‘You do not have to
be in perfect health
to safely perform
physical exercise.’
Dr PELLY KOUFAKI
POST DOCTORAL RESEARCH FELLOW, PHYSIOTHERAPY
I am Dr Pelagia Koufaki and I am research trained (PhD)
as a Clinical Exercise Physiologist.
My ultimate aim is to develop and evaluate approaches that
people are more likely to implement in their daily lives either
in clinical or community based settings. Exercise during
renal dialysis, is an example of effective implementation of
a therapeutic treatment, that brings about multiple health
benefits for people who need them the most.
I was trained to become a PE teacher or a sports coach.
However, as a 3rd year student, I attended a week-long seminar
on Cardiac Rehabilitation, which although not a novel idea,
was not a widely recommended/known practice. When I grew
up, a common piece of doctor’s advice for people with health
conditions was to “rest”, “slow down” or “take it easy” and I
was therefore inspired by the clinical application of the idea,
that you do not have to be in perfect health to safely perform
physical exercise. That was the beginning of my interest in
health enhancing exercise applications and has been sustained
by interacting with the actual people who need it the most.
E
R A T I N G
O
L
B
For the last 15 years I have
been conducting clinical
research focusing on the
effectiveness of exercise
and physical activity
interventions as therapeutic
modalities for optimizing
functional independence
and reducing cardiovascular
health risks in people with
long term cardiometabolic
conditions such as kidney
and cardiac disease.
WOMEN
RESEARCHERS
INSPIRING
RESEARCH CAREER
JOURNEYS