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Robert Ross, PhD

PhD (University of Montreal)

MSc (University of Montreal)

BEd (McGill University)

Contact Information

Telephone:  613-533-6583
Office:  KINE 301E
 

Undergraduate Courses

KNPE 255 – Physical Activity, Fitness and Health
KNPE 355 – Clinical Fitness Assessment Laboratory
KNPE 455 – Advanced Physical Activity and Health
 

Graduate Courses

KHS 886 – Clinical Exercise Physiology
 

Research Summary

Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Research Unit

Our research work is focused on the characterization and management of obesity and related co-morbidities in adults. In recent years we have conducted a number of randomized controlled trials to determine the efficacy and effectiveness of lifestyle-based interventions designed to manage abdominal obesity and related health risk. Our objective is to continue this type of research for the foreseeable future.

Our intervention-based research is performed within 5000 square feet of space in the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies. This space includes the aerobic exercise equipment necessary to perform multiple intervention trials.  Equipment for measurement of indirect calorimetry both during exercise and at rest is in place. Also included are 4 MRI- and CT-image analysis workstations.  We also have routine access to MRI, MRS, CT and DEXA facilities at Kingston General Hospital.  Our cardiometabolic-based research is performed within our Clinical laboratory space located within our laboratory and includes 2 beds, office space for our research nurses and two metabolic testing suites dedicated to performing our metabolic studies including hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp studies, glucose tolerance, glucose oxidation, resting metabolic rate measurement etc.

Graduate Students Opportunities

As the prevalence of obesity, diabetes and aging continue to increase worldwide, the importance of research designed to develop graduate students trained in these research areas is magnified. The research objectives of our laboratory are consistent with this observation and thus, graduate students in our lab are trained in fertile research areas that will develop the skills required within a broad spectrum of the research community.

Recent Publications

Recent, Selected Publications (2018-2020)

2020

Ross R. and Tremblay MS. Introduction to the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Adults aged 18–64 years and Adults aged 65 years or older:  An Integration of Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour, and Sleep. Appl. Physiol. Nutr. Metab. 45(10) Suppl 2: v–xi, 2020.

Nelms M, Day AG, Sui X, Blair SN and Ross R. Examining the Influence of Waist Circumference in Cardiovascular Disease Risk Prediction Modeling. PLoS One 15(10):e0240214, 2020.

Ross, R, Chaput J-P, Giangregorio LM, Janssen I, Saunders TJ, Kho ME, Poitras VJ, Tomasone JR, El-Kotob R, McLaughlin EC, Duggan ME, Carrier J, Carson V, Chastin SF, Latimer-Cheung AE, Chulak-Bozzer T, Faulkner F, Flood SM, Gazendam MK, Healy G, Katzmarzyk PT, Kennedy W, Lane KN, Lorbergs A, Maclaren K, Marr S, Powell KE, Rhodes RE, Ross-White A, Welsh F, Willumsen J,  and Tremblay MS. Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Adults aged 18–64 years and Adults aged 65 years or older: An Integration of Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour, and Sleep. Appl. Physiol. Nutr. Metab. Vol. 45(10): Suppl. 2: S57–S102, 2020.

Ross R, Neeland IJ, Matsuzawa Y, Yamashita S, Shai I, Seidell J, Magni P, Santos RD, Arsenault B, Cuevas A, Hu FB, Griffin B, Zambon A, Barter P, Fruchart J-C, Eckel R, Després J-P.  The Case for Waist Circumference as a Vital Sign in Clinical Practice. A Joint Position of the International      Atherosclerosis Society and International Chair on Cardiometabolic Risk Working Group on Visceral Obesity. Nature Reviews, Endocrinology 16,177–189, 2020.

Katzmarzyk PT, Ross R, Blair SN, and Després J-P. Should we Target Increased Physical Activity or Less Sedentary Behavior in the Battle Against Cardiovascular Disease Risk Development?  Atheroslcerosis 311:107-115, 2020.

Kho ME, Poitras VJ, Janssen I, Chaput J-P, Saunders TJ, Giangregorio LM, Tomasone JR, Ross-White A, and Ross R. Development and application of an outcome-centric approach for conducting overviews of reviews. Appl. Physiol. Nutr. Metab. Appl. Physiol. Nutr. Metab. Vol. 45(10): Suppl. 2: S151–S164, 2020.

