Associate Professor Hattie Wright is a senior lecturer in Nutrition and Dietetics within the School of Health and a visiting research fellow at the Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service. She is the program coordinator for the Bachelor of Dietetics (Honours) program and is an advanced accredited practising (AdvAPD) dietitian.
As a teacher Hattie focus her scholarship in teaching and learning on improving the employability of future dietitians through the use of experiential learning with a specific focus on simulation-based learning. Past projects included the use of online serious games to develop clinical reasoning skills at an undergraduate level in the delivery of nutrition care and building confidence in the delivery of nutrition care using standardised patients in an acute care setting. Her current focus is on the development of communication skills of students in a variety of settings, including face to face and telehealth.
Professional memberships
- Dietitians Australia (DA) association
- Clinical Oncology Society of Australia (COSA)
- International Society of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity (ISBNPA)
- Vice-President of the Professionals in Nutrition for Exercise and Sport (PINES) international sports nutrition organisation
- Co-convenor of the Research Interest Group of the Dietitians Australia association
Awards and Fellowships
- 2021: ANZSN DAA Nutrition Research Award. Paper title: Dietary support is requested by patients with non-dialysis dependent CKD to improve diet quality. Bowden, Wright, Swanepoel, Gray. Australian New Zealand Society of Nephrology Annual Meeting.
- 2013: School of Physiology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences, NWU, Award for Excellence in teaching and learning.
- 2005: Excellence in Teaching and Learning, Scholarship in Teaching and Learning award. NWU.
- 2004: Nestlé Nutrition Institute Africa 5-yearly award for Continued and Sustained Contribution to Nutrition Research.
Hattie’s research focus on the role of diet in disease management considering both the whole of diet as well as targeted nutrition interventions for improved health outcomes. Hattie is also interested in empowering people to self-manage healthy eating behaviours. She uses behaviour change theory to gain an in-depth understanding of the factors that influence people’s food choice to better understand drivers of dietary adherence. Having a sound understanding of what supports people to follow healthy diets is invaluable to health professionals and patients alike. Health professionals can tailor their nutrition education and interventions to be more patient-centred which can support patients to change their behaviour. Hattie’s research can be translated into future nutrition education and intervention programs to support disease management, improve physical function and thereby health-related quality of life.
Research Collaborators
- Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service
- Sunshine Coast Council
- Griffith University
- Auckland University
- Bloomhill Cancer Care
Research areas
- Diet quality and chronic disease prevention
- Behaviour change and disease self-management
- Lifestyle behaviour (diet and exercise) and healthy ageing
- Dietetic education and employability
Potential research projects for HDR and Honours students
Several projects are currently being offered by Dr Wright across topics relating to diet and cancer survivorship as well as people with chronic kidney disease and multimorbidity. Expressions of interest are welcome from prospective Honours, Masters, PhD and Postdoctoral candidates.
Teaching areas
- Medical Nutrition Therapy
- Counselling and communication skills
- Nutrition and Dietetic skills
Program coordinator
Dr Wright’s specialist areas of knowledge include nutrition therapy for adults with non-communicable disease, supporting healthy ageing through your diet, how diet can support health-related quality of life, diet’s role when living with and beyond a cancer diagnosis.