Rate My Professor Siri Szlezak

Dr. Siri Szlezak serves as an Adjunct Lecturer, Research Assistant, and Teaching Associate in the Faculty of Health at Southern Cross University, affiliated with the School of Health and Human Sciences. She earned her Bachelor of Health Sciences (Sports Science), Master of Sports Science, and PhD from Bond University. Her doctoral thesis, completed in 2016 and titled 'Measuring Gene Expression in Endurance Athletes as a Novel Technique for Determining Training Response to Sprint Interval Training (SIT),' investigated gene expression changes in white blood cells of well-trained endurance cyclists. The study compared low-volume/high-frequency versus high-volume/low-frequency SIT protocols over two weeks, totaling nine 30-second sprints per week. Physiological assessments, including endurance capacity tests, VO2 max, and Wingate tests, revealed significant improvements in endurance capacity for the high-volume/low-frequency group compared to controls, though no significant gene expression alterations were detected, highlighting challenges in using white blood cell gene expression for monitoring adaptations in trained athletes.

An Accredited Exercise Physiologist (AEP), Szlezak's research interests encompass exercise immunology, sports science, exercise physiology, human performance, sport physiology, mental health, and telehealth. Her publications include 'Fall for Life: Using the principles of Ukemi to minimise injury in the older vulnerable population: A feasibility study' (2024), 'Establishing a dose-response relationship between acute resistance-exercise and the immune system: Protocol for a systematic review' (2016), 'Decrease of DHEA-S concentration succeeding a micro-dose thumb exertion: mood-state determinants reflect stress-biomarker responses' (2016), 'Isometric Thumb Exertion Induces B Cell and T Cell Lymphocytosis in Trained and Untrained Males: Physical Aptitude Determines Response Profiles' (2016), and 'Micro-dose of resistance-exercise: Effects of sub-maximal thumb exertion on leukocyte redistribution and fatigue in trained male weightlifters' (2015), with a total of 49 citations. She contributes as a co-investigator to projects such as a chair-based exercise program aimed at reducing deconditioning and maintaining activities of daily living in older hospitalized adults, and 'Active Pathways,' a pilot evaluating sport-based social prescribing for improving physical health, psychosocial wellbeing, and social connectedness in adults with chronic conditions. Szlezak also functions as a Clinical Supervisor and Facilitator for Clinical Exercise Physiology students at Southern Cross University.