Janssen I, Clarke AE, Carson V, Chaput J-P, Giangregorio L, Kho ME, Poitras VJ, Ross R, Ross-White A, Saunders TJ, and Chastin SF. A systematic review of compositional data analysis studies examining associations between sleep, sedentary behaviour, and physical activity with health outcomes in adults. Appl. Physiol. Nutr. Metab. Vol. 45(10): Suppl. 2: S248–S257, 2020.

Tomasone JR, Kauffeldt KD, Morgan TL, Magor KW, Latimer-Cheung AE, Faulkner G, Ross-White A, Poitras VJ, Kho ME, and Ross R.
Dissemination and implementation of national physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and/or sleep guidelines among community-dwelling adults aged 18 years and older: a systematic scoping review and suggestions for future reporting and research. Appl. Physiol. Nutr. Metab. Vol. 45(10): Suppl. 2: S258–S283, 2020.

Saunders TJ, McIsaac T, Douillette K, Gaulton N, Hunter S, Rhodes R, Prince SA, Carson V, Chaput J-P, Chastin S, Giangregorio L, Janssen I, Katzmarzyk, PT, Kho ME, Poitras VJ, Powell KE, Ross R, Ross-White A, Tremblay MS, and Healy GN. Sedentary behaviour and health in adults: an overview of systematic reviews. Appl. Physiol. Nutr. Metab. Vol. 45(10): Suppl. 2: S197–S217, 2020.

Chaput, J-P., Dutil, C., Featherstone, R., Ross, R., Giangregorio, L.M., Saunders, T.J., et al. 2020. Sleep duration and health in adults: an overview of systematic reviews. Appl. Physiol. Nutr. Metab. Vol. 45(10): Suppl. 2: S218–S231, 2020.

Chaput, J.-P., Dutil, C., Featherstone, R., Ross, R., Giangregorio, L.M., Saunders, T.J., et al. 2020. Sleep timing, sleep consistency, and health in adults: a systematic review. Appl. Physiol. Nutr. Metab. Vol. 45(10): Suppl. 2: S232–S247, 2020.

Foti K, Whitsel L, Young DR, Hivert M-F, Ross R, and Appel LJ. A critical, unrecognized step in evidence-based policy making: Assessing the feasibility of conducting a clinical trial with hard outcomes. A Policy Statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. 13: e006378. DOI: 10.1161/ciroutcomes.119.006378, 2020.

Soultana M, Cameron C, Chaput J-P, Chulak-Bozzer T, Clark P, Davenport M, Faulkner G, Fowles J, Levesque L, Porter P, Rhodes R, Ross R, Spence JC, Vanderloo L, and Johnston N. Development of the 2019 ParticipACTION Report Card on Physical Activity for Adults in Canada. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 17: 995-1002, 2020.

Phillips EW, Rao DP, Kaminsky LA, Tomkinson GR, Ross R, and Lang JJ. Criterion-referenced mCAFT cut-points to identify metabolically healthy cardiorespiratory fitness among adults aged 18–69 years: An analysis of the Canadian Health Measures Survey. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab doi: 10.1139/apnm-2019-0874, 2020.

Ross R, Soni S and Houle SA. Negative energy balance induced by exercise or diet: effects on visceral adipose tissue and liver fat. Nutrients 12(4), 891; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12040891, 2020. 

de Lannoy L, and Ross R.  Non-exercise Equations for Determining Change in Cardiorespiratory Fitness. Med Sci Sports Exerc 52 (7):1525–1531, 2020.

Brennan AM, Day AG, Cowan T, Clarke GJ, Lamarche B, and Ross R. Individual response to standardized exercise: total and abdominal adipose tissue. Med Sci Sport Exerc 52 (2): 490–497, 2020.

Peterman JE, Arena R, Myers J, Marzolini S, Ross R, Stensvold D, Wisløff  U, Lavie CJ, and Kaminsky LA.  Development of Global Reference Standards for Directly Measured Cardiorespiratory Fitness: A report from the Fitness Registry and Importance of Exercise National Database (FRIEND). Mayo Clin Proc 95(2): 255-264, 2020.

2019

Ross R. Knowing That Cardiorespiratory Fitness Should Be a Vital Sign is Not Enough. Invited Commentary. Mayo Clin Proc 94(8):1395-1397, 2019.

