معرفی
Professor Lisa Micklesfield is a Research Professor at the Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand. With over 18 years of post-doctoral experience since earning her PhD in June 2004, she has established herself as a leading researcher in non-communicable diseases and life-course health in African populations.
Dr. Micklesfield's research focuses on musculoskeletal health across the life-course, beginning with studies on ultra-endurance athletes, progressing to children and adolescents, and most recently examining osteoporosis and sarcopenia in aging adults. Her work with SAMSON (Sub-Saharan Musculoskeletal Network) has revealed that osteoporosis and fragility fractures are more common in sub-Saharan Africa than previously thought, with HIV and menopause playing significant roles in bone health trajectories. She has demonstrated that internationally accepted cut-offs for conditions like sarcopenia and diabetes may not be appropriate for African populations, highlighting the need for population-specific health metrics.
Her research spans multiple life stages, examining physical activity during pregnancy, infancy, adolescence, and adulthood, both in relation to disease outcomes and as a behavior influenced by social and environmental contexts. As part of the Global Diet and Activity Research Network, she investigates the upstream determinants of physical activity in collaboration with researchers across sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean, and the UK. She leads the Soweto component of the H3A AWI-Gen project, comparing urban South African health data with other rapidly transitioning sub-Saharan African countries.
Dr. Micklesfield's recent publications (2023-2025) demonstrate a strong focus on bone health disparities, multimorbidity patterns, genetic factors in hypertension, and environmental health risks in African populations, with particular attention to gender differences and the intersection of HIV with non-communicable diseases. Her work consistently emphasizes context-specific health metrics and interventions for African populations.
She has mentored numerous PhD students and post-doctoral fellows while building extensive collaborative networks across South Africa, Africa, and internationally. Her current work as part of the NIHR Global Health Research Group (2021-2025) focuses on a syndemic approach to preventing diet and physical activity-related non-communicable diseases.
Dr. Micklesfield has made significant contributions through systematic reviews, including the South African Health Aging Report Card (2013-2020) and collaborations on the Healthy Active Kids South Africa Report Cards (2014, 2016, 2018), providing valuable resources for researchers and policymakers addressing the growing burden of non-communicable diseases in African contexts.
