Description

Dr. Debevec currently holds positions of Full Professor of Sport Science at the Faculty of Sport, University of Ljubljana and Scientific Councellor at “Jozef Stefan” Institute. He received his Ph.D. for the work on different altitude/hypoxic & hyperoxic training modalities and their effects on athletic performance and conducted his post-doctoral fellowship at University of Cape Town, Faculty of Health Sciences Department of Human Biology, UCT/MRC Research Unit for Exercise Science and Sports Medicine. Dr. Debevec also conducted parts of his postdoctoral training at University of Lausanne and University Savoie Mont Blanc. His research is primarily oriented at investigating physiological adaptations of humans during rest and exercise to different environmental stressors in particular oxygen fraction and temperature in health and disease. He also currently serves as performance advisor within the UCI WorldTeam Bahrain - Victorious.  

PubMed / ResearchGate / X / WoS

Recent publications:  

NARANG B, DROLE K, BARBER J, GOODS P & DEBEVEC T. Utility of hypoxic modalities for musculoskeletal injury rehabilitation in athletes: a narrative review of mechanisms and contemporary perspectives. Journal of Sports Sciences. (2025).

STALMANS M, TOMINEC D, ROBBERECHTS R, LAURIKS W, RAMAEKERS M, DEBEVEC T & POFFÉ C. A single night in hypoxia either with or without ketone ester ingestion reduces sleep quality without impacting next day exercise performance. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. (2025).

TAGLIAPIETRA G, CITHERLET T, RABERIN A, BOURDILLON N, KRUMM B, NARANG BJ, GIARDINI G, PIALOUX V, DEBEVEC T & MILLET GP. Effect of menstrual cycle phase on physiological responses in healthy women at rest and during submaximal exercise at high altitude. Scientific Reports. (2025).

DEBEVEC T, LONGMAN D & BOURGOIS JG. Defining Adaptation within Applied Physiology -Is there room for improvement? Frontiers in Physiology. (2024). 

STALMANS M, TOMINEC D, LAURIKS W, ROBBERECHTS R, DEBEVEC T & POFFÉ C. Exogenous ketosis attenuates acute mountain sickness and mitigates normobaric high-altitude hypoxemia. Journal of Applied Physiology. (2024). 

NARANG B, MANFERDELLI G, MILLET GP & DEBEVEC T. Effects of pre-term birth on the pattern of altitude acclimatisation at rest and during moderate-intensity exercise across three days at 3375 m. Journal of Applied Physiology. (2024).

NIESOR EJ, PEREZ A, REZZI S, HODGSON A, CANARELLI S, MILLET G, DEBEVEC T, BORDAT C, NADER E & CONNES P. Plasma monomeric ApoA1 and high-density lipoprotein bound ApoA1 are markedly decreased and associated with low levels of lipophilic antioxidants in sickle cell disease: A potential new pathway for therapy. Eur J Haematol. (2024).

GORIČAR K, DEBEVEC T, DOLŽAN V, MARTIN A, PIALOUX V, MILLET GP & OSREDKAR D. Antioxidant and neurodevelopmental gene polymorphisms in prematurely born individuals influence hypoxia-related oxidative stress. Scientific Reports. (2024).

MANFERDELLI G, NARANG B, BOURDILON N, GIARDINI G, DEBEVEC T & MILLET GP. Impaired cerebrovascular CO2 reactivity at high-altitude in prematurely born adults. The Journal of Physiology. (2024).

MANFERDELLI G, NARANG B, BOURDILON N, DEBEVEC T & MILLET GP. Baroreflex sensitivity is blunted in hypoxia independently of changes in inspired carbon dioxide pressure in prematurely born male adults. Physiological Reports. (2024).

NARANG B, MANFERDELLI G, BOURDILON N, MILLET GP & DEBEVEC T. Ventilatory responses to independent and combined hypoxia, hypercapnia and hypobaria in healthy pre-term born adults. The Journal of Physiology. (2024).

