Dr Sarah Burkhart is a Senior Lecturer in Nutrition and Dietetics in the School of Health and the Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research (ACPIR) at UniSC. Dr Burkhart’s current work spans the South Pacific region where she leads and contributes to a range of projects to promote nutrition-sensitive agriculture. A key focus of Sarah’s work is school food and nutrition environments in the South Pacific and the potential these have for transformational food system change, improved nutrition and health, educational outcomes, and livelihoods.
Sarah is currently leading projects that aim to develop a food and nutrition resource toolkit for Pacific Island teachers, to develop an Overview of Food and Nutrition Security in the Pacific Islands Report, and to adapt a NOVA screener for use in the Pacific Islands. She also co-leads a team scoping the potential for local agriculture in food provision in Pacific Island schools.
Other current and recent projects have focused on the role of diets, food systems and policy in the prevention of obesity and non-communicable diseases in Fiji, the current state and capacity for school food and nutrition education programmes across 14 Pacific Island countries, food environments in Samoa, nutrition impacts of climate change in Fiji, the impact of Covid-19 on food systems and food choice, dietary assessment methods and food literacy in the Pacific Islands region.
Sarah is a Registered Nutritionist with the Nutrition Society of Australia (NSA) and a member of the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior (SNEB), where she is currently Chair for the SNEB Sustainable Food Systems Division and past chair of the Division for International Nutrition Education (DINE). Sarah is a co-founder and current chair of the Pacific School Food Network (PSFN), a group that advocates for and supports school food activities throughout the Pacific Islands region to eliminate hunger and improve food security. Sarah has also recently been elected as President of the Federation of Oceanic Nutrition Societies (FONS).
Sarah is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and coordinates and teaches several courses across the Bachelor of Nutrition and the Bachelor of Dietetics, with a focus on improving the student experience and readiness for practice. Sarah’s scholarship of learning and teaching interests include the integration of a food systems approach and sustainability within Nutrition and Dietetic curricula, the use of blended learning strategies and the flipped classroom approach. Sarah is also an advocate for involving students in overseas learning and research experiences and has travelled with, and supervised UniSC students undertaking projects in Samoa and the Solomon Islands.
Professional memberships
- Nutrition Society of Australia
- Society for Nutrition Education and Behaviour
Awards and fellowships
- Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, 2022
- LearnX Live! Best Blended Learning Model Platinum Award Winner (with Dr Dana Craven and Dr Anita Hamilton), 2019
- Advance Teaching Award: ABLE Award for Advancing the Blended Learning Experience, University of the Sunshine Coast, 2016
- Commendation for Excellence: Advancing Quality Teaching, University of the Sunshine Coast, 2016
Research Grants
|
Project name |
Project team |
Funder, year |
|
Understanding School Food Provision in the Pacific: Scoping the potential of local food systems to improve diets, nutrition and livelihoods |
Dr Sarah Burkhart (co-lead), Dr Danny Hunter (co-lead) (The Alliance for Bioversity International and CIAT), Dr John Oakeshott (The Pacific Community) and Mrs Jessica Raneri (the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) |
ACIAR (2022 - 2023) $250,000 |
| Development of an Overview of Food Security and Nutrition in the Pacific Islands |
Dr Sarah Burkhart, Prof. Steven Underhill, Dr Dana Craven, Ms Bridget Horsey |
FAO (2022) |
|
Development of a school food and nutrition education learning and teaching resource kit for Pacific Island teachers and educators |
Dr Sarah Burkhart, Ms Bridget Horsey, Dr Dana Craven, Ms Jenna Perry |
FAO (2022) |
|
Enhanced fruit systems for Tonga and Samoa (Phase 2): Community based citrus production |
