Encourages creative and innovative thinking.
Always fair, kind, and deeply insightful.
Inspires students to reach new heights.
Encourages students to think independently.
Great Professor!
Associate Professor Melinda Hutchesson is a distinguished researcher and educator in Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Newcastle's School of Health Sciences, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing. She obtained her PhD in Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Newcastle in 2011, with a thesis focused on weight loss and management, and her Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics (Honours) from the same institution. Her career includes a National Heart Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellowship from 2014 to 2016, service on the Faculty of Health and Medicine Health and Safety Committee, and a prior position as Public Health Nutritionist at Hunter New England Area Health Service from 2005 to 2008. Presently, she serves as deputy theme lead in Nutrition and Dietetics and principal investigator in the Priority Research Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition.
Hutchesson's academic interests lie in developing, delivering, and evaluating lifestyle interventions that integrate nutrition and physical activity to prevent weight gain and lower chronic disease risks, such as cardiovascular disease, particularly among young adults aged 18-35. She emphasizes eHealth technologies like mobile applications, websites, and activity monitors to enhance engagement. Her research also addresses recruitment, retention strategies for behavioral interventions, and determinants of eating and physical activity behaviors in this population. She has received numerous honors, including the Vice-Chancellor's Award for Research Excellence and Innovation (Faculty of Health and Medicine), Vice-Chancellor's Award for Research Excellence (2015), Dietitians Association of Australia Conference Best Poster Prize (2017), Casual Teaching Staff Excellence Award (2012), Emerging Researcher Award (2011), and Women in Research Fellowship (2022). Prominent publications include "Effectiveness of lifestyle interventions in child obesity: systematic review with meta-analysis" (2012, 703 citations), "Effectiveness of interventions targeting physical activity, nutrition and healthy weight for university and college students: a systematic review and meta-analysis" (2015, 667 citations), "Effectiveness of web-based interventions in achieving weight loss and weight loss maintenance in overweight and obese adults: a systematic review with meta-analysis" (2010, 602 citations), "eHealth interventions for the prevention and treatment of overweight and obesity in adults: a systematic review with meta-analysis" (2015, 504 citations), and "A targeted and tailored eHealth weight loss program for young women: The Be Positive Be Healthe pilot randomised controlled trial" (2017). She has supervised PhD candidates on topics including nutrition in pregnancy, postpartum weight management, and web-based interventions for students, while fostering collaborations across Australia, the United States, United Kingdom, and other countries.
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