Merran Findlay

Dr. Merran Findlay is a Senior Research Fellow at UNSW Sydney and Clinical Associate Professor at The University of Sydney, specializing in cancer nutrition for over 25 years. She serves as Board Director for the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia and Australia and New Zealand Head and Neck Cancer Society. Her work bridges clinical practice with implementation science in nutrition assessment, malnutrition management, and value-based healthcare.

• Senior Research Fellow – Living Better With and After Cancer, Maridulu Budyari Gumal (SPHERE) Cancer Clinical Academic Group
• Clinical Appointments: Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse
• Leadership Roles: Co-founder of Implementation Science networks at UNSW and The University of Sydney

Her research focuses on nutrition interventions in head and neck cancer, sarcopenia assessment, and evidence-based guideline implementation. She explores how nutritional status affects clinical outcomes, treatment complications, and healthcare costs through international multicenter studies and digital health innovations.

Current research trends show strong emphasis on head and neck cancer nutrition, sarcopenia biomarkers, and implementation science for guideline adoption. Her work spans nutrition assessment, enteral nutrition, and health services research, with recent articles addressing AI integration in quality indicators and sarcopenia severity quantification.

Dr. Findlay leads implementation programs like the Sydney Health Partners Implementation Science Program and conducts extensive audits including INFORM (International Nutrition Audit in Foregut Tumors). Her collaborative efforts involve developing CT-based sarcopenia metrics and optimizing nutrition counseling frequency during cancer treatment.