I completed my PhD at Deakin University, Australia in 2014, investigating the molecular regulation of skeletal muscle in response to exercise and nutritional interventions.

In 2015, I joined MoveLab at Newcastle University where I worked on a range of projects assessing exercise performance, functional capacity, activity levels (accelerometery), and brain electrical activity (EEG) in various population groups.

I am currently working with Dr Grainne Gorman and a brilliant multidisciplinary team at the Wellcome Centre for Mitochondrial Research, to delivery clinical trials. I am also working towards implementing personalised exercise prescription in patients with mitochondrial disease.

Education & Training

Certified Clinical Exercise Physiologist – American College of Sports Medicine

PhD Skeletal muscle biology / physiology – Deakin University, Australia

BSc Exercise and Sports Science (1^st Class Hons) – Deakin University, Australia

BSc Exercise and Sports Science – Deakin University, Australia

My research is focused on attempting to better understand the integrated pathophysiology of exercise intolerance in patients with mitochondrial disease; including the physiological, metabolic and functional capacity of skeletal muscle in response to therapeutic interventions, and in turn, overall health. These include:

1. The safety and efficacy of exercise as a therapeutic intervention
2. Validation of clinically meaningful outcome measures

Another one of my research areas is focused on identifying novel biomarkers that aim to improve the diagnosis of mitochondrial disease as well as response to treatment:  These include:

1. Innovative facial imaging techniques and deep learning
2. The regulation of microRNA (miRNA) in whole skeletal muscle and within mitochondria

Deakin University, Australia

2009 - 2014

Laboratory and tutorial demonstrator for the following units:

• Exercise Physiology (HSE201)
• Human Structure and Function (HBS109)
• Integrated Human Physiology (HSE208)

Assessment of the following unit:

• Inflammation, Disease, Obesity and Nutrition (HNS301)

• Charman SJ, Okwose NC, Stefanetti RJ, Bailey K, Skinner J, Ristic A, Seferovic PM, Scott M, Turley S, Fuat A, Mant J, Hobbs FDR, MacGowan GA, Jakovljevic DG. A novel cardiac output response to stress test developed to improve diagnosis and monitoring of heart failure in primary care. ESC Heart Failure 2018, 5(4), 703-712.
• Lean MEJ, Leslie WS, Barnes AC, Brosnahan N, Thom G, McCombie L, Peters C, Zhyzhneuskaya S, Al-Mrabeh A, Hollingsworth KG, Rodrigues AM, Rehackova L, Adamson AJ, Sniehotta FF, Mathers JC, Ross HM, McIlvenna Y, Stefanetti R, Trenell MI, Welsh P, Kean S, Ford I, McConnachie A, Sattar N, Taylor R. Primary care-led weight management for remission of type 2 diabetes (DiRECT): an open-label, cluster-randomised trial. The Lancet 2018, 391(10120), 541-551.
• Stefanetti RJ, Voisin S, Russell A, Lamon S. Recent advances in understanding the role of FOXO3 [version 1; referees: 4 approved]. F1000Research 2018, 7, 1372.
• Djordje J, Charman SJ, Okwose NC, Stefanetti RJ, Bailey K, Skinner J, Scott M, Mant J, Hobbs FDR, MacGowan GA. Reproducibility of a simple cardiac output response to stress test to diagnose and monitor heart failure in a primary care setting. In: BJGP Research Conference. 2018, London, UK: British Journal of General Practice.
• Khanna A, Jopson L, Howel D, Bryant A, Blamire A, Newton JL, Wilkinson J, Steel AJ, Bainbridge J, Stefanetti R, Cassidy S, Houghton D, Jones DE. Rituximab for the Treatment of Fatigue in Primary Biliary Cholangitis (formerly Primary Biliary Cirrhosis) A Randomised Controlled Trial. Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation 2018, 5(2), 1-78.
• Stefanetti RJ, Lamon S, Wallace M, Vendelbo MH, Russell AP, Vissing K. Regulation of ubiquitin proteasome pathway molecular markers in response to endurance and resistance exercise and training. Pflügers Archiv - European Journal of Physiology 2015, 467(7), 1523–1537.
• Stefanetti RJ, Zacharewicz E, Della Gatta P, Garnham A, Russell AP, Lamon S. Ageing has no effect on the regulation of the ubiquitin proteasome-related genes and proteins following resistance exercise. Frontiers in Physiology 2014, 5, 30.
• Stefanetti RJ, Lamon S, Rahbek SK, Farup J, Zacharewicz E, Wallace MA, Vendelbo MH, Russell AP, Vissing K. Influence of divergent exercise contraction mode and whey protein supplementation on atrogin-1, MuRF1, and FOXO1/3A in human skeletal muscle. Journal of Applied Physiology 2014, 116(11), 1491-502.
• Vissing K, Rahbek SK, Lamon S, Farup J, Stefanetti RJ, Wallace MA, Vendelbo MH, Russell A. Effect of resistance exercise contraction mode and protein supplementation on members of the STARS signalling pathway. The Journal of Physiology 2013, 591(15), 3749–3763.
• Lamon S, Wallace MA, Stefanetti RJ, Rahbek SK, Vendelbo MH, Russell AP, Vissing K. Regulation of the STARS signaling pathway in response to endurance and resistance exercise and training. Pflügers Archiv - European Journal of Physiology 2013, 465(9), 1317–1325.
• Michailidis Y, Karagounis LG, Terzis G, Jamurtas AZ, Spengos K, Tsoukas D, Chatzinikolaou A, Mandalidis D, Stefanetti RJ, Papassotiriou I, Athanasopoulos S, Hawley JA, Russell AP, Fatouros IG. Thiol-based antioxidant supplementation alters human skeletal muscle signaling and attenuates its inflammatory response and recovery after intense eccentric exercise. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2013, 98(1), 233–245.