It is with great pleasure to announce that Professor Mark Hamer has been appointed the first UCL Professor of Sport & Exercise Medicine at the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Sport (ISEH), as part of the UCL Research Department of Targeted Intervention within the Division of Surgery and Interventional Science. He will officially take up the position in September 2019.
The appointment was made following a worldwide search and a competitive interview process and will help to drive the ISEH research agenda onto the next level.
Mark has a background in sport and exercise sciences, and his research is largely focused around physical activity and health, having worked on some of the UK's leading population cohort studies over the last decade or so. He has also undertaken work to find ways to improve population levels of physical activity. Mark is a sports enthusiast and has competed in triathlon, marathons, and cycling racing over the last two decades.
Mark joins the ISEH from the National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine where he has been Chair in Exercise as Medicine since 2015. Prior to this he spent eleven years at University College London as a researcher in Epidemiology and Public Health funded by the British Heart Foundation and has previously worked with the ISEH on the Camden Active Spaces project.
Mark will be tasked with driving forward the growing area of exercise as medicine at the ISEH and UCL and helping to further enhance the world leading reputation of the ISEH.
Mark said “I’m very excited to return to UCL and become the first Chair in Sport and Exercise Medicine at the ISEH and have the opportunity to work with a wide range of world leading experts in their field”.
Professor Fares Haddad, Clinical Director for the ISEH said “This role is of vital importance to the ISEH and we are all looking forward to Professor Hamer starting and to the help and energy he will provide to both the education and research at the ISEH.”
Matt James, Development Director for the ISEH congratulated Professor Hamer on his appointment said "This is a critical and exciting role in bringing together the research strategy for the ISEH and I look forward to working with Mark".
Professor Mike Loosemore, Lead Consultant in Sport and Exercise Medicine at the ISEH and said “The appointment of Professor Hamer as research lead is a fantastic opportunity to expand the research at ISEH. We have similar interests in the deleterious effects of sedentary behaviour and an enthusiasm for increasing physical activity in the general population”.
Professor Ramani Moonesinghe, Head of the Research Department for Targeted Intervention at UCL said “Professor Hamer’s appointment marks the beginning of an exciting new era for the Centre for Sports, Exercise and Health within our department. His impressive research pedigree will complement and enhance our world-class educational programmes in sports and exercise science and our internationally renowned academic work in surgery, interventional science and perioperative medicine.”