25 (6), 870-875.
  • Bazzucchi, I., De Vito, G., Felici, F., Dewhurst, S., Sgadari, A., Sacchetti, M., 2015. Effect of exercise training on neuromuscular function of elbow flexors and knee extensors of type 2 diabetic patients. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, 25 (5), 815-823.
  • Dewhurst, S., Peacock, L., Bampouras, T.M., 2015. Postural stability of older female scottish country dancers in comparison with physically active controls. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, 23 (1), 128-132.
  • Dewhurst, S., Bampouras, T.M., 2014. Intraday reliability and sensitivity of four functional ability tests in older women. American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 93 (8), 703-707.
  • Dewhurst, S., Nelson, N., Dougall, P.K., Bampouras, T.M., 2014. Scottish country dance: Benefits to functional ability in older women. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, 22 (1), 146-153.
  • Dewhurst, S., Bargh, M.J., Davidson, C., Bampouras, T.M., 2014. Loaded and unloaded marching: Implications for fluid replacement. Open Sports Sciences Journal, 7 (SPEC.ISS1).
  • Dewhurst, S., Nelson, N., Dougall, P.K., Bampouras, T.M., 2014. Scottish Country Dance: Benefits to Functional Ability in Older Women. JOURNAL OF AGING AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, 22 (1), 146-153.
  • Dewhurst, S., MacAluso, A., Gizzi, L., Felici, F., Farina, D., De Vito, G., 2010. Effects of altered muscle temperature on neuromuscular properties in young and older women. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 108 (3), 451-458.
  • Dewhurst, S., Riches, P.E., De Vito, G., 2007. Moderate alterations in lower limbs muscle temperature do not affect postural stability during quiet standing in both young and older women. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, 17 (3), 292-298.
  • Dewhurst, S., Graven-Nielsen, T., De Vito, G., Farina, D., 2007. Muscle temperature has a different effect on force fluctuations in young and older women. Clinical Neurophysiology, 118 (4), 762-769.
  • Dewhurst, S., Riches, P.E., Nimmo, M.A., De Vito, G., 2005. Temperature dependence of soleus H-reflex and M wave in young and older women. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 94 (5-6), 491-499.
  • Moffat, A.C., Osselton, M.D., Widdop, B., Clarke, E.G.C.. Clarke's analysis of drugs and poisons. Pharmaceutical Pr.

Grants

  • It takes a community to prevent a fall (UKRI, 01 Sep 2021). Awarded
  • Relationship between head position, visual focus and balance during walking as a risk factor of falls in older age (THE DOWAGER COUNTESS ELEANOR PEEL TRUST, 01 Nov 2014). Awarded
The data on this page was last updated at 05:00 on February 18, 2026.