Professor Tracy Burrows

Tracy Burrows
HMRI Award for Mid Career Research
2020 HMRI Award for Mid Career Research
Scholarship
2017 Scholarship
Project Grant
2016 Project Grant
Scholarship
2016 Scholarship
Project Grant
2016 Project Grant
Scholarship
2015 Scholarship
Project Grant
2015 Project Grant
Scholarship
2014 Scholarship
Project Grant
2013 Project Grant
Scholarship
2013 Scholarship
Scholarship
2012 Scholarship
Project Grant
2011 Project Grant
Project Grant
2010 Project Grant
Project Grant
2009 Project Grant

What are your research interests?

  • Development and validation of dietary assessment methods, which is really about assessing people's dietary intake accurately to enable targeted feedback that's both practical and meaningful for individuals to make dietary improvements. I have a focus on children as there are less tools available to use and many additional considerations including cognitive abilities and using parents as a proxy.   
  • Prevention and treatment of obesity with a particular interest in children and parental feeding practices
  • Food addiction and relationships to weight and mental health

Why did you get into research?

I have a great appreciation for science. Doing something I am passionate about everyday that has the power to change lives for the better ... that's pretty amazing to call work!

What would be the ultimate goal for your research?

My career goal is to become an independent internationally recognised researcher who produces high quality investigations to address diet and eating behaviours which can be used to develop or refine new interventions and angles to inform policies to improve the nutritional status and weight of populations. 

Biography

Professor Tracy Burrows is an Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian (AdvAPD) and Senior Lecturer in the School of Health Sciences, Faculty Health and Medicine at the University of Newcastle. She completed her PhD in 2008 and was appointed Lecturer at UON in the same year. Prior to this, she worked in private practice as a dietitian, having obtained an undergraduate degree BHSc (Nutrition & Dietetics). 

Professor Burrows has developed a cohesive program of research on obesity over the lifespan ranging from preschool through to adulthood, with particular focuses on food addiction, biomarkers/validation methods and obesity management. 

She has employed a variety of nutritional biomarkers sourced from blood, plasma and urine including carotenoids, red blood cell membrane fatty acids and double labelled water. Professor Burrows has overcome a range of methodological barriers specific to paediatric populations, including practical family arrangements, limited attention spans, and varying stages of cognitive development, to obtain nutritional outcome measures. 

Her intervention work in obesity treatment and prevention has been translated to a diverse range of population groups including indigenous and low income families. One community translation study received an award from the World Health Organisation for Excellence in Obesity Prevention (2014).

Professor Burrows' research expertise also includes qualitative work underpinned by theoretical constructs, and applications of clinical imaging techniques such as fMRI (functional MRI scans).

Through her research and expertise, Associate Professor Burrows has worked with the Medical Research Council, UK and consulted to the National Cancer Institute, USA. From 2011-2015 she co-chaired the Food and Nutrition Stream of the Australasian Child and Adolescent Obesity Research Network (ACAORN).

Professor Burrows has published numerous papers in international journals and presented at both both National and International conferences. She has also received >10 research awards including the 2014 Scopus Young Researcher of the Year in medicine and medical sciences. She regularly supervises a variety of Masters, PhD  and undergraduate honours projects. 

In 2012, Professor Burrows was part of the leadership team that undertook the systematic reviews to update the NHMRC dietary guidelines. She contributed to evidence synthesis and guideline development, which informed the writing of these national guidelines. In a similar role she was part of the team that undertook the reviews for revision of the Dietitians Association of Australia Obesity Management Guidelines for Obesity.

Future Focus

Improving peoples lives through better nutrition and dietary behaviours.

Specialised/Technical Skills

  • Advance Accredited Practising Dietitian
  • Diet and Nutrition assessment
  • Obesity and metabolic health
  • Systematic reviews
  • Food Addiction

Affiliations

Downloads

ABC Newcastle interview with Kia Handley - 26 February 2019

2020

HMRI Research Excellence Award for Mid-Career Research
HMRI Award for Mid Career Research
Researchers:

Professor Tracy Burrows

2017

Emlyn and Jennie Thomas Postgraduate Medical Research Scholarship
Scholarship
Researchers:

2016

Nutrition Connect: providing an online platform to link rural families to health professional advice and support for healthy eating, especially for obese children
Project Grant
Description:

This project will focus on providing telehealth nutrition intervention for rural parents who are concerned about their child’s weight or eating habits.

more
Nutrition’s role in chronic pain management
Scholarship
Researchers:
Equal Futures Award
Project Grant
Researchers:
Description:

Tracy, a member of HMRI's Cardiovascular Research Program,  aspires not only be a leading researcher but also a research leader and was recently named a 2016 NSW Young Tall Poppy of the Year. Tracy will use the Equal Futures funding to access one on one leadership mentoring with the Institute of Executive Coaching and leadership.

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2015

eHealth research project measuring the impact of web-based feedback on dietary intake in improving eating patterns and health
Project Grant
Description:

$10K to support our eHealth research project measuring the impact of web-based feedback on dietary intake in improving eating patterns and health. We have a trial approved through ethics, but no $$ to test the impact on dietary intake, hence this will fund this pilot study.
 

more
Nutrition’s role in chronic pain management
Scholarship
Researchers:
Description:

$10K for a PhD top-up  for Katherine Brain who is doing her PhD on Nutrition and Pain and has just converted to full time after securing a basis scholarship (CIs are myself, Dr Megan Rollo and Dr Tracy Burrows)
 

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2014

Investigation of factors affecting the success of family based dietary interventions for parents experiencing CVD events
Scholarship
Description:

Children whose parents suffer a heart attack or stroke prematurely are at a particularly high risk, inheriting a predisposition to heart disease as well as their parent’s eating habits and lifestyle behaviours.

more

2013

Validation of a Food Frequency Questionnaire to detect changes in diet-related cardiovascular disease risk
Project Grant
Description:

Diet and Cardiovascular disease risk

more
Investigation of factors affecting the success of family based dietary interventions for parents experiencing CVD events
Scholarship
Description:

Children whose parents suffer a heart attack or stroke prematurely are at a particularly high risk, inheriting a predisposition to heart disease as well as their parent’s eating habits and lifestyle behaviours.
 

more

2012

Investigation of factors affecting the success of family based dietary interventions for parents experiencing CVD events
Scholarship

2011

Feasibility of targeting parents with heart disease to improve the heart health of their children
Project Grant

2010

Healthy Dads Healthy Kids for Indigenous populations
Project Grant
Researchers:

2009

PULSE Education Prize - Tracy Burrows
Project Grant
Researchers: