Public Health Nutrition
The Public Health Nutrition Group is advancing nutrition research and promoting population health and well-being across the lifespan. Members of the group work closely with colleagues in the Centre for Public Health, but also with food and nutrition researchers based in the School of Biological Sciences, and all are members of the Global Research Institute, The Institute for Global Food Security.
We also work within a multi-disciplinary network of national and international collaborators, including at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and the University of California San Francisco, USA.
Current funded projects include the UK Prevention Research Partnership funded GENIUS School Food network, an NIH/HRB/MRC/HSC R&D Office funded US Ireland award focused on food-based biomarkers, diet quality and cardiovascular health, and two Special EU Programmes Body-funded projects, one examining diet and neurocognitive ageing in diabetes BRAIN-Diabetes: Border Region Area lifestyle Intervention study for healthy Neurocognitive ageing in Diabetes, and the other a weight management intervention during pregnancy Healthy Habits In Pregnancy and Beyond (HHIPBe).
The group has an excellent record of supervising MPhil, MD and PhD students (including Clinical Research Fellows) to completion of their higher degrees. We hold a monthly group meeting (weekly throughout the academic year), providing a vibrant and supportive environment in which to train in nutrition research.
Professor Michelle McKinley
Public Health Nutrition Group Lead
The current academic staff members of the Public Health Nutrition Group are outlined below with links to their specific research interests:
Academic Staff
Post-doctoral Research Fellows
Students
Sarah Aldukair - Principal Supervisor: Dr Laura McGowan
PhD Title: Exploring interventions to improve lifestyle behaviours of female high school students in Riyadh
Diala Al Wis - Principal Supervisor: Dr Claire McEvoy
PhD Title: Dietary and Exercise Interventions for Managing Medically Induced Menopausal Symptoms in Hormone-Positive Breast Cancer Woman
Barbara Bray - Principal Supervisor: Dr Claire McEvoy
PhD Title: Design and Evaluation of a Nutritionally Adequate Diet for Healthy Ageing in Older UK Adults: The Healthy Ageing DIet (HADI) Study
Lauren Hetherington: Principal Supervisor: Dr Claire McEvoy
PhD Study: Feasibility of plant based alternatives to enable transition to sustainable and nutritionally adequate diet across the Island of Ireland
Alice Ivory - Principal Supervisor: Professor Jayne Woodside
PhD Title: Examining physical health, mental health and health behaviours to support weight management in the postpartum period
Veronica Lynch - Principal Supervisor: Dr Claire McEvoy
PhD Title: Co-design and evaluation of a Mediterranean (Med) diet intervention to meet the nutritional and health needs for adults with cystic fibrosis (CF): The Med-CF study
Cara McConnell: Principal Supervisor: Professor Jayne Woodside
Rebecca McKenzie: Principal Supervisor: Dr Hannah O'Hara
PhD Title: Dietary approaches to optimising glucose control in gestational diabetes mellitus
Rachel Moore - Principal Supervisor: Professor Jayne Woodside
PhD Title: Fruit and vegetables within the current food production system and health
Dilara Olgacher - Principal Supervisor: Professor Jayne Woodside
PhD Title: Interventions to improve the school food system in the UK
Merve Yavuz - Principal Supervisor: Dr Claire McEvoy
PhD Title: Food and Mood: Diet Quality, Food Insecurity and Mental Health