BURTSCHER J, CITHERLET T, CAMACHO-CARDENOSA A, CAMACHO-CARDENOSA M, RABERIN A, KRUMM B, HOHENAUER E, EGG M, LICHTBLAU M, MUELLER J, RYBNIKOVA E, GATTERER H, DEBEVEC T, BAILLIEUL S, MANFERDELLI G, BEHRENDT T, SCHEGA L, EHRENREICH H, MILLET G, GASSMANN M, SCHWARZER C, GLAZACHEV O, GIRARD O, LALANDE S, HAMLIN M, SAMAJA M, HÜFNER K, BURTSCHER M, PANZA G. & MALLET R. Mechanisms underlying the health benefits of intermittent hypoxia conditioning. The Journal of Physiology. (2024).

TOMINEC D & DEBEVEC T. Sprint interval training in hypoxia and exercise performance – a short review. Kinesiologia Slovenica. (2023).

MANFERDELLI G, NARANG B, PIALOUX V, GIARDINI G, DEBEVEC T & MILLET GP. Microvascular and oxidative stress responses to acute high‑altitude exposure in prematurely born adults. Scientific Reports. (2023)

DEBEVEC T & MILLET GP. Importance of measuring/reporting actual barometric data in high-altitude research and medicine. High Altitude Medicine and Biology. (2023).

MANFERDELLI G, NARANG B, BOURDILON N, DEBEVEC T & MILLET GP. End-tidal CO2 partial pressure is a reliable surrogate of arterial CO2 partial pressure across different O2, CO2, and barometric pressures. ERJ Open Research. (2023)

BLAGUS R, LESKOŠEK B, OKRŠLAR L, VREČEK N & DEBEVEC T. Utility of video analysis and expert modeling for technique development in novice sport climbers: a randomized controlled study. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching. (2023).

MLINAR T, DEBEVEC T, KAPUS J, NAJDENOV P, MCDONNELL AC, UŠAJ A, MEKJAVIC IB, JAKI MEKJAVIC P. Retinal blood vessel diameters in children and adults exposed to a simulated altitude of 3,000 m. Frontiers in Physiology. (2023).

MANFERDELLI G, NARANG BJ, BOURDILLON N, DEBEVEC T & MILLET GP. Physiological responses to exercise in hypoxia in preterm adults: convective and diffusive limitations in the O2 transport. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. (2023).

UŠAJ A, SOTIRIDIS A & DEBEVEC T. Cardio-respiratory and muscle oxygenation responses to submaximal and maximal exercise in normobaric hypoxia: Comparison between children and adults. Biology. (2023).

MANFERDELLI G, NARANG BJ, DEBEVEC T & MILLET GP. Comment on “The Effect of Preterm Birth on Maximal Aerobic Exercise Capacity and Lung Function in Healthy Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Sports Medicine. (2023).

GATTERER H, ROCHE J, TURNER R, VINETTI G, ROVERI G, SCHLITTLER M, KOB M, WALZL A, DAL CAPPELLO T, DEBEVEC T & SIEBENMANN C. Changes in body mass, appetite-related hormones and appetite sensation in women during 4 days of hypobaric hypoxic exposure equivalent to 3,500 m altitude. Journal of Applied Physiology. (2023).

Subjects

• Advanced environmental exercise physiology - Doctoral study 3rd level - Kinesiology
• Altitude training in sport Študijski program - UNI Bachelor’s degree - Sports Training, UNI Bachelor’s degree - Sports Education, UNI Bachelor’s degree - Kinesiology
• Athlete in extreme environments - UNI Bachelor’s degree - Kinesiology, UNI Bachelor’s degree - Sports Education
• Bike touring - UNI Bachelor’s degree - Sports Training, UNI Bachelor’s degree - Sports Education, UNI Bachelor’s degree - Kinesiology
• Mountaineering - UNI Bachelor’s degree - Sports Training, UNI Bachelor’s degree - Sports Education, UNI Bachelor’s degree - Kinesiology
• Ski touring - Master’s degree - Sports Education