Rate My Professor Brendon Roxburgh

Dr Brendon Roxburgh is a Lecturer in Clinical Exercise Physiology at the School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Otago. He earned a BPhEd from the University of Otago in 2008, an MSc in Sport and Exercise Science from the University of Auckland, and a PhD from the University of Otago in 2018, with his doctoral research focused on prehabilitation to optimise patient fitness prior to surgery. Prior to his PhD, Roxburgh worked for more than ten years as a clinical exercise physiologist, specialising in cardiopulmonary exercise testing and exercise-based rehabilitation for patients with cardiovascular disease. He returned to the University of Otago in 2018 to complete his doctorate and now contributes to teaching across several courses, including SPEX 205 Physical Activity and Health, SPEX 310 Exercise for Clinical Populations, SPEX 316 Practicum, and advanced modules in clinical skills and exercise physiology such as SPEX 440 and SPEX 441.

Roxburgh's research examines the role of exercise during presurgical cancer treatment (neoadjuvant therapy) to enhance tolerance to chemotherapy, reduce side effects, and promote tumour shrinkage; hot-water immersion for improving blood pressure in hypertension and alleviating joint pain in arthritis; preoperative cardiorespiratory fitness to optimise postoperative recovery; and thermoregulatory responses and strategies in athletes, including motorsport competitors and open-water swimmers. He supervises multiple postgraduate students investigating exercise during chemotherapy, thermal therapies for cardiovascular health, heat acclimation, and related topics. His contributions have earned a Lottery Health Postdoctoral Fellowship, a Health Research Council Emerging Researcher Grant, and funding from Pūtahi Manawa, Arthritis New Zealand, the Maurice and Phyllis Paykel Trust, the National Heart Foundation of New Zealand, HeartOtago, and the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand. Notable publications include 'Prolonged stable hypothermia during a 10-hour cold open-water marathon swim' (Experimental Physiology, 2026, with D.T. Edgar and J.D. Cotter); 'Hot-water immersion: A (not so) new therapy for the primary and secondary prevention of hypertension?' (Journal of Applied Physiology, 2026, with J.D. Cotter, N. Fujii, K. Masodsai, and K.N. Thomas); 'Three practical methods for estimating preoperative cardiorespiratory fitness in patients with severe hip or knee osteoarthritis: A cross-sectional study' (Arthritis Care & Research, 2025, with H.A. Campbell et al.); and 'The effect of pre-operative cardiorespiratory fitness on functional and subjective outcomes following total hip and knee arthroplasty' (New Zealand Medical Journal, 2025, with H.A. Campbell et al.).