Melanie Nichols

Position

Associate Professor

Faculty

Faculty of Health

Department

School of Health & Social Dev

Campus

Geelong Waterfront Campus

Qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy, Deakin University, 2010
Bachelor of Applied Science (Health Sciences), Deakin University, 2005
Bachelor of Nutrition & Dietetics, Deakin University, 2005

Contact

melanie.nichols@deakin.edu.au

Biography

Dr Melanie Nichols is a Senior Research Fellow in GLOBE - the Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition, a World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention at Deakin University.
Melanie's research focuses on the prevention and epidemiology of obesity, heart disease and other non-communicable diseases, community-based approaches to promoting health and evaluation of large scale interventions and natural experiments. Key interests include early childhood prevention, community-based and complex systems interventions, promoting equity through prevention interventions, and improving use of existing data and systems to generate high quality evidence.

Melanie has worked extensively in evaluation of large scale community-based obesity prevention, beginning with the successful Sentinel Site for Obesity Prevention programs in the Barwon South-Western region of Victoria, which generated world-leading evidence into the effectiveness of whole of community-approaches to obesity prevention. More recently her work includes the collation and harmonisation of data from community-based obesity prevention initiatives globally, and the application of innovative epidemiological and machine learning methods, to generate generalisable insights into the factors that impact on effectiveness and equity of these programs.

Between 2011 and 2012 Melanie worked in the British Heart Foundation Health Promotion Research Group at the University of Oxford, UK, leading the European Cardiovascular Disease Statistics 2012 project as part of the EuroHeart II project, funded by the European Commission. The project examined Europe-wide cardiovascular disease mortality, morbidity, treatment and risk factors, with special attention to inequalities and recent trends.

Melanie completed her PhD in Public Health at Deakin University in 2009. Her PhD thesis investigated issues around prevention of obesity in early childhood, including recent trends in prevalence, behaviours and environments to address the question of whether early childhood should be a priority period for obesity prevention activities. Prior to beginning her research career, Melanie qualified as a dietitian, and worked in the field of gastroenterological disorders. Melanie holds tertiary qualifications in nutrition and dietetics and health promotion.

Biography summary

Melanie's research focuses on the prevention and epidemiology of obesity, heart disease and other non-communicable diseases, community-based approaches to promoting health and evaluation of large scale interventions and natural experiments. Key interests include early childhood prevention, community-based and complex systems interventions, promoting equity through prevention interventions, and improving use of existing data and systems to generate high quality evidence.

Research interests

Evaluation of large scale and 'natural' experiments in public health

Epidemiological modelling of non-communicable diseases

Community-based approaches to obesity prevention

Improved use of routine datasets for monitoring population health

Units taught

HSH744 - Epidemiology 1 (Masters of Public Health core unit)

Publications

No publications found

Funded Projects at Deakin

Australian Competitive Grants

RESPOND: Reflexive Evidence and Systems interventions to Prevent Obesity and Non-Communicable Disease

Prof Steven Allender, Dr Claudia Strugnell, Prof Boyd Swinburn, A/Prof Melanie Nichols, Prof Anna Peeters, Dr Andrew Bell, Prof Marj Moodie, Prof Liliana Orellana

NHMRC - Partnership Project

2023: $311,209
2022: $311,201
2021: $297,552
2020: $305,461
2019: $247,775
2018: $85,145

PRECIS: PRecision Evidence for Childhood obesity prevention InterventionS

A/Prof Melanie Nichols, Prof Kathryn Backholer, Prof Boyd Swinburn, Dr Victoria Brown, Dr Thin Nguyen, Prof Christina Economos

NHMRC - Ideas Grant

2024: $101,889
2023: $332,248
2022: $367,668
2021: $322,739

Systems Thinking with Active Implementation Research (STAIR) to prevent childhood obesity: an effectiveness-implementation trial

Prof Colin Bell, Dr Jill Whelan, Prof Steven Allender, Dr Luke Wolfenden, A/Prof Melanie Nichols, Dr Victoria Brown, A/Prof Serene Yoong, Prof Liliana Orellana, A/Prof Kristy Bolton

NHMRC - Partnership Project

2024: $94,777
2023: $115,020

Other Public Sector Funding

(Phase 2) - Provision and Evaluation of the It's Your Move Program in the ACT. (Phase 1) - systems-based interventions to promote healthy weight in ACT secondary schools - program planning

