Infuse 3 March 2018 | Page 29

Tell us about your current research, and
why you chose to focus on gut health.
How did your PhD shape your journey?
My PhD was one of the most rewarding
things I’ve ever done. I’d just finished
my dietetics degree with QUT, and got
a call on Christmas Eve (from Maree)
offering me a job. It was one of the best
days of my life. I then worked for a year
and a half at the Princess Alexandra
Hospital, and had a taste of research,
and thought, "Yes, this is what I want
to do."
I work with Prof Kevin Whelan's group
in the diet and gastrointestinal health.
I see gut health as the future of our
health, and Professor Whelan's group
was world-renowned as experts in that
area. But I wanted to move into areas
which would affect more people, such
as Irritable Bowel Syndrome. So, that's
one of my main areas of research –
looking at different nutrition-based
therapies in IBS.
I launched into my PhD with associate
professor Katrina Campbell and Dr
David Johnson. We looked at whether
we could improve gut health in people
with chronic kidney disease, in a way
that would reduce some of the uremic
toxins circulating in their blood by
adding things like pre- and probiotics.
And, excitingly, it was a positive trial.
I also work on Inflammatory Bowel
Diseases, looking at different dietary
interventions. Another element of my
King's research is looking at healthy
people: how to improve the health of
their diet through nutrition therapies,
and how food can improve our
gut health.
Why did you move to London?
My mentors encouraged me to look
outside of Australia, saying that it's
good to go away from your initial
PhD research group, get different
experiences, and then come back.
Then I got a taste of things over here in
London, and it was hard to come back!
London is a concentrated hub of the
wellness world, and there are a lot of
entrepreneurs here, so it's inspiring.
interview continues overleaf...
© Dietitian Connection
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Infuse | March 2018