Karen Walton

Professor Karen Walton is a faculty member at the University of Wollongong’s School of Medical, Indigenous and Health Sciences, specializing in Nutrition & Dietetics. She holds academic leadership roles, including Associate Dean (Education) and A/Discipline Leader for Nutrition & Dietetics. Her research focuses on optimizing nutrition support for older adults, translational approaches to food packaging, and healthcare models for malnutrition. Walton earned her PhD and advanced degrees from the University of Wollongong in Science, Chemistry, and Nutrition.

Her research interests emphasize aged healthcare, clinical nutrition, and public health interventions. Notable projects include studies on diet affordability, financial well-being in education, and dysphagia prevalence in aged care. She has secured grants for initiatives like 'Towards a financially inclusive higher education system' and 'Mood, food and biomarkers' longitudinal studies. Walton actively supervises PhD students exploring topics like oral feeding in cancer patients and texture-modified food inconsistencies.

Walton’s service roles include memberships in the Dietitians Association of Australia and the Institute of Hospitality in Health Care. Her work bridges clinical practice and policy, addressing systemic challenges in healthcare and education systems.