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  • Dr Kanita Kunaratnam

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Dr Kanita Kunaratnam

Dr Kunaratnam is the Unit Co-ordinator and Lecturer for both Joondalup and Bunbury students for the subjects Human Nutrition (NUT1121), Nutrition in the Life Cycle (NUT2210) and Nutritional Assessment (NUT2220).

Current Teaching

  • NUT1121 Human Nutrition
  • NUT2210 Nutrition in the Life Cycle
  • NUT2220 Nutritional Assessment

Background

Dr Kanita Kunaratnam has been employed as a Lecturer in the School of Medical and Health Sciences for the last year. She  currently coordinates and teaches a range of Public Health Nutrition units in the undergraduate K97, M89 and Y68  programs.  Kanita is a significant member of the teaching staff and is an early career researcher with a promising research track record  and completed her Doctor of Philosophy in 2020.  She brings to the school a wealth of practitioner experience in Public Health, Clinical and Community Dietetics, Health Promotion and Research experience.

Kanita is an accredited practicing dietitian (APD) with Dietitians Australia and has been employed by the School of Medical and Health Science since 2020. Kanita has over 15 years of experience working as a dietitian in many different sectors including hospitals, in-patient and out-patient clinics,  public health and community health settings, private practice and research. Her PhD at the University of Sydney looked into maternal and child factors that are associated with diet and weight status among preschool children.

Professional Associations

  • Member - Dietitians Australia (DA)
  • Accorded Accredited Practicing Dietitian (APD) status with DA
  • Member of Paediatric peer-reviewer Committee (for advanced APDs or APDs who have had extensive experience in Paediatrics)
  • DA mentor to provisional dietitans
  • Member of the Australian New Zealand Academy of Eating Disorders (ANZAED)

Awards and Recognition

  • Athena Swan 2021 - STEM Award Nominee

Research Areas and Interests

Kanita's research interests are predominantly in child and maternal health and nutrition, Nutrition policy, Eating disorders, Weight Stigma, Body Dissatisfaction and Childhood Obesity. She also has an interest in nutrition and research in marginalized communities framed within a social justice lens e.g. Aboriginal Health Research; Culturally and Liguistically Diverse Groups; Migrants etc.

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