Dr Ashley Gluchowski
School of Health & Society
Current positions
University Fellow
Biography
Ashley is a clinical exercise physiologist, certified special population specialist, behaviour change specialist, and implementation support specialist.
Ashley holds an BMSc with an honours specialisation in Medical Science (Western University in Canada) and a MSc also in Medical Science (specialisation in pharmacology and physiology from McMaster University in Canada).
Ashley went on to work in clinical trials research in cardiovascular surgery (including coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgical techniques and pharmacological interventions at the Population Health Research Institute in Canada).
Her mixed-methods PhD focused on the effects of very heavy load chronic eccentric resistance training in resistance-trained older adults (Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand).
Her first post-doc position and research fellowship looked at the awareness, understanding, and implementation of the strength component of the UK’s Chief Medical Officers’ physical activity guidelines in older adults and community-based exercise instructors, and how a very brief intervention (VBI) in muscle-strengthening exercise may be implemented into healthcare settings (University of Manchester in the UK).
Areas of Research
As a researcher and clinician, Ashley’s work aims at bridging the gap between what we know and what we do, or the research-to-practice gap.
As a University Fellow, Ashley raises awareness of the muscle-strengthening component on national and international physical activity guidelines, works with the fitness and health workforce to facilitate evidence-based practice, and is implementing her own strength training programme, STRONGER with AGE, into new populations, settings, and contexts, all to overcome the barriers that we traditionally see for strength training participation.
Ashley’s ambitions are to bridge the research-to-practice gap by embedding evidence-based strength training practice into new places and spaces (such as the workplace, in our communities, and the healthcare system) - moving toward a proactive and integrated approach to health and wellbeing for middle-aged and older adults.
Areas of Supervision
Strength training awareness, mass media messaging, policy, or implementation in middle-aged and older adults.
Strength Training in workplaces, green/park spaces, community leisure, and health care systems.
Interested in implementation science/practice, behaviour change, and science communication.
Qualifications
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Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
2013 - 2018 -
Master of Science (MSc)
2007 - 2010 -
Bachelor of Medical Science (BMSc)
2003 - 2007
Recognitions
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Paper of the Year 2025