Bonafiglia JT, Brennan AM, Ross R, and Gurd BJ. Estimating variability in individual responsiveness to training: An appraisal of the SDIR approach for parallel-arm exercise randomized controlled trials. Physiological Reports 7(14) e14163, 2019.

Muntaner-Mas A, Martinez-Nicolas A, Lavie CL, Blair SN, Ross R, Arena R, Ortega FB. A New Venue for Objective and Remote Assessment of Cardiovascular Disease Risk: Fitness Apps and Their Potential Usefulness in Clinical Practice. Sports Medicine 49:587–600, 2019.

Ross R, Goodpaster BH, Koch LG, Sarzynski MA, Kohrt WM, Johannsen NM, Skinner JS, Castro A, Irving BA, Noland RC, Sparks LM, Spielmann G, Day AG, Pitsch W, Hopkins WG, and Bouchard C. Understanding human exercise response variability. British Journal of Sports Medicine 53(18):1141-1153, 2019.

Neeland IJ, Ross R, Després J-P, Matsuzawa Y, Yamashita S, Shai I, Seidell J, Magni P, Santos RD, Arsenault B, Cuevas A, Hu FB, Griffin B, Zambon A, Barter P, Fruchart J-C, Eckel R. Visceral and Ectopic Fat, Atherosclerosis, and Cardiometabolic Disease: What the Clinician Needs to Know. A Joint Position of the International Atherosclerosis Society and International Chair on Cardiometabolic Risk Working Group on Visceral Obesity.  Lancet, Diabetes Endocrinol. 7(9):715-725, 2019.

Bonafiglia JT, Ross R, and Gurd BJ. The application of repeated testing and monoexponential regressions to classify individual cardiorespiratory fitness responses to exercise training.  Eur J Applied Physiol, DOI: 10.1007/s00421-019-04078, 2018.

2018

Kaminsky L, Arena R, Ellingsen O, Harber M, Myers J, Ozemek C and Ross R. Physical Fitness and CVD – the past, present and future. Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases.  doi.org/10.1016/j.pcad, 2018. 

Brennan AM, Tchernof A, Gerszten RE, Cowan TE, and Ross R. Depot-specific Adipose Tissue Metabolite Profiles and Corresponding Changes following Aerobic Exercise. Frontiers in Endocrinology. 9: 759, 2018.

Ozemek C, Laddu DR, Lavie CL, Claeys H, Kaminsky LA, Ross R, Wisloff U, Arena R, and Blair SN. An Update on the Role of Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Structured Exercise and Lifestyle Physical Activity in Preventing Cardiovascular Disease and Health Risk. Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases Vol 61, 5–6, 484-490, 2018.

de Lannoy L, Sui X, Blair S and Ross R.  Comparison of Trained versus Untrained Cardiorespiratory Fitness on All-Cause Mortality Risk. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. doi: 10.1177/2047487318809186, 2018.

Cowan TE, Brennan AM, Stotz P, Clarke J, and Ross R. Separate Effects of Exercise Amount and Intensity on Total and Abdominal Adipose Tissue in Abdominally Obese Adults. Obesity. doi:10.1002/oby.22304, 2018. 

Hammond B, Stotz P, Brennan A, Lamarche B, Day A and Ross R. Individual variability in waist circumference and body weight in response to exercise. Med Sci Sport Exerc. 50(7):1480-1486, 2018.

Lang J, Phillips EW, Orpana HM, Tremblay MS, Ross R, Ortega F, Silva DAS and Tomkinson GR. Field-based measurement of cardiorespiratory fitness as a way to evaluate physical activity interventions in very high-, high-, middle-, and low-income countries.  Bulletin of the World Health Organization.  Article ID: BLT.213728, 2018.

Brennan A, Benson M, Morningstar J, Herzig M, Robbins J, Gerszten RE and Ross R. Plasma metabolite profiles in response to chronic exercise. Med Sci Sport Exerc 50(7):1480-1486, 2018.

de Lannoy L, Sui Z, Lavie CJ, Blair SN, and Ross R.  Change in Submaximal Cardiorespiratory Fitness and All-Cause Mortality.  Mayo Clin Proc 93(2):184-190, 2018.