Associate Professor Pazit Levinger

Associate Professor Pazit Levinger is a clinical biomechanist. She has an expertise in the area of quantitative gait analysis and clinical biomechanics of different population groups, including:

• people with osteoarthritis
• people who have had knee replacement surgery
• frail older people at risk of falling.

Associate Professor Levinger has extensive knowledge and skills in the area of falls and balance of older people with knee osteoarthritis and those following joint replacement. She has 52 journal publications and over 40 conference (national and international) presentations.

Recent publications

Myrla Patricia Reis Sales, Remco Polman, Keith D Hill, Tuire Karaharju-Huisman, Pazit Levinger. A novel dynamic exercise initiative for older people to improve health and well-being: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. BMC Geriatric. 15:68, 2015.

Hanatsu Nagano, Pazit Levinger, Calum Downie, Alan Hayes, Rezaul Begg. Eccentric Work and Different Step Responses on Balance Recovery among Older Adults. Gait and Posture, 2015. doi: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2015.05.014.

Jason Wallis, Kate E Webster, Pazit Levinger, Parminder J Singh, Chris Fong, Nicholas F Taylor. Maximum tolerated dose of walking for people with osteoarthritis of the knee: a phase I trial. Osteoarthritis Cartilage., 2015 doi:10.1016/j.joca.2015.04.001.

Andrew K Buldt, Pazit Levinger, George S Murley, Hylton B Menz, Christopher J Nester, Karl B Landorf. Foot posture and function have only minor effects on knee function during barefoot walking in healthy individuals. Clinical Biomechanics, 30(5):431-7, 2015.

Andrew K Buldt, Pazit Levinger, George S Murley, Hylton B Menz, Christopher J Nester, Karl B Landorf. Foot posture is associated with kinematics of the foot during gait: a comparison of normal, planus and cavus feet. Gait and Posture, 42(1):42-8, 2015.

Postgraduate research students and fellows

Completions: one Honours student, two Masters student, one PhD student

Current supervision: Co-supervision of four PhD students

Research Grants

• Gandel Philanthropy (2015). $20,000
• NHMRC Project Grant: APP1049085 (2013-2015). $321,324.90
• Gandel Philanthropy (2013). $27,000
• Australian Institute Musculoskeletal Science seed funding scheme (2013). $19,909
• Australian Institute Musculoskeletal Science seed funding scheme (2013). $10,000
• Arthritis Australia – Project Grant (2012-2013). $30,000
• LEW Carty (2009) $41,811
• The Clive and Vera Ramaciotti Foundation (2009) $28,761
• Arthritis Australia. Grant-In-Aid (2008). $10,000
• Gait CCRE support grant (2008) $13,985

Professional membership

• Osteoarthritis Research Society
• Australian New Zealand Orthopaedic Research Society
• Australia New Zealand Falls Prevention Society

Other major achievements

• Assessor for national grant applications (NHMRC, Australian Podiatric Association)
• 2012: The Best Early Career Research Presentation Award (1st prize) at the 18th annual scientific meeting of the Australian New Zealand Orthopaedic Research Society (Sep 2012)
• 2012: Travel award Australian New Zealand Orthopaedic Research Society
• 2011: Overseas Visiting fellowship. The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology (November 2011 – January 2012)
• 2011: Travel award Australian New Zealand Orthopaedic Research Society