Students
The research areas of the PRC include: education and health promotion in relation to physical activity and nutrition, nutrition and dietetic practice, objective measures of dietary intake and indicators of nutritional status, investigations into the role of dietary supplements and functional foods, physical activity interventions, exercise physiology, and impact of nutrition and physical activity interventions on disease outcomes including obesity, respiratory diseases (asthma, COPD), cardiovascular disease, diabetes, arthritis, cancer and brain disorders across various contexts and settings including schools.
The University of Newcastle offers a wide range of Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy programs and the Centre welcomes applications from prospective applicants. To be considered, you will need to be fully fluent in English and have achieved excellent results in your undergraduate studies.
The PRC currently has over 50 enrolled HDR students, from each of the research themes:
Physical Activity and Population Health
| Student | Project | Timeline | Supervisors | School | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sasha Fenton | Examining the relationship between sleep health and dietary intake in adults | 2017 - 2021 | Principal: Associate Professor Mitch Duncan Co-supervisor: Associate Professor Tracy Burrows | Medicine and Public Health |
| Matt Fenwick | Understanding and enhancing activity, diet and sleep behaviours in shift-workers | 2019 - 2022 | Principals: Dr Stina Oftedal and Associate Professor Mitch Duncan | Medicine and Public Health |
| Beatrice Murawski | Using Technology-Based Interventions to Improve Physical Activity and Sleep Behaviours | 2015 - 2019 | Principal: Associate Professor Mitch Duncan Co-supervisor: Professor Ron Plotnikoff | Medicine and Public Health |
| Anna Rayward | Investigating the effect of changes in physical activity and sleep behaviour on subsequent physical activity and sleep behaviour and, physical and mental health, and health-related quality of life. | 2015 - 2019 | Principal: Associate Professor Mitch Duncan Co-supervisor: Professor Ron Plotnikoff and Associate Professor Liz Holliday | Medicine and Public Health |
| Leigh Underwood | Innovative Ways of Treating co-Morbid Diabetes Type II and Depression: Development of the "MADE-IT" Program. | 2015 - 2023 | Co-supervisor: Professor Ron Plotnikoff | Medicine and Public Health |
| Levi Wade | Impact of Physical Activity and Sleep on Adolescent Mental Health | 2016 - 2020 | Principal: Associate Professor Mitch Duncan Co-supervisors: Professor Dave Lubans and Dr Jordan Smith | Medicine and Public Health |
Nutrition and Dietetics
| Student | Project | Timeline | Supervisors | School | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robyn Barnes | Effective Dietary Management of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus | 2015 - 2023 | Principal: Dr Lesley MacDonald-Wicks Co-supervisor: Professor Clare Collins and Dr Carmel Smart | Health Sciences |
| Erin Clarke | Biological biomarkers in assessing dietary intake in adults | 2017 - 2021 | Principal: Professor Clare Collins Co-Supervisors: Dr Megan Rollo, Dr Kristine Pezdirc and Dr Rebecca Williams | Health Sciences |
| Berit Follong | Development of a Cross-Curricular Nutrition and Portion Size Education Program in Primary Schools | 2017 - 2021 | Principal: Dr Tamara Bucher Co-Supervisors: Dr Elena Prieto-Rodriguez and Professor Clare Collins | Health Sciences |
| Catherine Harbury | A Systematic Review of the Current Literature Regarding the Nutritional Status of Morbidly Obese Individuals Leading to a Cross-Sectional Survey with a View to Progressing to an Interventional Study | 2013 - 2019 | Principal: Professor Clare Collins Co-Supervisor: Professor Robin Callister | Health Sciences |
| Rebecca McKenna | Development of a Personality Based Intervention for Treatment of Addictive Eating Behaviours | 2017 - 2021 | Principal: Assoc Prof Tracy Burrows Co-Supervisors: Dr Leanne Hides and Professor Clare Collins | Health Sciences |
| Doreen Mucheru | A Healthy Living Program for Australians Living with Psychosis | 2016 - 2020 | Principal: Dr Lesley Macdonald-Wicks Co-Supervisors: Dr Mary-Claire Hanlon and Assoc Prof Mark McEvoy | Health Sciences |
| Naomi Saronga | Using Smart Phones to Assess Dietary Intake and Provide Nutrition Counseling In Women Attending Ante-Natal Clinic in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | 2017 - 2021 | Principal: Dr Megan Rollo Co-Supervisors: Assoc Prof Tracy Burrows and Professor Clare Collins | Health Sciences |
| Janelle Skinner | Investigating Oxytocin as a biomarker to characterise Food Addiction | 2016 - 2020 | Principal: Assoc Prof Tracy Burrows Co-Supervisors: Professor Manohar Garg and Assoc Prof Chrisotpher Dayas | Health Sciences |
| Zoe Szewczyk | Cost-effectiveness Analysis of Prenatal Nutrition Interventions and Infant Health Outcomes | 2016 - 2020 | Principal: Professor Clare Collins | Health Sciences |
| Daphne Van Der Bend | A Cross-Cultural Perspective of Food Literacy: Developing Feasible Intervention Strategies to Enhance Dietary Behaviors in Adolescents Using a Participatory Approach | 2019 - 2023 | Principal: Dr Tamara Bucher Co-Supervisors: Dr Vanessa Shrewsbury and Assoc. Prof Ellen Van Kleef | Health Sciences |
| Angleliek Verdonschot | Towards Effective Nutrition Education for Dutch and Australian Primary School Children: Assessing Effective Components | 2018 - 2022 | Principal: Dr Tamara Bucher Co-Supervisors: Professor Emely De Vet and Professor Clare Collins | Health Sciences |
