Dr Therese O'Sullivan

If anyone can confirm the timeless claim that ‘breakfast is the most important meal of the day’, it’s Dr Therese O’Sullivan.

As a Senior Research Officer for the Raine Study Nutrition Group within the Population Sciences Division, Therese investigates the associations between dietary factors and mental and metabolic health in adolescents participating in the Raine Study.

In 2008, Therese was a recipient of the Dr Louisa Alessandri Memorial Fund Award for Scientific Publication for her research paper ‘A good-quality breakfast is associated with better mental health in adolescence’ published in the journal Public Health Nutrition.
Her findings support the concept that breakfast quality is an important component in the complex interaction between lifestyle factors and mental health in early adolescence.

Therese presented her research at the Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA) national conference, announcing that based on her research, a high quality breakfast, with foods from at least three different healthy food groups, was linked with better mental health in 14 year old boys and girls. And she found that for every additional food group eaten at breakfast, the associated mental health score improved.

Therese’s work at the Institute also involves the examination of nutrition and dietary patterns in the Raine Study over the years, including the omega-3 index in adolescents and associations with cardiovascular risk factors.

Most people would agree that being paid to think about food all day sounds like a dream job. For Therese, her dedication to nutrition research is an absorbing task - one that she hopes will provide insight to improve long-term health outcomes for generations to come.
“I have a strong interest and curiosity to discover how what we eat can influence our health in the long term,” Therese says.

Therese completed a double undergraduate degree in nutrition and dietetics/exercise physiology at the Queensland University of Technology.

Proving she is not just academically bright but also business savvy, while completing her studies Therese was selected in the Australian delegation for the APEC Young Leaders and Entrepreneurs Forum on Business Development in Mexico, where she presented a white paper on development assistance training. Following that, Therese was involved in the 2002 Shell Livewire program, after she had an idea for a business focussed on a personalised health service. Her business plan was regarded highly enough to win her a place in the Queensland state finals, and Therese subsequently started a successful dietetic practice.

Therese completed her PhD research in the area of nutrition and diabetes prevention, in conjunction with Queensland University of Technology and the Royal Women’s Hospital in Brisbane, before moving to Perth to work at the Telethon Institute in mid-2007.

“My research project investigated the type and amount of carbohydrate with diabetes risk in older women. A highlight for me was being named the DAA Emerging Researcher for 2009 for that work,” Therese explains.

Aiming to gain further experience in student supervision and teaching, in 2010 Therese will be teaching a nutrition unit at Edith Cowan University. She is also supervising an Honours student, Susan Woolley, on a project looking at fructose intake (a type of carbohydrate) in the Raine Study.

In such a broad field as nutrition, Therese finds sometimes results can be too much of a good thing.

“The most difficult thing I find about research is trying to stay on track – there are often very interesting diversions to be found when looking at data!” she says.

An Accredited Practicing Dietitian, Therese loves cooking and experimenting in the kitchen.
“Food is something to be enjoyed but there needs to be a healthy balance and variety. I like to change recipes to make healthier dishes and baked goods, and also enjoy trying different foods and cuisines. I am always inventing healthy cakes and muffins - which may or may not work out well!”

Therese balances her love of food with keeping active and enjoying the great lifestyle Perth has to offer, including playing touch footy and basketball and going to the beach.

Therese hopes her success to date is just the beginning of a rewarding research career.

“My long term goal is to build a successful track record and gain my own funding for further nutrition research,” she says.