Jude Maher

Dr Jude Maher is a Senior Lecturer in Nutrition and Dietetics at the School of Health, University of the Sunshine Coast. With over 20 years of clinical and health promotion experience in both nursing and dietetic fields, she brings extensive practical knowledge to her academic role. She is also a Member of the Centre for Bioinnovation at UniSC and actively contributes to research in maternal and child nutrition.

Dr Maher holds the following educational qualifications:

• PhD from the University of the Sunshine Coast
• Master of Nutrition and Dietetics from Griffith University
• Bachelor of Nutrition from Queensland University of Technology

Her research interests center on understanding, enabling and enhancing maternal nutrition during pregnancy, birth and beyond, recognizing this period's significance for both short and long-term outcomes for women and their children. She employs a socioecological and sustainability perspective in her research, examining how human behaviors are influenced by broader contexts. Her work focuses on maternal and child nutrition, sustainability issues in nutrition, and dietetic practice and education. She has special expertise in areas including maternal nutrition, infant nutrition, experiential learning, local food systems, sustainability issues, vegetables, ultra-processed food, and community gardening.

Analysis of Dr Maher's publication record reveals a consistent focus on community-based nutrition interventions, particularly those involving community pharmacies as settings for public health nutrition. Her research demonstrates a progression from examining pharmacy-based interventions for maternal nutrition (2008-2010) toward more sustainability-focused approaches in nutrition education (2017) and contemporary issues like vegetable intake during pregnancy (2020). A notable thread throughout her work is the emphasis on practical, accessible interventions that can be implemented in everyday community settings.

Dr Maher teaches in both the Bachelor of Nutrition and the Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics programs, with a strong focus on public health nutrition theory and practice underpinned by a health promotion framework. She employs authentic and experiential teaching methods to develop critical thinking practitioners. Her teaching areas include NUT306 Nutrition Communication and NUT301 Advanced Public Health Nutrition.

She is an active member of professional organizations including:

• Dietitians Australia
• Health in Preconception, Pregnancy, and Postpartum Early and Mid-career Researcher Collective International (HiPPP EMR-C International)