Section: Overview
Overview
Key publications
Research funding
Supervising & teaching
Career

Key details

Areas of expertise

  • Clinical exercise rehabilitation
  • Bone & glycaemic control / bone muscle interaction
  • Muscle wasting and aging sarcopenia
  • Exercise/muscle physiology
  • Cardiac rehabilitation

Available to supervise research students

Available for media queries

About Itamar Levinger

Professor Itamar Levinger is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist (AEP) who developed extensive knowledge, skills and experience in the area of exercise rehabilitation for patients with cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, as well as, muscle function, structure and metabolism and cell signalling in humans and murine models.

He has an internationally recognised research track record in the area of bone-muscle interaction and the implications of such interaction for the prevention and management of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Currently Itamar is the Leader of the Bone, Muscle and Cardiovascular Research Group and the Director of the Mechanisms and Interventions in Health and Disease Program, Institute for Health and Sport (IHES), Victoria University.

He is also the Program Director: Sarcopenia Clinical at the Australian Institute for Musculoskeletal Science (AIMSS).  His work was supported by two Heart Foundation Fellowships (2012-2014 Postdoctoral and 2014-2018 Future Leader Fellow). 

To date, he published over 85 publications (70% first or last, senior, author and 80% in Q1 journals) and received more than $2M in research funds.

He is a supervisor of 5 PhD students (4 as principal) and has supervised 7 PhD and 5 Honours/Masters students to completion. 

He received several awards including the  2010 and 2017 Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Research and Research Training.

Qualifications

  • PhD, Victoria University, Australia, 2008
  • MSc, Southern Cross Unversity, Australia, 2004
  • BEd, The Zinman College of Physical Education and Sport Sciences at Wingate Institute, Israel, 2001

Key publications

Year Citation
2019 Lin, X., Parker, L., McLennan, E., Hayes, A., McConell, G., Brennan-Speranza, T. C., & Levinger, I. (190801). Undercarboxylated Osteocalcin Improves Insulin-Stimulated Glucose Uptake in Muscles of Corticosterone-Treated Mice. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, 34(8), (1517-1530).

doi: 10.1002/jbmr.3731

2019 Parker, L., Lin, X., Garnham, A., McConell, G., Stepto, N. K., Hare, D. L., Byrnes, E., Ebeling, P. R., Seeman, E., & Brennan-Speranza, T. C. (190101). Glucocorticoid-Induced Insulin Resistance in Men Is Associated With Suppressed Undercarboxylated Osteocalcin. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, 34(1), (49-58).

doi: 10.1002/jbmr.3574

2018 Tacey, A., Qaradakhi, T., Brennan-Speranza, T., Hayes, A., Zulli, A., & Levinger, I. (181004). Potential role for osteocalcin in the development of atherosclerosis and blood vessel disease. Nutrients, 10(10),

doi: 10.3390/nu10101426

2018 Lin, X., Parker, L., Mclennan, E., Zhang, X., Hayes, A., McConell, G., Brennan-Speranza, T. C., & Levinger, I. (180801). Uncarboxylated Osteocalcin Enhances Glucose Uptake Ex Vivo in Insulin-Stimulated Mouse Oxidative But Not Glycolytic Muscle. Calcified Tissue International, 103(2), (198-205).

doi: 10.1007/s00223-018-0400-x

2018 Maiorana, A., Levinger, I., Davison, K., Smart, N., & Coombes, J. (180701). Exercise prescription is not just for medical doctors: the benefits of shared care by physicians and exercise professionals. British journal of sports medicine, 52(13), (879-880).

doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2016-096994

2017 Lin, X., Parker, L., Mclennan, E., Zhang, X., Hayes, A., McConell, G., Brennan-Speranza, T. C., & Levinger, I. (171122). Recombinant uncarboxylated osteocalcin per se enhances mouse skeletal muscle glucose uptake in both extensor digitorum longus and soleus muscles. Frontiers in Endocrinology, 8(NOV),

doi: 10.3389/fendo.2017.00330

2017 Levinger, I., Brennan-Speranza, T. C., Zulli, A., Parker, L., Lin, X., Lewis, J. R., & Yeap, B. B. (170801). Multifaceted interaction of bone, muscle, lifestyle interventions and metabolic and cardiovascular disease: role of osteocalcin. Osteoporosis International, 28(8), (2265-2273).

