Dr Karly Zacharia is a research dietitian seeking to understand the role diet can play in preventing secondary stroke. Karly’s research has involved understanding what stroke survivors are eating, how that has changed since their stroke and what might be needed to help stroke survivors eat well after stroke.
Dr Zacharia’s research expertise is varied, including food & nutrition, clinical trials, lived experience engagement and digital health solutions. Karly’s special interest lies in what makes us tick, understanding the barriers to improving health behaviours and developing solutions to make it easier, especially for people with disability.
Karly developed and delivered the Mediterranean Diet Program, tailored in collaboration with stroke survivors to address their specific needs.
The i-Rebound after stroke – Eat for Health program, designed for delivery via telehealth, was tested in a clinical trial alongside a supervised physical activity program. Both programs demonstrated significant improvements in diet quality and physical activity, with high participant satisfaction.
Dr Zacharia was also instrumental in creating the i-Rebound online platform, which provides accessible resources and materials for stroke survivors.
Additionally, she manages the Lived Experience Advisory Group (LEAG) for the Centre of Research Excellence to Accelerate Stroke Trial Innovation and Translation. This group is pioneering in lived experience engagement, working to build capacity and foster collaboration between researchers and individuals with stroke experience to enhance clinical trials.
