Section: Overview
Overview
Key publications
Research funding
Supervising & teaching
Career

Key details

Areas of expertise

  • Nutrition and Dietetics
  • Paediatric Nutrition
  • Malnutrition identification and management
  • Nutrition education of healthcare professionals
  • Nutrition support in critical care and trauma

Available to supervise research students

Not available for media queries

About Helen Mccarthy

Dr Helen McCarthy is an experienced clinical paediatric dietitian, having worked in this field for many years. She specialises in paediatric and neonatal nutrition support across a number of specialities. She also has expertise in adult nutrition support.

Helen has experience teaching in a number of undergraduate and postgraduate programs in Dietetics, Human Nutrition, Sports and Exercise Nutrition, and other health-related courses. In addition, she has provided professional education in nutrition across a wide range of disciplines. Helen has been an external examiner for pre-registration dietetic programs in the UK and Europe, and the Masters in Paediatric Dietetics, Plymouth University.

Helen is a founding steering committee member of the Need for Nutrition Education Programme, Australia and New Zealand Network, a past Chair of the BDA Education Board, and a member of the BDA Council.

Helen’s research interests include the identification and management of malnutrition in children, adults and elderly. She was the lead investigator in the development and validation of the Screening Tool for the Assessment of Malnutrition in Paediatrics (STAMP). She has an interest in effective education strategies in nutrition.

Helen has been a reviewer for a number of journals and guest editor. She has also had numerous media appearances in the UK and Ireland discussing aspects of childhood nutrition.

Qualifications

  • PhD, Ulster University, UK, 2008
  • PgC HEP, Ulster University, UK, 2009
  • BSc (Hons), Ulster University, UK, 1991

Key publications

Year Citation
2020 Mccarthy, H., & Lowden, J. (200624). Burns In Shaw, V. (Ed.) (5th) (pp. 456-463). UK: John Wiley & Sons.
2020 Mccarthy, H., & Shaw, V. (200624). Principles of Paediatric Dietetics: Nutritional Assessment, Dietary Requirements and Feed Supplementation In Shaw, V. (Ed.) (5th) (pp. 1-17). uk: John Wiley & Sons.

Year Citation
2024 Nayyar, D., Said, J. M., McCarthy, H., Hryciw, D. H., O Keefe, L., & McAinch, A. J. (240901). Effect of a High Linoleic Acid Diet on Pregnant Women and Their Offspring. Nutrients, 16(17),

doi: 10.3390/nu16173019

2024 Akehurst, E., McCarthy, H., Scott, D., Rodriguez, J. P., Gonzalez, C. A., Murphy, J., Dorgo, S., Rybalka, E., & Hayes, A. (240601). Associations of EAT-Lancet diet food groups with sarcopenia components, self-reported sarcopenia risk and health-related quality of life in older Australians performing exercise training, following their normal diet: Six-month pretest-posttest study. Advanced Exercise and Health Science, 1(2), (138-147).

doi: 10.1016/j.aehs.2024.05.001

2023 Vingrys, K., McCarthy, H., Segurado, R., Hebert, J. R., & Phillips, C. M. (230501). Socio-ecological predictors of dietary inflammatory scores and associations with childhood and adolescent adiposity: A protocol for a rapid scoping review of observational studies. PLoS ONE, 18(5 MAY),

doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286200

2023 Beck, E. J., Ball, L., Lepre, B. M., McLean, R., Wall, C., Adamski, M., McCarthy, H., & Crowley, J. (230220). Now is the time to act on nutrition in medical education. Medical Journal of Australia, 218(3), (100-102).

