
Mandy is an Accredited Practicing Dietitian (APD) and PhD Candidate in the School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences at QUT. Her project at the Centre for Childhood Nutrition Research sits within the ‘Feeding Families in Tough Times (FFiTT)’ project. Her research will employ innovative mixed-methods techniques with a focus on examining children’s lived experiences of household food insecurity, with the aim to provide a platform to engage children in the co-creation of possible solutions to this ‘wicked’ problem. This work is anticipated to feed into the wider work currently being done by families, service providers, health and welfare agencies and academia to support access to healthy food choices and ultimately, empower families.
Mandy has experience as an APD across rehabilitation, chronic pain, surgical and palliative care settings. She obtained her Master of Nutrition and Dietetics/Bachelor of Science (Psychology) from the University of Sydney and also holds a dual Bachelor degree in Business/Creative Industries from QUT. Her areas of interest include the social determinants of health, child agency, supportive environments for health, diet quality and the use of qualitative research techniques with children.