Biography
I am an Advanced Accredited Practicising Dietitian (Adv APD) and senior lecturer for Public Health and Community Nutrition within the School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences (SENS). As a research fellow within the Institute for Physical Activty and Nutrition (IPAN), my research focuses on the translation, implementation and sustainability of early childhood nutrition intervention at scale to inform the identification of key leverage points within existing service delivery systems.
Previously I was acting Director and Knowledge Broker for The CO-OPS Collaboration within the Global Obesity Centre (GLOBE), Deakin University. CO-OPS was a national knowledge, translation and exchange platform supporting practitioners, researchers and policy decision-makers in the implementation and evaluation of community-wide obesity prevention initiatives using a systems approach.
Between 2007 - 2012 I was Director of the Public Health Nutrition team within the central region of Queensland within Queensland Health. The team provided leadership and support for the coordination, development, implementation and evaluation of a range of complex multi-strategy nutrition-related chronic disease prevention programs and relevant initiatives to influence organisational and environmental change across the region.
I obtained my PhD Dietetics in South Africa in 2003 entitled "Developing and assessing the appropriateness of the preliminary Food-Based Dietary Guidelines for South Africans".
During my career in South Africa I lectured for the University of KwaZulu-Natal as well as the Durban Institute of Technology, was Company Dietitian for Weigh-Less Health and Slimming Clubs, and consulted to the South African National Department of Health.
Read more on Penny's profileResearch interests
Childhood obesity prevention
Knowledge translation and exchange
Socio-ecological approaches to obesity prevention
Food security issues
Cross cultural nutrition practices
Food-based Dietary Guidelines
Teaching interests
Public Health and Community Nutrition
Knowledge areas
Public health nutrition
Translational research
Dissemination and Implementation
Conferences
2021 International Congress of Dietetics (virtual)
2021 Dietitians Australia, Australia (virtual)
2021 Australian and New Zealand Obesity Society Annual Scientific Meeting (virtual)
2021 Evidence and Implementation Summit (virtual)
2020 International Society of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity, New Zealand (converted to virtual)
2020 PHAA Prevention Conference, Perth, Australia (converted to virtual)
2020 World Public Health Nutrition Conference, Brisbane, Australia (converted to virtual)
2019 Global Implementation Conference, Glasgow, Scotland
2019 Dietitians Association of Australia, Gold Coast, Australia
2019 Public Health Association of Australia Prevention Conference, Melbourne, Australia
2018 Food Futures, Brisbane, Australia
2018 Global Evidence and Implementation Summit, Melbourne, Australia
2018 International Society of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity, Hong Kong, China
2018 Dietitians Association of Australia, Sydney, Australia
2017 Dietitians Association of Australia, Hobart, Australia
2017 World Congress on Public Health, Melbourne, Australia
2017 Public Health Association of Australia Prevention Conference, Alice Springs, Australia
2016 Australian and New Zealand Obesity Society Annual Scientific Meeting, Brisbane, Australia
2016 Australasian Implementation Conference, Melbourne, Australia
2016 International Congress on Obesity, Vancouver, Canada
2015 Asia Pacific Conference on Public Health, Kuantan, Malaysia
2015 Agencies for Nutrition Action Conference, Auckland, New Zealand
2014 World Cancer Congress, Melbourne, Australia
2014 Australian and New Zealand Obesity Society Annual Scientific Meeting, Melbourne, Australia
2014 Congress of the Association for Dietetics in South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa
2014 Australian Implementation Conference, Sydney, Australia
2014 Public Health Association of Australia, Perth, Australia
2014 Dietitians Association of Australia, Brisbane, Australia
2014 International Conference on Obesity, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2013 World Conference on Health Promotion, Pattaya, Thailand
2013 Australian and New Zealand Obesity Society Annual Scientific Meeting, Melbourne, Australia
2013 Public Health Association of Australia, Melbourne, Australia
2013 Annual NHMRC Research Translation Faculty Symposium, Sydney, Australia
2008 Dietetians Association of Australia, Queensland, Australia
2006 International Conference on Obesity, Sydney, Australia
2003 Internation Congress of the South African Association for Food Science and Technology, Pretoria, South Africa
2001 National Congress of the South African Association of Family Ecology and Consumer Studies, Pretoria, South Africa
2000 Dietitians Association of Australia, Canberra, Australia
2000 Internation Congress of Dietetics, Edinburgh, Scotland
2000 Bienneial Nutrition Congress of Association for Dietetics in South Africa, Durban, South Africa
1999 FAO/ILSI Workshop on Food-Based Dietary Guidelines, Harare, Zimbabwe
Professional activities
Dietitians Australia (DA)
Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA)