Prof Steven Underhill (CI), A/Prof John Chapman, Dr Sarah Burkhart, Dr Dana Craven, Ms Tara McKenzie, Dr Yuchan Zhou, and researchers from the Scientific Research Organisation of Samoa, Mainstreaming of Rural Development Innovation, The University of Queensland, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Samoa, Fiji National University and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |
ACIAR (2021 – 2024) |
|
Gathering evidence and supporting multi-stakeholder engagement on the role of diets and food systems in the prevention of obesity and non-communicable diseases in Pacific Island Countries (Fiji)
|
Dr Sarah Burkhart (lead), Prof. Steven Underhill, Ms Bridget Horsey, Ms Jenna Perry, Ms Tarli O’Connell, Dr Yuchan Zhou, Ms Tara Mackenzie, Dr Dana Craven
|
UN/FAO (2020) |
|
School Food Programmes in the Pacific Islands: Scoping Study and Capacity Needs Assessment
|
Dr Sarah Burkhart (lead), Dr Dana Craven, Ms Brianna Jones, Ms Bridget Horsey, Prof. Steven Underhill |
UN/FAO (2019) |
|
School Nutrition Education Programmes in the Pacific Islands: Scoping Study and Capacity Needs Assessment
|
Dr Sarah Burkhart (lead), Ms Brianna Jones, Dr Libby Swanepoel, Prof. Steven Underhill |
UN/FAO (2018) |
|
Designing a graduate e-portfolio: the expectations of industry
|
Dr A Hamilton (lead), T Downer, Dr B Flanagan, Dr Sarah Burkhart, Dr A Villani, B Lucas, Dr A Henderson, Dr C Davis, M Small, and Dr J Taylor
|
USC Commissioned Grant (2016/2017) $15,000 |
|
Learning, Teaching, Practice: A common understanding and integration of sustainability within Nutrition and Dietetics
|
Dr Sarah Burkhart (lead), Dr Jude Maher, Dr Michele Verdonck and Dr Theresa Ashford |
USC Exploratory Grant (2015) $9996 |
Research areas
- Nutrition education and food provision in Pacific Island school settings
- Determinants of food security in the Pacific Islands, with a focus on food environments and consumer behaviour/food choice
- Incorporation and teaching of sustainability and sustainable food systems in Nutrition and Dietetics curricula
- The use of blended learning strategies to engage Nutrition and Dietetic students
Potential research projects for HDR and Honours students
- Nutrition education and food provision in Pacific Island school settings.
- Determinants of food security in the Pacific Islands, with a focus on food environments and consumer behaviour/food choice.
- Incorporation and teaching of sustainability and sustainable food systems in Nutrition and Dietetics curricula.
Current PhD students (primary supervisor)
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- Amalya Harding: Post pandemic opportunities for enhanced food and nutrition security in the tropical pacific.
- Bridget Horsey: Exploring food literacy to support preparation and consumption of local, traditional foods in Pacific Island communities.
- Monica Smith: Development of a framework to support and sustain healthier school food environments in the Pacific Islands
Teaching areas
Recent publications
- Burkhart, S. J., Hayman, A., Lam, F., Jones, B., Horsey, B., Craven, D., Underhill, S. J. R. (2023) School Food Programs in the Pacific Islands: Exploring opportunities and challenges for creating healthier school food environments. Public Health Nutrition, 26(2), pp.455-466. DOI: 10.1017/S1368980022001951
- Higgins, M., Strother, H., Burkhart, S. J., Carlsson, L., Meyer, N., Spiker, M., Wegener, J. (2023). Sustainable food systems and diets in dietetic training standards: an international content analysis. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 36(3), 957-966.
- Maher, J., Ashford, T., Verdonck, M., English, E., and Burkhart, S. (2023) Equipping nutrition graduates for the complex realities of practice: using practitioner perspectives and experiences to inform authentic sustainability curriculum, Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 36(4), 1406-1416.
- O’Meara, L., Cohen, P.J., I’ilu Kafa, R., Wate, J.T., Albert, J., Bogard, J., Bonis-Profumo, G., Burkhart, S., Delisle, A., Diffey, S., Eria, T., Farmery, A., Fukofuka, K., Mangubhai, S., Mitchell, M.E.V., Na’ati, E., Nyemah, J.N., Pickering, T., Sutcliffe, S., Swanepoel, L., Thilsted, S.H. and Lam, F.V. (2023). Pacific food systems – The role of fish and other aquatic foods for nutrition and health. Apia.