A/Prof Melanie Nichols, Dr Lynne Millar, Prof Boyd Swinburn, Prof Steven Allender

Aust Capital Territory Department of Health ACT Government Health Information

2014: $106,146
2012: $118,000
2011: $5,537

RESPOND: Reflexive Evidence and Systems interventions to Prevent Obesity and Non-Communicable Disease

Prof Steven Allender, Dr Claudia Strugnell, Prof Boyd Swinburn, A/Prof Melanie Nichols, Prof Anna Peeters, Dr Andrew Bell, Prof Marj Moodie, Prof Liliana Orellana

VicHealth - Partnership

2020: $25,000
2019: $25,000
2018: $25,000

Systems Thinking with Active Implementation Research (STAIR) to prevent childhood obesity: an effectiveness-implementation trial

Prof Colin Bell, Dr Jill Whelan, Prof Steven Allender, Dr Luke Wolfenden, A/Prof Melanie Nichols, Dr Victoria Brown, A/Prof Serene Yoong, Prof Liliana Orellana, A/Prof Kristy Bolton

VicHealth - NHMRC Partnership Project Grants

2024: $20,000

Industry and Other Funding

Developing a resource for evidence based healthy living programs

Prof Steven Allender, A/Prof Melanie Nichols, Prof Boyd Swinburn

Centre of Excellence in Intervention and Prevention Science Limited

2012: $80,000

HeartStats Project: The Heart Foundation/Deakin University Australian Heart Disease Statistics Project

Prof Steven Allender, A/Prof Melanie Nichols

NHF Health Professional Scholarship - National Heart Foundation of Australia, NHF Grant Cat 3 - Research - National Heart Foundation of Australia

2015: $160,694
2014: $169,230
2013: $144,932

RESPOND: Reflexive Evidence and Systems interventions to Prevent Obesity and Non-Communicable Disease

Prof Steven Allender, Dr Claudia Strugnell, Prof Boyd Swinburn, A/Prof Melanie Nichols, Prof Anna Peeters, Dr Andrew Bell, Prof Marj Moodie, Prof Liliana Orellana

Goulburn Valley Primary Care Partnership

2019: $22,500
2018: $22,500

Evaluation of the amended Victorian Achievement Program for schools - Pilot study of outcomes for teachers

Prof Anna Peeters, Prof Liliana Orellana, Prof Tony LaMontagne, A/Prof Melanie Nichols, Dr Claudia Strugnell, Dr Victoria Brown, Mr Nic Crooks

Teachers Health Foundation

2020: $85,000
2019: $92,000
2018: $40,000

Preventing chronic diseases in rural populations for future generations: The role of rural health services in guiding community efforts to improve the food environment.

Dr Laura Alston, Prof Steven Allender, Prof Vincent Versace, A/Prof Melanie Nichols, A/Prof Kristy Bolton

Western Alliance

2023: $20,595
2020: $20,595
2019: $41,359

Translate a community-based and 'systems informed' childhood obesity intervention.

Dr Claudia Strugnell, Prof Steven Allender, A/Prof Melanie Nichols, Prof Anna Peeters, Prof Colin Bell, Prof Marj Moodie, Prof Liliana Orellana, Dr Josh Hayward, Mr Andrew Brown

Nexus Primary Health

2019: $70,000
2018: $70,000

A review of evidence on interventions to improve the availability and promotion of healthy food in rural communities.

Dr Laura Alston, Prof Kathryn Backholer, Prof Vincent Versace, Prof Steven Allender, A/Prof Melanie Nichols, Dr Jill Whelan, Dr Anna Wong Shee, Dr Erica Reeve

Australasian Medical Publishing Co Proprietary Ltd

2020: $10,000

Other Funding Sources

International Society Cardiovascular Epidemiology and Prevention (ISCEP)

A/Prof Melanie Nichols, Prof Steven Allender

International Society of Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention

2017: $15,000
2016: $15,000
2015: $62,000

Supervisions

Principal Supervisor

2024

Mary Lou Wetzel Chatterton

Thesis entitled: Cost-Effectiveness of Adjunctive Treatment Options for Bipolar Disorder in Australia