Lesley MacDonald-Wicks

Lesley MacDonald-Wicks is a Professor and Head of Discipline for Nutrition and Dietetics in the School of Health Sciences at the University of Newcastle. She holds additional roles as Deputy Head of School and has extensive administrative experience, including Director of Professional Practice and HDR Program Co-Convenor. Her research focuses on dietary interventions for chronic disease prevention, particularly stroke and mental health, emphasizing the Mediterranean diet’s role in reducing disease risk. She leads the ENAbLE project, a telehealth trial promoting diet and exercise for stroke survivors. Lesley also prioritizes education, integrating Healthy Conversation Skills into dietetics training to enhance client communication. She has supervised 6 HDR students and collaborates globally on nutrition research.

Educations:

• PhD in Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Newcastle (2003)
• Bachelor of Health Science (Nutrition & Dietetics), University of Newcastle (Honours)

Research Interests:

• Stroke prevention via dietary and lifestyle interventions
• Mediterranean diet applications in chronic disease
• Knowledge translation in clinical nutrition
• Behavior change communication strategies

Grants & Supervision:

• 6 HDR supervisees (5 PhD, 1 Master’s)
• Collaborations with PRC Physical Activity and Nutrition, HMRI Public Health

Labs/Teams: Leads the ENAbLE project team and collaborates internationally on diet-related health initiatives.