With a research focus described as optimising dietary intake by helping people make healthy food choices, Professor Clare Collins is leading the fight against Australia's growing obesity challenge.

Professor of Nutrition and Dietetics, the University of Newcastle, Clare’s research expertise is in the field of nutrition and dietetics and focuses on developing, delivering and evaluating nutrition interventions for those currently overweight or at risk of weight-related chronic disease. She is one of only seven professionals to be appointed as a Fellow of the Dietitians Association of Australia.

Her research goals are: to develop tools to measure and validate dietary intake in specific populations; examine associations between patterns of dietary intake and body weight; develop and deliver targeted dietary interventions of populations who are obese or 'at risk'; and contribute to the development and implementation of Best Practice Guidelines.

Clare is a highly regarded academic having published more than 100 papers and attracted more than 50 research grants. She is an equally well-known as a national media commentator on nutrition, whose common sense explanations are widely sought.

She led the development of the Australian Eating Survey and Recommended Food Score for adults, children and adolescents to comprehensively assess dietary intake and identify factors that help or hinder individuals achieve healthy eating patterns and better health outcomes. Her Healthy Eating Quiz, designed to identify who Australia's healthiest eaters are, was launched in 2012 and currently has had more than 10,000 participants complete the survey.

Clare has also been an off-camera consultant to the popular weight loss television program The Biggest Loser for the past eight years and has contributed to six books on weight loss for the public.

Q&A with Professor Collins

NBN News Innovators Series - Monday 12 November 2012

There are plenty of good ideas around, but it takes drive and determination to turn them into something really useful.

This week in a special series, we’re profiling some of Newcastle Innovation’s high achievers, who’ve done just that, making a difference in their chosen fields.

We begin with a dietician at the forefront of the fight against obesity… teaching us how to make healthy food choices.