Emerita Prof. Vicki Lambert

Senior Research Scholar

Research Thrusts

  • Physical activity and obesity in health and disease in communities in transition and the Global South
  • Childhood physical activity and obesity
  • Behaviour change and community-based interventions
  • Obesity, food insecurity and physical activity: solving wicked problems
  • Regulation of energy metabolism and metabolic sequelae in leanness and obesity and finally

Academic Qualifications

BA (Phys Ed), MS (Exercise Physiology), PhD

Positions

  • Fellow of the University of Cape Town
  • Consultant to the United States Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organization (WHO) on issues related to the Role of Diet and Activity in the Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases, and Developing a Global Policy for Promoting Physical Activity for Health, with particular emphasis on the Global South (various technical meetings, 1993-2016)
  • Chair of the African Physical Activity Network (AFPAN) from its inception in 2007 until 2013.
  • Chair of Agita Mundo, Global Network for Social Mobilisation for Physical Activity and Health 2015-2019, and
  • Council of the International Society for Physical Activity and Health (ISPAH)
  • Member of the Executive Council of the International Society for Physical Activity and Health.
  • Member of the Scientific Advisory Council for the International Obesity Task Force (2009-2014)
  • South African principle Investigator for Modeling the Epidemiological Transition study (METS) (2009-present)
  • Co-principal investigator for WDF- funded, school-based intervention, Health Kick (2009-2014)
  • South African principal investigator for the ISCOLE study (International Study on Childhood Obesity, Lifestyle and Environment).
  • Lead investigator for the STOP-SA Study (Slow, Stop or Stem the Tide of Obesity in the People of South Africa).
  • Lead the initiative for Healthy Active Kids South Africa 2007, 2010, and 2014, 2016, 2018 in conjunction with other tertiary academic institutions, NGO’s and private sector stakeholders.  
  • Member of the national obesity task team that recently drafted the South African National Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Obesity 2015-2020

Research Output

Peer reviewed Publication Number:

NRF rating: B1

Scopus H-index: 63 (319 documents, 26323 citations)

WOS H-index: 55

Google H-index: 80          

Google Scholar link or ORCID link

Orcid ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4315-9153        

Google Scholar link: https://scholar.google.co.za/citations?user=pjMzCQsAAAAJ&hl=en

International and national research collaborations

Professor Estelle Lambert: is a member of a number of international, multi-country research networks, including the METS (Modeling the Epidemiological Transition Study) group, including colleagues from University of the West Indies (Jamaica), Seychelles (Ministry of Health and Lausanne University. Switzerland), Nkwantakese, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana (Kumasi), and Maywood, Chicago (USA, Loyola University), with Prof. Lara Dugas, Prof. Pascal Bovet, Prof Terrence Forrester, and Prof Amy Luke.  This multi-country cohort study has been in existence since 2009, examining the relationship between physical activity, obesity and diabetes in communities varying by HDI.  It has received 3 NIH R01 grants, and is currently studying the role of the gut microbiota in cardiometabolic risk and obesity, as well as sleep patterns and obesity.

 

She is also a member of the Global Diet and Activity Research Network (GDAR), centrally administered from the MRC Epidemiology Unit, at the University of Cambridge, and involving colleagues Profs Tolullah Oni and Nick Wareham (Cambridge), Prof Tulloch-Reid (Caribbean Institute for Health Research, Jamaica), Dr Assah (University of Yaounde, Cameroon), Prof Mbonyo (Kenya Medical Research Institute).  This collaboration has just received an additional NIHR grant to continue up until 2025, studying the syndemic of physical inactivity, obesity and climate change in LMICs. Colleagues from the University of Lagos Centre for Housing and Sustainable Development (Prof. Taibat Lawanson), the Urban Health Observatory at the Federal University of Brazil Prof. Waleska Caiffa) and UN Habitat (Remy Sietchiping) have recently joined the network.

 

Prof. Lambert and Dr. Odunitan-Wayas are members of the Our Voice Global Network: Citizen Science for Health Equity, headed by Prof. Abby King from the Stanford University Prevention Research Centre, and in collaboration with Prof. Olga Lucia Sarmiento, University of Los Andes, Bogota, Colombia, A/Prof Kolbe-Alexander (University of Southern Queensland, Australia), and Prof Chastin (Glasgow Caledonian University, UK).  She is also working with Prof Foster (University of Bristol, UK), A/Prof Hunter and Dr Garcia (Queens University, Belfast, UK) co-supervising  a PhD co-tutelle student working on health promotion and social network analysis.  She also works with the African Physical Activity Network and the International Environment and Physical Activity Network in Africa with A/Prof Oyeyemi (University of Maiduguri, Nigeria).