doi: 10.5694/mja2.51829

2023 Tacey, A., Behne, J., Patten, R. K., Ngo, M. T., Thomas, R., Ancilleri, J., Bone, C., Castro, A. P., McCarthy, H., & Harkin, K. (230101). Development of a Digital Health Intervention to Support Patients on a Waitlist for Orthopedic Specialist Care: Co-Design Study. JMIR Formative Research, 7(1),

doi: 10.2196/41974

2021 Akehurst, E., Scott, D., Rodriguez, J. P., Gonzalez, C. A., Murphy, J., McCarthy, H., Dorgo, S., & Hayes, A. (211201). Associations of sarcopenia components with physical activity and nutrition in Australian older adults performing exercise training. BMC Geriatrics, 21(1),

doi: 10.1186/s12877-021-02212-y

2019 Douglas, P. L., McCarthy, H., McCotter, L. E., Gallen, S., McClean, S., Gallagher, A. M., & Ray, S. (190305). Nutrition Education and Community Pharmacy: A First Exploration of Current Attitudes and Practices in Northern Ireland. PHARMACY, 7(1),

doi: 10.3390/pharmacy7010027

2015 Carey, A., McCarthy, H., Gill, J., Thompson, A., & McNulty, H. (151001). Novel segmental proxy measures for estimating weight and height in healthy school children aged 11-18 years.. Clinical nutrition ESPEN, 10(5),

doi: 10.1016/j.clnesp.2015.03.078

Research funding for the past 5 years

Funding details for this researcher are currently unavailable.

Supervision of research students at VU

Available to supervise research students

Not available for media queries

Currently supervised research students at VU

No. of students Study level Role
1 PhD Integrated Associate supervisor
1 Master of Research Principal supervisor
1 PhD Associate supervisor

Currently supervised research students at VU

Students & level Role
PhD Integrated (1) Associate supervisor
Master of Research (1) Principal supervisor
PhD (1) Associate supervisor

Other supervision of research students

UK research supervision: Honours – approximately 40 students, Ulster University, principle supervisor | Masters – approximately 15 students, Ulster University, principle supervisor | PhD – 1 student to completion as principle supervisor; co-supervisor for 2 students; examiner of 2 PhD students.

Key academic roles

Dates Role Department / Organisation
Oct 2019 - Present
Course Chair, Bachelor of Nutritional Science / Master of Dietetics
Victoria University
Jan 2016 - Dec 2020
Course Chair, Bachelor of Human Nutrition
Victoria University
Jan 2017 - Dec 2020
Course Advisory Group (College of Health and Biomedicine)
Victoria University
Dates Role & Department/Organisation
Oct 2019 -
Present
Course Chair, Bachelor of Nutritional Science / Master of Dietetics
Victoria University
Jan 2016 -
Dec 2020
Course Chair, Bachelor of Human Nutrition
Victoria University
Jan 2017 -
Dec 2020
Course Advisory Group (College of Health and Biomedicine)
Victoria University

Keynote and invited speeches

Year Title/Description
2020

Commissioned Training Program for Dietetics 2020/21 - Paediatric Dietetics

Commissioned by the Hong Kong Health Authority and organised by Dietetics COC and Institute of Advanced Allied Health Studies Hong Kong. Delivered 5 hours of remote education sessions on key topics in paediatric dietetic practice: Nutrition assessment and requirements; Principles of preventing and managing malnutrition in children Nutrition for the preterm infant Nutrition and assessment in neurodisability Nutrition and assessment in burns and scalds

2020

Identifying Paediatric Malnutrition: A practical approach to screening tools

Webinar hosted by Abbott Nutrition Health Institute (ANHI) a non-promotional education platform. Target audience medical, nursing, dietetic and allied health professionals working in paediatrics.

2019

Nutrition in the surgical neonate

Invited speaker at Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition Society of Asia (PENSA), Hong Kong

2019

Malnutrition Screening and Assessment in Children

Invited speaker at Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition Society of Asia (PENSA), Hong Kong

2019

Sarcopenia in Youth

Invited speaker at Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition Society of Asia (PENSA), Hong Kong

2016

Malnutrition, Everyone's business

Invited keynote, Western Health Research Week, Melbourne

Show more invited keynote speeches

Professional memberships

  • Registered Dietitian, Health and Care Professions Council
  • Accredited Practicing Dietitian, Dietitians Australia
  • Founding Steering Committee member, NNEdPro ANZ