Dr Ruth Newby is a Medical Scientist and a Lecturer at the University of the Sunshine Coast at Fraser Coast campus, where she is a committed and innovative teacher of Biomedical Sciences into Nursing.

Ruth’s research focuses on health promotion in nutrition for the first thousand days of life – the 3 years before a child turns 2, including pre-conceptual, and gestational dietary behaviours. She investigates infant feeding behaviours, weaning and the introduction of complementary foods and diet during early childhood. Her PhD research, for which she won an Australian Postgraduate Award, evaluated the effectiveness of communication to families of public health related messages. Her research uses quantitative methodologies including questionnaires and longitudinal cohort studies. The Feeding Queensland Babies Study is Ruth’s PhD project from which she is continuing to publish. She is a reviewer for several international peer-reviewed publications.

Ruth held a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship funded by Queensland Health at the University of Queensland in the Children’s Nutrition Research Centre, part of the Centre for Child Health Research. She has also undertaken the first study of infant and young child feeding and morbidity during emergency and natural disaster in Australia.

Ruth is also actively involved in programs that seek to meet the continuing education needs of regional health professionals, and she works, accepts speaking engagements and conducts research in that area.

Professional memberships

• Nutrition Society of Australia

• Public Health Association of Australia

• Queensland College of Teachers

Research grants