Julia McCartan

Dr Julia McCartan is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food at Monash University, affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences. She is an Accredited Practising Dietitian with expertise in public health nutrition, food systems, and Indigenous health equity. Since 2013, she has contributed to research and teaching at Monash, including co-designing the undergraduate unit NUT3006: Food Sustainability Systems with Dr Liza Barbour. McCartan’s work focuses on critical pedagogy, anti-racism in health professions, and fostering critical allyship. She holds a PhD from Monash University (2023) examining non-Indigenous positioning in Indigenous contexts.

Her research spans food security, settler colonialism, and planetary health curricula. McCartan is a Research Fellow at the Monash Centre for Scholarship in Health Education and collaborates with the Gukwonderuk Indigenous Health Unit. She has received awards including the 2022 Monash Student Association Teaching Award and the 2019 Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence. McCartan’s projects include co-editing a handbook on preparing health professions learners for uncertainty in modern practice.

Her educational contributions emphasize Indigenous health equity, with work on curriculum development recognized nationally. Research collaborations include analyzing food policy, community kitchens, and the impact of social enterprises on food insecurity. McCartan’s recent focus on planetary health education underscores her commitment to integrating sustainability and equity into health professions training.