Dr Mark Cortnage

Mark is a senior lecturer of public health and nutrition. His expertise straddles two related areas: developing strategies that improve healthspan and longevity; and innovative nutritional approaches to lose and maintain weight.

[email protected]

Background

Mark has over 25 years of experience in exercise, nutrition and behavioural strategies.

With a deep understanding of the facets related to a decline in healthy ageing, Mark develops effective, individualised lifestyle interventions. He has designed and led several high-profile programmes privately and on the behalf of local authorities, supporting several hundred men and women utilising novel dietary, activity and psychological strategies to develop sustainable good health.

Specialism and focus
As a specialist in healthspan and lifespan strategies, dedicated to improving healthy life expectancy through evidence-based practices, Mark’s work focuses on integrating, optimising and maintaining health, primarily for men and women over 40 years age. He achieves this by integrating holistic approaches that support physical, mental, and emotional health.

Mark’s research emphasises the importance of preventive health measures and sustainable habits that focus on improving individual resilience, vitality and longevity to reduce the disease risk attributed to ageing.

Currently
More recently Mark has co-led several talks on longevity and lifespan, such as, ‘Can we live to 100?’ presented at Cambridge Science Festival in 2024. Mark is currently developing a series of talks and articles about healthspan and longevity.

Mark spends his spare time writing for his research blog at https://cortnage.com/

Within the educational field
Mark is a highly experience lecturer who employs novel and contemporary strategies to support the development of student knowledge and improve engagement. Mark has acted as both an internal and external course verifier as well as a consultant on the integration of employability frameworks into curricular. Mark has personally written three undergraduate programmes, each adhering to relevant Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body competencies.

Research interests

• Healthspan and longevity in adults
• Adult weight loss and commercial dietary programmes
• Strategies that enhance health/reduce disease risk in middle to old age

Areas of research supervision

Due to his area of expertise, Mark is currently acting as 2nd supervisor to a PhD student.

Teaching

Currently Course Leader for BSc (Hons) Public Health

Previous teaching experience

• Essential Issues in Public Health (module leader – level 7)
• Sports Nutrition (module leader – level 6)
• Professional Skills for Public Health (module leader – level 6)
• Professional Skills for Public Health (module leader – level 4)
• Introduction to Public Health (module leader – level 4)
• Promoting Health and Wellbeing (module leader – level 5)
• Population Health (module leader – level 5)
• Health Communication (module leader – level 5)
• Social, Political and Ethical Issues (module leader – level 7)
• Culture, Society and Health (module leader – level 5)

Mark has also taught and supervised students across the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Social Care at ARU, including Operating Department Practice, Paramedic Science, Nursing, Occupational Health and Midwifery.

Qualifications

• PhD – The optimisation of a nutrition and exercise programme for men aged between 35 and 64 years of age, Anglia Ruskin University
• MSc International Public Health Nutrition, University of Westminster
• PG Cert Higher Education, Anglia Ruskin University
• BSc (Hons) Human Nutrition, London Metropolitan University
• National Certificate Sports Studies, University of Hertfordshire
• NVQ Personal Trainer (Level 3 advanced)
• Master Practitioner eating disorders & obesity (BPS approved)

Memberships, editorial boards

• Mark co-leads the ARU Nutrition research ethics panel
• Reviewer, American Journal of Men’s Health
•  Senior Fellow, Higher Education Academy

Research grants, consultancy, knowledge exchange

• Sits on the UKPHR Practitioner registration Task and Finish group
• Health, Wellbeing and Performance research grant: £6,000

Selected recent publications

Cortnage, M., Pringle A., 2022. Onset of Weight Gain and Health Concerns for Men: Findings from the TAP Programme. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 19(1), pp. 579. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19010579

Media experience

• Interviewed by The Times on "The secret to losing weight in midlife", 8 March 2022.