Rate My Professor Jorja Collins

Dr. Jorja Collins is a Lecturer in the Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food at Monash University in the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences. She is an Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian with a PhD that investigated the nutritional status of patients in subacute care settings and food-based strategies to prevent and treat malnutrition. Her career encompasses clinical dietetic practice, foodservice management, and hospital-based nutrition research. From 2017 to 2021, she worked as a foodservice dietitian at Eastern Health, and she continues in a foodservice role at a large public healthcare network. In her academic position, Collins coordinates and teaches units on food science, research methods, foodservice, and food systems within the Bachelor of Nutrition Science and Master of Dietetics programs.

Collins' research focuses on environmental sustainability in hospital foodservices, encompassing food systems, foodservice operations, implementation science, food waste reduction, and nutrition in healthcare. Notable publications include 'Exploring sustainable practices in hospital foodservice: A scoping review' (2020), 'Food and food-related waste management strategies in hospital food services: A systematic review' (2023), 'Packaged hospital food appears safe and feasible to reuse' (2023), and 'Diverting Food Waste From Landfill in Exemplar Hospital Foodservices: A Qualitative Study' (2024, Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics). She received the 2019 Churchill Fellowship to examine sustainable strategies in leading U.S. hospitals, the shared 2021 Dean's Award for Excellence in Education, and the shared Vice-Chancellor's Award for Programs that Enhance Learning. Her contributions have shaped waste management practices in Australian hospitals and informed policies such as the Victorian Nutrition and Quality Food Standards.