Dr Mark Cortnage

Mark is a Senior lecturer of public health and nutrition.

His focus is on nutritional and activity strategies to improve health in hard-to-reach populations, in particular men. Mark has led several high-profile programmes on behalf of local authorities spanning several years. Mark has worked with several hundred men and women helping improve wellbeing through the provision of novel, dietary, activity and psychological strategies.

In addition to his degrees, Mark is a qualified master practitioner for eating disorders, personal trainer and project manager.

[email protected]

Background

Mark joined ARU in 2014.

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

Mark's research focuses on applied nutritional prescription, exploring dietary and nutrient strategies to support long-term / lifetime adaptation for men and women above the age of 35 years. He has a specific interest in diets, dieting and tailored sustainable dietary approaches. Mark regularly hosts talks about diets, in particular sustainable lifestyle adaptation, health improvement and influence on risk and ageing.

Mark is a highly experience lecturer who employs novel and contemporary strategies to support the development of student knowledge and engagement. Over the last five years Mark has been developing his expertise on curricular design. He 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 two degree programmes, each adhering to relevant Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body competencies.

Research interests

• Men, masculinity and food
• Adult weight loss
• Commercial dietary programmes
• Obesity and overweight studies
• Public Health/Health Promotion

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 the 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 1 (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 faulty including; Operating department practice, paramedics, nursing, occupation 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 leads on the Nutrition research ethics panel
• Reviewer for the American Journal of Men’s health
• Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Authority

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.