doi: 10.1007/s00198-017-3994-3

2017 Parker, L., Caldow, M. K., Watts, R., Levinger, P., Cameron-Smith, D., & Levinger, I. (170701). Age and sex differences in human skeletal muscle fibrosis markers and transforming growth factor- signaling. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 117(7), (1463-1472).

doi: 10.1007/s00421-017-3639-4

2017 Wyckelsma, V. L., Levinger, I., McKenna, M. J., Formosa, L. E., Ryan, M. T., Petersen, A. C., Anderson, M. J., & Murphy, R. M. (170601). Preservation of skeletal muscle mitochondrial content in older adults: relationship between mitochondria, fibre type and high-intensity exercise training. Journal of Physiology, 595(11), (3345-3359).

doi: 10.1113/JP273950

2017 Tacey, A., Parker, L., Garnham, A., Brennan-Speranza, T. C., & Levinger, I. (170601). The effect of acute and short term glucocorticoid administration on exercise capacity and metabolism. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 20(6), (543-548).

doi: 10.1016/j.jsams.2016.10.016

Research funding for the past 5 years

Please note:

  • Funding is ordered by the year the project commenced and may continue over several years.
  • Funding amounts for contact research are not disclosed to maintain commercial confidentiality.
  • The order of investigators is not indicative of the role they played in the research project.

The effects of high-intensity interval training in hypoxia on key mitochondrial signaling in human skeletal muscle
From: Southwest University, China
Other investigators: Dr Jujiao Kuang, Prof David Bishop, Dr Xu Yan
For period: 2022-2023
Not disclosed

Improving Care for Patients on a Waiting List for Orthopaedic Specialist Public Health Services in Melbourne’s West (Waitlist Project)
From: Victorian Higher Education Strategic Investment Fund
Other investigators: Prof Michael Mckenna, Prof Vasso Apostolopoulos, Prof Rebecca Lane, Miss Mary Woessner, Prof Alexandra Parker, Dr Michaela Pascoe
For period: 2021-2022
$2,025,812
Bone-Muscle-Fat Interaction: Identifying Novel Biomarkers for Performance and Health
From: Defence Science Institute, Victoria University
Other investigators: Miss Cassandra Smith, Asst/prof Joshua Lewis
For period: 2021-2022
Not disclosed

Can Exercise Slow Down the Epigenetic Ageing Clock?
From: Australian Research Council - Discovery Project, Victoria University
Other investigators: Prof Nir Eynon, Dr Sarah Voisin, Dr Severine Lamon
For period: 2020-2022
$534,000
Uncovering the Therapeutic Role of Osteocalcin in Hyperglycemic Settings: Effect on Older Adults' Myotubes
From: Diabetes Australia
Other investigators: Dr Alba Moreno asso, Mr Xuzhu Lin
For period: 2020-2020
$59,747

Bio-Electrical Stimulation to Facilitate Improved Training in Heart Failure (BEST-FIT HF)
From: National Heart Foundation
For period: 2018-2020
Not disclosed

Supervision of research students at VU

Available to supervise research students

Available for media queries

Currently supervised research students at VU

No. of students Study level Role
2 PhD Principal supervisor

Currently supervised research students at VU

Students & level Role
PhD (2) Principal supervisor

Completed supervision of research students at VU

No. of students Study level Role
5 PhD Associate supervisor
5 PhD Principal supervisor

Completed supervision of research students at VU

Students & level Role
PhD (5) Associate supervisor
PhD (5) Principal supervisor

Other supervision of research students

All of Itamar's PhD students completed their studies in a timely manner with an excellent theses quality. Once completed their studies, his students received Postdoctoral Fellowships in Australia and/or overseas.

Careers

Details of this Researcher's career are currently unavailable.