After more than 35 years of dietetic research, Associate Professor Anthea Magarey will be retiring from Nutrition and Dietetics, Flinders University. Anthea started her research career in 1980, when it was not a common vocation, and has over 82 publications and 2,364 citations as part of her work, and has helped secure more than $5 million in project funding. Anthea is passionate about obesity prevention in children and applying research to practice. Over the last decade Anthea has managed the Adelaide arm of NOURISH, an NHMRC funded trial in Adelaide and Brisbane, of positive feeding practices in first time mothers. She has also been the chief investigator for the evaluation of the TRIM Kids Project, a Queensland Government initiative via which Queensland University of Technology is delivering the PEACHTM weight management program, developed at Flinders University, to 1400 families in Queensland. Since 1999 Anthea has been a participant in five NHMRC obesity prevention initiatives in partnership with other Universities including the University of Sydney, QUT and Adelaide University and the principal investigator in the management of overweight pre-pubertal children – a randomised controlled trial between 2004-2006.

Anthea has also been involved in several community-wide obesity prevention programs, such as the SA government’s Eat Well Be Active Community Programs which were trialled in Morphett Vale and Murray Bridge SA and more recently she was the nutrition expert on the Flinders University evaluation team of the SA Health funded OPAL (Obesity Prevention and Lifestyle) project implemented in 20 of the 68 SA councils.

Anthea’s expertise and significant track record has been recognised with invitations to participate on various national and international committees and networks such as the Australasian Child and Adolescent Obesity Research Network. In 2011 her contribution to DAA was recognised with Honorary Life Membership, with Anthea being a DAA member since 1977 and a member of the DAA Board for eight years.

Although retiring from work, Anthea will not be retiring completely from her area of interest! Anthea will continue to participate in this area and her many colleagues and PhD students, inspired by her work and her stewardship, will continue her legacy.