- Theuri, S., Burkhart, S. Calling on all SNEB Members to Engage in the “International Year of the Millets 2023”. (2023). Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, Volume 55, Issue 1, 1.
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Underhill, S., Patolo, S., Molimau-Samasoni, S., Kumar, S. and Burkhart, S. (2023) Farmer and market vendor perceptions of COVID-19 impacts on horticultural fresh food systems in Tonga, Fiji, and Samoa, Agriculture and Food Security, 12, pp.1-18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40066-023-00406-8
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Underhill, S., Kumar, S., Joshua, L., Patolo, S., Molimau-Samasoni, S. and Burkhart, S. (2023) Postharvest handling practice in the South pacific and its implications on local food systems, Acta Horticulturae, 1364, 271-279. Doi: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2023.1364.36
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Burkhart, S. J., Singh, P., Raneri, J., Hayman, A., Katz, S., Matairakula, U., MacKay, C., Horsey, B., Underhill, S. J. R., Kama, A., Maelaua, J., Demei, B., Mitchell, A., Gurung Nyangmi, M., Taawetia, T., Tekatu, T., Hunter, D. (2022). Growing our future: introducing the Pacific School Food Network to support healthy school food and nutrition environments for better nourished children in the Pacific Islands (Commentary). The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific. Volume 18, 100338, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanwpc.2021.100338.
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Burkhart, S. J., Underhill, S. J. R., Raneri, J. (2022). Realising the potential of neglected and underutilized bananas in improving diets for nutrition and health outcomes in the Pacific Islands. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2022.805776
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Horsey, B., Taylor, J., Hayman, A., Underhill, S. J. R., Burkhart, S. J. Food Literacy in the Pacific Islands: A Scoping Review. JBI Evidence Synthesis. First online publication 19-Jan-2022.
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Tiitii, S., Paul, N., Burkhart, S. J., Larson, S., Swanepoel, L. (2022). Traditional knowledge and modern motivations for consuming seaweed (limu) in Samoa. Sustainability 14, no. 10: 6212. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14106212.
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Medina Hidalgo, D., Nunn, P.D., Beazley, H., Burkhart, S., Rantes, J. (2022). Adaptation, sustainable food systems and healthy diets: an analysis of climate policy integration in Fiji and Vanuatu. Climate Policy, DOI: 10.1080/14693062.2022.2095969
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Thurecht RL, Pelly FE, Burkhart S. (2022). Reliability of the Athlete Food Choice Questionnaire in Diverse Settings. International journal of environmental research and public health;19(16):9981. https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/16/9981
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Burkhart, S. J., Verdonck, M., Ashford, T., Maher, J. Sustainability in nutrition practice: Potential guiding statements to explore, prioritise and integrate sustainability in higher education curriculum. (2021). Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2021.03.011
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Burkhart, S. J., Underhill, S. J. R., Horsey, B., Perry, J., O’Connell, T., Craven, D.L. (2021). Gathering evidence and supporting multi-stakeholder engagement on the role of diets and food systems in the prevention of obesity and non-communicable diseases in Pacific Island Countries (Fiji). Final report. http://www.fao.org/3/cb5194en/cb5194en.pdf
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Kammholz, G., Craven, D. L., Boodoosingh, R., Akeli Ammama, S., Abraham, J., Burkhart, S. J. Exploring food literacy domains in an adult Samoan population. (2021). International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18 (7), 3587.
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Craven, D. C., Vogliano, C., Underhill, S. J. R., Horsey, B., Burkhart, S.J. (2021). Dietary assessment methodology and reporting in the Pacific Islands: A scoping review protocol. JBI Evidence Synthesis. https://journals.lww.com/jbisrir/Fulltext/2021/05000/Dietary_assessment_methodology_and_reporting_in.9.aspx
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Bottcher, C., Underhill, S. J. R., Aliakbari, J., Burkhart, S. J. (2021). Food access and availability in Auki, Solomon Islands. Journal of Hunger and Environmental Nutrition. DOI: 10.1080/19320248.2020.1739586
Dr Sarah Burkhart's specialist areas of knowledge include nutrition and food security, food and nutrition education and school food.