Rate My Professor Rebecca Haslam

Dr. Rebecca Haslam is a Lecturer in Human Physiology in the School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, Australia. Holding a PhD in Human Physiology and a Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics (Honours) from the same institution, she is an Accredited Practising Dietitian with extensive experience in high-performance sport. Passionate about bridging theory and practice, Dr. Haslam integrates work-integrated learning in her teaching to equip students with real-world skills in sport and exercise nutrition. She recently redeveloped the Sports Dietetics course (NUDI4270), incorporating practical activities based on her industry experience to address gaps in new graduate sports dietitians' understanding of their role and team integration. She also coordinates Nutrition for Health, Fitness and Sport (EXSS3030) and lectures in Psychological, Nutritional and Injury Foundations for Exercise and Sport Science (EXSS1080) and Food Science 1 (HLSC1220).

Dr. Haslam's academic interests center on nutrition and sports nutrition, with current research aimed at identifying nutrition needs and barriers for emerging and developing athletes in preparation for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics and Paralympics, as well as improving interdisciplinary performance team collaboration to optimize athlete outcomes. Prior to her academic role, she worked at the NSW Institute of Sport, supporting athletes for the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, and created the Sports Nutrition Accelerated Career Scheme (SNACS), which earned her the 2023 Sports Dietitians Australia Award for Mentoring. Through collaborations with NSW Institute of Sport and regional academies, she brings cutting-edge insights to her students and research. Notable publications include the book chapters “Nutrients for Money: The Relationship between Portion Size, Nutrient Density and Consumer Choices” (2020) and “Nutrition During Adolescence” (2019), and peer-reviewed articles such as “The impact of action plans on habit and intention strength for physical activity in a web-based intervention: is it the thought that counts?” (2025), “Diet quality and cardiovascular outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies” (2024), “Changes in physical activity, diet, sleep, and mental well-being when starting university: A qualitative exploration of Australian student experiences” (2024), “Agreement Between Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry and Bioelectric Impedance Analysis for Assessing Body Composition in Athletes” (2023), “Efficacy of technology-based personalised feedback on diet quality in young Australian adults” (2023), “Variation in cardiovascular disease risk factors among older adults” (2022), and numerous others examining diet quality, behavioral interventions, and nutritional biomarkers.