Gabriel Fernandes

Biography

Dr Gabriel Fernandes is a Senior physiotherapist with over 15 years of experience in elite sport, and private practice. He has worked extensively with high-performance athletes, including serving as head physiotherapist for national rowing teams and the Italian national beach volleyball teams through to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. He was also part of the physiotherapy team at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Gabriel completed his PhD in Sports Medicine at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), where his research investigated the influence of the central nervous system in triceps surae muscle deficits in runners with Achilles tendinopathy.

Research

Gabriel’s research interests in neurophysiological and biomechanical analysis span both sports injuries and neurodegenerative conditions, including ACL injuries, lower limb tendinopathy, and motor neurone disease (MND).

His current work focuses on neuromuscular adaptations in runners with Achilles tendinopathy, investigating changes in the central nervous system influence triceps surae muscle recruitment and activation, and how these contribute to tendinopathy pathophysiology. He is also involved in collaborative research on MND, examining how neurophysiological impairments affect motor function and movement control.

Community engagement

Gabriel is an Honorary Research Fellow at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, where he collaborates on a research project investigating motor unit behaviour in individuals living with MND.

Supervision

Gabriel currently supervises student research projects in runners with Achilles tendinopathy.

Teaching

Gabriel teaches into the Bachelor of Physiotherapy, delivering content in regional anatomy and biomechanics, and musculoskeletal physiotherapy with a focus on the lower limb (unit under development).