Rate My Professor Serene Yoong

Dr Serene Yoong is an Adjunct Senior Lecturer in the School of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Newcastle. She is a behavioural scientist and experienced dietitian specializing in practice-based translational research aimed at improving community health through the implementation of new research and best-practice guidelines into targeted settings. Her academic background includes a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Newcastle and a Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics (Honours) from the same university. Yoong's research program focuses on developing and testing research translation strategies to support community and health service organisations in preventing obesity and other chronic disease risk factors. She conducts randomised and controlled trials to identify effective interventions in settings such as health care services, schools, childcare centres, and primary care, informed by evidence-practice gaps and partnerships with service providers.

Throughout her career at the University of Newcastle, Yoong has held prestigious fellowships, including the Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Research Award (DECRA) in 2017 and a National Heart Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2014, funding her innovative web-based obesity prevention research in childcare services. She developed the 'feedAustralia' menu-planning program, integrated into national information systems, which has significantly impacted childcare practices and received federal funding for nationwide rollout. In 2014, she served as a visiting academic with the World Health Organisation, developing evidence briefs on tobacco use's impact on post-surgical outcomes and publishing a review on e-cigarettes in youth that informed international policy. In 2015, she attended the US National Institute of Health-supported Training and Dissemination Research in Health program. Yoong is a member of the international Cochrane-Global Burden of Disease collaboration, contributing to prioritising systematic reviews. Her key publications include 'Scale-up and sustainment of effective interventions' (2024), 'Nutrition and physical movement behaviours in education and care settings' (2024), and recent articles on AI data extraction accuracy (2026) and behaviour change techniques in school interventions (2025). She has received awards such as the Beryl Nashar Young Researcher Award (2019) and NSW Tall Poppy Award (2018), establishing her as a leading implementation scientist with national and international recognition.