International Society for Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity (ISBNPA)
Research groups
The Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN)
Early Prevention of Obesity in Childhood (EPOCH) Centre for Research Excellence
Awards
Deakin University, Faculty of Health Partnerships in Practice Award (2023) – Overall winner – The INFANT Program
Deakin University, Faculty of Health Partnerships in Practice Award (2023) – Influencing Policy and Practice category – The INFANT Program
Deakin University: Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, IPAN Director’s Stakeholder Engagement Award (2022) – Team Engagement category - The INFANT Program
Dietitians Association of Australia (2019) - Outstanding contributions to the profession and Dietitians Association of Australia at the National level
Heart Foundation Local Government Awards (National and Victoria State winners 2017) – Associate investigator: YCHANGe (Yarriambiack: Creating Healthy, Active, Nourished Generations) initiative
Deakin University: Health and Social Development (2013) - Special Commendation for Service Excellence
SAAFoST Meritorious Award for Journalism (2006) - articles published in Food Review, contributing positively towards promoting public education on food and nutrition issues
ADSA/Flora Award (November 2002) - for a Dietitian who over the past 5 years has made an outstanding contribution in the field of Dietetics and to the Dietetic profession
William Fox Memorial Prize (August 2000) - best presentation by a Dietitian at the 18th Biennial Congress of the Nutrition Society of South Africa
Department of Health Merit Award (1991/1992) - recognition of outstanding performance and contribution to the development of a computer program to assist in compiling inspection reports
Projects
The Infant Feeding, Activity and Nutrition (Infant) Program
Publications
No publications found
Funded Projects at Deakin
Australian Competitive Grants
Evaluating real-world implementation of an evidence-based program addressing lifestyle behaviours from the start of life
A/Prof Rachel Laws, Prof Karen Campbell, Prof Kylie Hesketh, Dr Elizabeth Denney-Wilson, Prof Marj Moodie, Dr Victoria Brown, A/Prof Harriet Koorts, Dr Kok-Leong Ong, Prof Liliana Orellana, Dr Penny Love, Dr Jennifer Browne
NHMRC - Partnership Project
- 2024: $72,718
- 2023: $222,273
- 2022: $170,602
- 2021: $121,705
- 2020: $91,259
- 2019: $5,606
A nutrition and movement behaviour intervention for toddlers: efficacy, cost effectiveness and scale-up pathways
Prof Kylie Hesketh, A/Prof Rachel Laws, Dr Penny Love, A/Prof Harriet Koorts, Ms Brittany Markides, Prof Jo Salmon, Prof Jan Nicholson, Dr Miaobing Zheng, Dr Katherine Downing, Dr Victoria Brown, Prof Liliana Orellana, A/Prof Rachael Taylor, Dr Alison Spence
MRFF (NHMRC) Maternal Health and Healthy Lifestyles
- 2024: $1,298,944
Other Public Sector Funding
A connected community and clinical journey to health
Dr Penny Love, Dr Jill Whelan, Prof Steven Allender, Prof Colin Bell
Rural Northwest Health
- 2015: $29,000
YCHANGe obesity prevention mapping into physical activity determinants - environmental and personal
Dr Jill Whelan, Dr Penny Love, Prof Steven Allender, Prof Colin Bell
Department of Health and Human Services - Victoria
- 2016: $120,000
Evaluating real-world implementation of an evidence-based program addressing lifestyle behaviours from the start of life
A/Prof Rachel Laws, Prof Karen Campbell, Prof Kylie Hesketh, Dr Elizabeth Denney-Wilson, Prof Marj Moodie, Dr Victoria Brown, A/Prof Harriet Koorts, Dr Kok-Leong Ong, Prof Liliana Orellana, Dr Penny Love, Dr Jennifer Browne
VicHealth - NHMRC Partnership Project Grants
- 2021: $50,000
- 2020: $50,000
- 2019: $50,000
The City of Greater Geelong Developing a healthy food policy approach.
A/Prof Kristy Bolton, Dr Rebecca Lindberg, Dr Penny Love
City of Greater Geelong
- 2022: $18,181
The evaluation of Vichealth's Food Hubs on local food systems.
Dr Rebecca Lindberg, Dr Erica Reeve, Dr Kate Wingrove, A/Prof Kristy Bolton, Dr Penny Love, Prof Colin Bell, Prof Steven Allender, Prof Gary Sacks
VicHealth
- 2024: $18,500
- 2023: $37,000
Industry and Other Funding
A connected community and clinical journey to health
Dr Penny Love, Dr Jill Whelan, Prof Steven Allender, Prof Colin Bell
Ian Potter Foundation Grant - Research
- 2016: $5,454
- 2015: $54,545
YCHANGe - A connected community and clinical journey to health - YSC and RFDS
Dr Jill Whelan, Prof Colin Bell, Dr Penny Love, Prof Steven Allender
Royal Flying Doctors Service, Victoria Section
- 2017: $40,000
- 2016: $40,000
Scaling up evidence based early-life nutrition interventions for community resilience and lifecourse health (Nutrition Now)
Prof Froydis Nordgard Vik, Prof Elisabet Rudjord Hillesund, A/Prof Anine Christine Medin, A/Prof Charlotte Kiland, Dr Harry Rutter, Prof Mary Barker, A/Prof Andrew Wills, A/Prof Sissel Heidi Helland, A/Prof Tormod Bjorkkjaer, A/Prof Mekdes Gebremariam, Prof Karen Campbell, Dr Penny Love, Dr Gabriella Conti, Prof Ulrica von Thiele-Schwarz, Dr Marianne Abel, A/Prof Wim van Daele, Dr Linda Sagedal
The Research Council of Norway - Collaborative and Knowledge-building Project
- 2023: $7,602
- 2022: $7,665
- 2021: $8,220
Supervisions
Jillian Maree Whelan
Thesis entitled: Can a rural Australian community lead and sustain obesity prevention?
Doctor of Philosophy (Medicine), School of Medicine