Rate My Professor Gareth Vanderhope

Gareth Vanderhope serves as an Associate Lecturer and Teaching Scholar at Southern Cross University's National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine in the Faculty of Health, specializing in nutritional medicine and integrative health practice. He earned a Bachelor of Naturopathy from Southern Cross University in 2008, graduating with awards for the highest grade point average in his cohort and for most outstanding clinical and nutritional achievements. He also holds a Master of Nutrition and Dietetics from Griffith University. A qualified naturopath and accredited practicing dietitian with over 14 years of combined clinical experience, his expertise encompasses nutritional medicine, dietary planning, advanced nutrition, public health nutrition, and health promotion. Earlier in his career, Vanderhope was a two-time British Academy Award winner for sound design on acclaimed films such as Shine, Babe, Dark City, Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge!, The Quiet American, and Lorenzo’s Oil, contributing to over 38 feature films during a 12-year tenure in the industry. Following his transition to natural medicine, he practiced as a naturopath at North Coast Medical Centre in Byron Bay and served as a clinical trials research assistant at Southern Cross University’s NatMed Research Centre.

At Southern Cross University, Vanderhope has been pivotal in curriculum development, authoring and developing multiple units for the Master of Naturopathic Medicine, Lifestyle Medicine, and Integrative Medicine programs. He established the SCU Health Clinics’ supervised naturopathic clinical training program and teaching dispensary, led the creation of two naturopathic teaching dispensaries in Gold Coast and Lismore, and designed and delivered OSCE examinations for the capstone clinical unit. He supports external placements and outreach initiatives with resources, training, and oversight. Leveraging his media background, he produces and directs video projects for research translation and public engagement, including “Stephen Daniells talks about the Natural Products Futures Forum” (2024), “Masters student Elisabete Oliveira speaks about her research at Southern Cross University” (2025), and “National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine Giving Campaign” (2025). A full member of the Dietitians Association of Australia and part of SCU’s Harvest to Health research cluster, Vanderhope is also the author of the debut junior fiction novel The Hills Kids. His recent co-authored preprint is “Ensuring Quality, not just Quantity, in Work-Integrated Learning in Health” (2026).