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Professor Helen Truby

Head of Department – Nutrition and Dietetics, Monash University

Professor Helen Truby

Qualifications: BSc (Hons), MHumNutr, PhD, RD, RPHNutr, AdvAPD

Boyd trained in medicine at Monash University. His physician training, which included stints in gastroenterology and endocrinology, made him the first physician trained in clinical nutrition in Australia. He completed a PhD in the Section of Human Nutrition at Deakin University, which involved an investigation of the nutritional effects of alcohol abuse on bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract. He then went for two years to the Dept. of Clinical Nutrition at Sahlgren’s Hospital, University of Gothenburg in Sweden, where he studied methods of measuring body composition with Bjorn Isaksson.

Upon his return, he spent three years lecturing in human nutrition at Deakin University, whilst he established the first body composition laboratory in an Australian hospital, at Prince Henry’s Hospital, in Melbourne. In 1989, he moved to Monash University, but left academic life to concentrate on his appointment as a physician in clinical nutrition and metabolism at the newly established Monash Medical Centre. In 1998, he became Director of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism at Monash Medical Centre, as well as Physician in General Medicine. In 2001, he returned to academic life as Associate Professor in Medicine at Monash University, and became head of the Nutrition and Dietetics discipline at Monash at the end of 2005. His main research interests involve the measurement of human body composition in health and disease, and his clinical interests involve obesity, hospital malnutrition, osteoporosis, diabetes mellitus and vascular risk factor management.

Research Interests

Helen qualified in the UK as a dietitian and has practiced both in Australia and the UK.  She has training and research experience in paediatric nutrition and dietetics.  Her research is guided by the need to:

  • improve the evidence base for nutritional interventions in chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, cystic fibrosis and muscular dystrophy.
  • translate basic research into human studies and improve clinical practice by developing and evaluating practice guidelines

Research skills include

  • Body composition and energy expenditure including the use of stable isotopes
  • Measuring dietary intake, dietary surveillance and planning, conducting and evaluating nutritional interventions
  • Measuring appetite and behaviour changes associated with dietary interventions

Professional Memberships

Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian, The Dietitians Association of Australia

Registered Public Health Nutritionist, The Nutrition Society, UK

Registered Dietitian, The Health Professions Council, UK

Member of the British Dietetic Association

Member of the Dietitians Association of Australia

Member of the Nutrition Society

Council Member for the Australian and New Zealand Obesity Society

Adolescent Child and Adolescent Obesity Research Network

Australasian Editorfor the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics (2007-10)

http://www.wiley.com/bw/journal.asp?ref=0952-3871

Selected peer-reviewed publications

Truby H, Cojean K, Elliott SA, Davies PS, Warren J, Batch JA. Adolescents seeking weight management: who is putting their hand up and what are they looking for? Journal of Pediatrics and Child Health (in press 2009, accepted 12.08.09)

Davidson Z and Truby H.  A review of nutrition in Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics (in press 2009, accepted 21.05.09)

Truby H, Cowlinshaw P, O’Neil C, Wainwright C. the long term efficacy of gastrostomy feeding in children with cystic fibrosis on anthropometric markers of nutritional status and pulmonary function.

The Open Respiratory Medicine Journal (2009) 3:122-115

Nambiar S, Truby H, Abbott RA and Davies PSW. Validating the waist-height ratio and developing centiles for use amongst children and adolescents. Acta Pediatrica  (2009) 98:148-152. 

Truby H, Hiscutt R, Herriot A, Stanley M, deLooy A, Fox KR, Baic S, Robson PJ,  Macdonald I, Taylor M, Ware R, Logan C, Livingstone MBE. Commercial weight loss diets meet nutrient requirements in free living adults over 8 weeks: a randomised controlled trial. Nutrition Journal (2008) 7:25. doi:10.1186/1475-2891-7-25

Truby H. The aetiology and management of childhood obesity. Paediatrics and Child Health in General Practice (2009) 9:6-7

Martins C, Morgan L, Truby H.  A review of the effects of exercise on appetite regulation: an obesity perspective. International Journal of Obesity, 2008 32 (9): 1337-47.

Morgan L, Griffin BA, Millward DJ, deLooy A, Fox KR, Baic S, Bonham MP, Wallace JMW, Macdonald I, Taylor MA, Truby H. Comparison of the effects of four commercially available weight loss programmes on lipid-based cardiovascular risk factors. doi:10.1017/S1368980008003236. Public Health Nutrition, 2008

Barratt R, Frost G, O’Boyle A, Millward D, Truby H. Use of sibutramine to assist obese women with weight loss can be successful in dietitian led clinics: another tool in the dietitian’s toolbox. Journal of Human Nutrition & Dietetics 2008 21(3) 248-255

Truby H and Paxton S. The Children’s Body Image Scale: validity and its use with international standards for body mass index. British Journal of Clinical Psychology 2008 47: 119-124

Barratt R, Frost G, Truby H. A randomised control trial investigating the effect of an intensive lifestyle intervention versus standard care in adults with type 2 diabetes immediately after initiating insulin therapy.  British Journal of Nutrition 2008 99 1025-1-31

Watson H, Bilton, D Truby H. A randomised controlled trial of a home based nutrition and behaviour intervention in adults with cystic fibrosis. Journal of American Dietetic Association 2008, 108(5): 847-852

Herriot AM, Thomas DE, Hart KH, Warren J, Truby H. A qualitative investigation of subjects experiences and expectations before and after completing a trial of commercial weight loss programmes. Journal of Human Nutrition & Dietetics 2008, 21: 72-80

Martins C, Truby H, Morgan L. Short-term appetite control in response to a 6-week exercise programme in sedentary volunteers. British Journal of Nutrition 2007 May 29, 1-9

Hiscutt R, Hart K, Truby H. An investigation into the body composition and dietary changes induced by an 8 week low carbohydrate diet in obese women. Int J Body Comp Res 2007; 5(1):41-44

Truby H, Baic S, deLooy A, Fox KR, Macdonald I, Morgan L, Livingstone MBE, Logan C,  Taylor M, Millward DJ. A randomised controlled trial of four commercial weight loss programmes in the UK: initial findings from the BBC Diet Trials. British Medical Journal 332:1309-11, (2006)

Bines JE, Truby H, Armstrong DS, Carzino R, Grimwood K. Vitamin A and E deficiency and lung disease in infants with cystic fibrosis Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health 41: 663-668, (2005)

Bines J, & Truby H. The measurement of resting energy expenditure in infants. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health 40: 380-383, (2004)

Herriot AM, Bishop J, Truby H. Evaluation of Student Training, Education and Practice for Dietetics (STEP- DIET) CD-ROM: a computer assisted instruction programme for dietetic students. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics 17(1):35-41 (2004)

Herriot AM, Bishop J, Kelly M, & Truby H. Evaluation of a computer assisted instruction resource in nursing education. Nurse Education Today 23: 537-543 (2003)

Truby H, The challenge of communicating diet-health messages. Nutrition & Dietetics 60; 4 226 (2003) (invited)

Hart KH, Bishop JA & Truby H. An investigation into school children's knowledge and awareness of food and nutrition. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 15: 129-140 (2002)

Hart KH, Bishop JA, & Truby H Promoting healthy diet and exercise patterns amongst primary school children: a qualitative investigation of parental perspectives.