Ms Cheryl Watterson

As Director of Nutrition and Dietetics for the Acute Hospital Services in the Newcastle Sector of Hunter New England Local Health District, I led a team of dietitians and dietitian assistants at John Hunter Hospital and Belmont District Hospital during this time I reoriented our services to provide effective clinical teams within each patient care stream supported by an education and research dietitian. 

I evaluated and documented a gap analysis and risk assessment for establishing priorities, Key Performance Indicators and strategies for implementing the NSW Health Agency for Clinical Innovation Nutrition Care Policy at John Hunter Hospital against the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards.

I maintained my professional competence as a clinical dietitian during this time through the Accredited Practicing Dietitian certification processes of the Dietitians Association of Australia.

I am recognised as an Advanced practitioner by my professional body.  I have demonstrated my commitment to evidence based practice, and optimal patient outcomes in both acute hospitals and mental health hospitals through:

• collaborations with other Managers of Nutrition and Dietetic Services at NSW tertiary hospitals to author and review important policy and publications for NSW Health and Agency for Clinical Innovation.  These documents are available at https://www.aci.health.nsw.gov.au/networks/nutrition
• Initiation, conceptualisation, and ethics applications as co-investigator on the following research studies:
  • Can intensive dietitian counselling to moderate diabetes risk factors in early pregnancy for overweight women with previous gestational diabetes prevent re-occurrence in this pregnancy?
  • Australasian Nutrition Care Day Survey (site investigator only)
  • Nutrition and Trauma study into baseline nutritional status of elderly patients admitted to John Hunter Hospital with low impact trauma into a ward where there was no dietitian surveillance. 
  • Eating Matters: protected mealtimes and help with eating was a practice based multidisciplinary project to improve nutrition and hydration for patients in two wards at John Hunter Hospital.  The project used collaboration with nursing, other allied health and food services and innovative methods such as executive and clinical sponsors, local champions, stakeholder engagement, testing of simple solutions, breakthrough methodology, evidence based and best practice models, and relevant examples in like hospitals, evaluation and feedback.  It was highly successful and resulted in positive outcomes for the staff and patients.

I am a reviewer in the areas of adult malnutrition and nutrition in pregnancy for manuscript submitted to the journal Nutrition and Dietetics.

As a Conjoint Lecturer at University of Newcastle I have acted as a professional supervisor and mentor in the provision of clinical, community and food service placements for dietetic students as well as providing guests lecturers to students in Nutrition and Dietetics.

My research higher degree area of interest continues a long-term passion in helping women access and act on the best evidence in pregnancy nutrition and its effects on mother-baby outcomes.