| Nienke de Vlieger | Impact of Experiential Nutrition Education Using 3D Food Models and Mobile Technology in Children Aged 10-13 | 2016 - 2020 | Principal: Dr Tamara Bucher Co-Supervisors: Dr Megan Rollo,and Professor Clare Collins | Health Sciences |
| Cheryl Watterson | Promoting Healthy Eating and Appropriate Weight Gain in Pregnancy | 2016 - 2024 | Principal: Professor Clare Collins Co-Supervisor: Dr Lesley McDonald-Wicks | Health Sciences |
| Emily Webb | Management of Overweight and Obesity in Osteoarthritis | 2016 - 2020 | Principal: Assoc Prof Surinder Baines Co-Supervisor: Dr Peter Osmotherly | Health Sciences |
Obesity
| Student | Project | Timeline | Supervisors | School | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Drew | Increasing Physical Activity in Overweight Men with Depression: Outcomes and Mechanisms from a Randomised Trial | 2018 - 2021 | Principal Supervisor: Dr Myles Young Co-Supervisor: Professor Phil Morgan | Education |
| Brad Jones | Evaluate the Effectiveness of the MASTER Coaching Program as a Coach Development Tool for Improving Coaching Practices of Football Coaches and for Improving a Range of Player Outcomes | 2018- 2022 | Co-Supervisor: Professor Phil Morgan | Education |
 | Emma Pollock | A mixed methods evaluation of the Dads And Daughters Exercising and Empowered (DADEE) Program | 2017 - 2021 | Principal Supervisor: Professor Phil Morgan | Education |
Exercise Sciences
| Student | Project | Timeline | Supervisors | School | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maurice Bartholomuesz | Childhood Stress and Altered Psychphysiological Reactivity in Chronic Pain | 2008 - | Co-Supervisor: Professor Robin Callister | Psychology |
| Christopher Downs | An Analysis of Injury Databases of Amateur Netball Players | 2014 - 2020 | Principal: Professor Robin Callister | Health Sciences |
| Margaret Galloway | Investigating the minimum dose of exercise required to elicit a positive effect on fitness for stroke survivors | 2016 - 2020 | Co-Supervisor: Professor Robin Callister | Health Sciences |
| Yasmina Nasstasia | The Antidepressant Effects of of Exercise Among Young People: Pathways to Change; Mind, Body or Behaviour? | 2012 - 2020 | Co-Supervisor: Professor Robin Callister | Medicine and Public Health |
| Angelica Quatela | The Role of Breakfast on Metabolic and Anthropometric Parameters in Healthy Individuals | 2014 - 2018 | Principal: Dr Lesley McDonald-Wicks Co-Supervisors: Dr Amanda Patterson and Professor Robin Callister | Health Sciences |
Clinical and Experimental Nutrition
| Student | Project | Timeline | Supervisors | School | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anu Alex | Determining relationships between Plasma Phospholipid Polyunsaturated fatty acids and Cognitive measures in older people | 2019 - 2023 | Principal: Professor Manohar Garg | Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy |
| Nora Kalagi | Trimethylamine N-Oxide metabolite levels in healthy and young Saudi Arabia population | 2019 - 2023 | Principal: Professor Manohar Garg | Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy |
| Nisha Panth | Effect of Omega-3 Fatty Acids (FAs) and Resveratrol on Endothelial Function, Lipid Profile and Glucose Level in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Postmenopausal Australian Women | 2016 - 2020 | Principal: Professor Manohar Garg | Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy |
Physical Activity and Nutrition in Schools
| Student | Project | Timeline | Supervisors | School | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emily Graham | An Examination of the Unique Impact of Variety on Adolescents’ Well-Being and Autonomous Motivation in Physical Education | 2017 - 2021 | Principal: Dr Narelle Eather | Education |
 | Sarah Kennedy | Dissemination and Evaluation of the NEAT and ATLAS Physical Activity Programs Utilising the RE-AIM Framework | 2016 - 2020 | Principal: Professor Dave Lubans | Education |
| Angus Leahy | Improving Fitness and Well-being in Senior School Students: The 'Burn 2 Learn' Program | 2017 - 2020 | Principal: Professor Dave Lubans | Education |
| Edward Noon | A Longitudinal Examination of Elements Associated with Educational Outcomes: Testing an Integrated Whole-Child Whole-School Model of Learning in Disadvantaged High School Communities | 2011 - 2019 | Principal: Professor Dave Lubans | Education |
| Karen White | To Evaluate the Impact of a School-Based Health and Wellbeing Program for Adolescent Girls on Mental Health Outcomes and Physical Activity Levels | 2016 - 2022 | Principal: Professor Dave Lubans | Education |
| Jin Yan | Improving the motivational climate and quality of sports delivery in Chinese primary schools | 2019 - 2023 | Principal: Dr Narelle Eather Co-Supervisors: Dr Jordan Smith and Professor Philip Morgan | Education |
NEWS • Oct 10.2019
Fellowship awarded to nutrition and dietetics leader
University of Newcastle researcher Professor Clare Collins is among&nb...
NEWS • Aug 30.2019
$10 million funding boost for local health researchers
More than $10 million has been awarded to further world-class, solution-bas...
NEWS • Aug 30.2019
Dr Myles Young wins Bupa’s Emerging Health Researcher Award
Dr Myles Young has been named Bupa Foundation’s Emerging Health Resea...
NEWS • Aug 26.2019
Emerging Health Researcher Award
Dr Myles Young from the Priority Research Centre for Physical Act...
NEWS • Jul 18.2019
Healthy eating options on the table for young Australians
Young Australian adults will now have free access to personalised dietary a...