MEDICALLY COMPLEX PREGNANCIES
Dr Shelley Wilkinson, Project Officer
Department of Obstetric Medicine,
Mater Mothers’ Hospital &
Associate Professor and Senior Principal Research Fellow,
School of Pharmacy, University of Queensland &
Director & Principal Dietician,
Lifestyle Maternity & Lifestyle Perimenopause
Brisbane, Australia
RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Brisbane, Australia | November 2025
A/Prof Shelley Wilkinson is an Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian, Fellow of Dietitians Australia, and a leading Australian researcher in maternal health and implementation science.
She has over 30 years of experience in the field and holds a PhD in Psychology. Her passion is in health service redesign through co-creation and combining the ‘know-what’ of nutrition with the ‘know-how’ of innovative behaviour change techniques.
Currently, she is involved in the implementation and evaluation of the Obstetric Midwifery Group Practice (“OMGP”) model of care and the “4HER” post-pregnancy cardiometabolic health clinic at Mater Mothers’ Hospitals.
She is also the Director and Principal Dietitian at Lifestyle Maternity and Lifestyle PeriMenopause. Here she delivers women-focussed, evidence-based & innovative care designed to empower women with the skills and knowledge to make informed decisions for their well-being.
Assoc Prof Wilkinson has previously held prestigious fellowships, including the NHMRC TRIP fellowship and the Queensland Government-Health Research Fellowship, which focused on improving dietetic care for women with gestational diabetes and optimising service delivery for healthy gestational weight gain.
She has been recognised for her research excellence with six awards in Evidence-Based Practice and Clinical Research.
Source: Supplied
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Relationship between language-literacy skills and mental health
In an innovative move towards enhancing mental health services, Associate Professor Amanda Neil and team, supported by the RHH Research Foundation, are undertaking a crucial study on language-literacy skills of patients within mental health care settings. This year-long project, which commenced in April 2024, seeks to unravel to what extent, where and for whom language-literacy skills are being considered in Tasmanian mental health service provision.
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Investigating invasive lobular carcinoma and metaplastic breast cancer sub-types
Assoc Prof McCart Reed is the scientific lead on an MRFF-funded (Medical Research Future Fund) genomics program investigating the potential for the application of Whole Genome Sequencing in the breast cancer care pathway in Australia, ‘Q-IMPROvE’. She applies genomics and spatial transcriptomics methodologies to archival clinical samples to understand the differences between tumour types and their potential for treatment. Amy is passionate about clinical research, biobanking and precision oncology. In addition to her breast cancer research portfolio, she is on the steering committee for the Brisbane Breast Bank and the Scientific Advisory Board for Breast Cancer Trials.
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Therapy to prevent hepatocellular carcinoma in people with liver cirrhosis
Professor John Olynyk is a Gastroenterologist & Hepatologist with over 30 years’ experience, primarily at The Fiona Stanley & Fremantle Hospital Group. He planned the Gastroenterology and Hepatology Service for the Fiona Stanley Hospital and was Head Department from 2010 until 2020.
Professor John Olynyk was appointed as Associate Dean and Head of the Medical Discipline at Curtin University in 2023 until 2025 and is now Associate Director, Clinical Engagement, Curtin Medical Research Institute, Curtin University.
