Dr Christian Pitcher

Christian Pitcher (PhD, BSc [Hons], AEP) is a Senior Lecturer and Head of Discipline for Exercise Physiology in the School of Behavioural and Health Sciences at the Australian Catholic University in Melbourne. He is an early-career academic focused on the promotion and integration of human movement for restoring function and mitigating disability for individuals living with disease or injury. Christian graduated from The University of Western Australia with a PhD in paediatric rehabilitation for his work characterising skeletal muscle pathology in children with cerebral palsy. He is an accredited exercise physiologist with extensive experience across various clinical and sport rehabilitation settings. As a teacher, researcher, and clinical supervisor, Christian encourages students to challenge the conventional wisdom as they strive to better the livelihood of those around them.

Peer-reviewed Journal Articles

Hickey, J., Rio, E., Best, T., Timmins, R., Maniar, N., Hickey, P., Williams, M., Pitcher, C., & Opar, D. (2022). Early introduction of high-intensity eccentric loading into hamstring strain injury rehabilitation. J Sci Med Sport, 25(9):732-736.

Davison, K., Selig, S., Parmeter, B., Best, T., Fraiser, S., Schneider, S., Cheney, M., Hodonu, J., Pitcher, C., Furzer, B., Cesnik, R., Hardcastle, S., Kitic, C., & Williams, A. (2020). Value and challenges of investigating real-world effectiveness of exercise physiology services for type-2 diabetes. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 52(7S):135.  

Hickey, J., Timmins, R., Maniar, N., Rio, E., Hickey, P., Pitcher, C., Williams, M., & Opar, D. (2020). Pain-Free Versus Pain-Threshold Rehabilitation Following Acute Hamstring Strain Injury: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Orthopedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 50(2):91-103.

Pitcher, C., Elliott, C., Valentine, J., Stannage, K., Williams, S., Shipman, P., & Reid, S. (2018). Muscle morphology of the lower limb in ambulant children with spastic cerebral palsy. Muscle & Nerve, 58(6): 818-823.

Hickey, J., Hickey, P., Maniar, N., Timmins, R., Williams, M., Pitcher, C., & Opar, D. (2018). A novel apparatus measuring knee flexor strength during various hamstring exercises: A reliability and retrospective injury study. Journal of Orthopedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 46(2):72-80.

Valentine, J., Stannage, K., Fabian, V., Ellis, K., Reid, S., Pitcher, C., & Elliott, C. (2016). Muscle histopathology in children with spastic cerebral palsy receiving botulinum toxin type A. Muscle & Nerve. 53, 407-414. doi: 10.1002/mus.24763

Pitcher, C., Elliott, C., Panizzolo, F., Valentine, J., Stannage, K., & Reid, S. (2015). Ultrasound characterization of medial gastrocnemius tissue composition in children with spastic cerebral palsy. Muscle & Nerve, 52(3), 397-403.

Reid, S., Pitcher, C., Williams, S., Licari, M., Valentine, J., Shipman, P., & Elliott, C. (2015). Does muscle size matter? The relationship between muscle size and strength in children with cerebral palsy. Disability & Rehabilitation, 37(1), 579-584. 

Pitcher, C., Elliott, C., Williams, S., Licari, M., Kuenzel, A., Shipman, P., Valentine, V., & Reid, S. (2012). Childhood muscle morphology and strength: alterations over six months of growth. Muscle & Nerve, 46(3), 360-366.

Current Projects

Exercise Ready: Monitoring performance and perceptual wellness in individuals with cancer undergoing treatment. 

Exercise and Sport Science Australia (ESSAM) and Accredited Exercise Physiologist (AEP)

Higher Education Academy (HEA)

Australian Collaborative Education Network (ACEN)