Lee SmithView profile
Professor
Lee Smith is Professor of Public Health at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), where he serves in the Faculty of Science and Engineering within the Department of Life Sciences. He is an epidemiologist with expertise in physical activity and sedentary behaviour, currently leading ARU's COVID-19 research group and serving as a member of the Cambridge Centre for Sport and Exercise Sciences (CCSES). Lee Smith's educational background includes: PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Cambridge MSc in Physical Activity and Health from Loughborough University BSc in Applied Sport Science from Loughborough University Professor Smith's research primarily focuses on physical activity promotion and sedentary behaviour reduction across the lifespan and within special populations. His work examines the relationship between physical activity and health outcomes, sedentary behaviour and health, and the role of physical activity in cancer survivorship. He has developed interventions using mobile phone apps to promote physical activity in cancer survivors and has investigated sedentary behaviour reduction techniques. His extensive publication record (over 1,170 publications) demonstrates a consistent focus on epidemiological studies related to physical activity and sedentary behavior. Recent work shows expansion into broader health topics including vaccine safety, mental health outcomes, and global health burden studies, while maintaining his core expertise in physical activity epidemiology. His research spans multiple methodologies including systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and large-scale epidemiological studies across diverse populations. Professor Smith actively supervises research students and has led multiple research grants in his field of expertise. His work has involved collaborations across multiple institutions and countries, contributing significantly to the understanding of physical activity's role in public health. As leader of ARU's COVID-19 research group and a member of the Cambridge Centre for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Professor Smith contributes to important interdisciplinary research initiatives that bridge epidemiology, public health, and exercise science.








