Dr Jennie Jackson

Lecturer in Human Nutrition and Dietetics

Subject Lead for Nutrition and Dietetics

I am an HCPC-registered Dietitian and a Registered Public Health Nutritionist, with clinical and research experience in obesity management and in optimising nutrition of older people with dementia. She teaches various aspects of nutrition to students on several undergraduate and Master-level programmes.

After graduating with a BSc (Hons) in plant science from St Andrews University in 1982 I completed a PhD in plant science at the University of Wales in 1986. Several post doctoral research fellowships followed in the field of plant molecular biology (Edinburgh, Glasgow and Saskatchewan, Canada) and I ultimately worked on chromosome walking towards the site of a gene involved in the signal transduction pathway for blue light perception in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Although I enjoyed laboratory work, I was keen to develop a career with more contact with people, and, as I have always had a keen interest in food and nutrition, I trained in dietetics at Glasgow Caledonian University. I worked as a dietitian in Ayrshire in several acute and community posts until 2005.

I started teaching part time at GCU in 2001 and initially combined clinical posts with lecturing. I no longer have a clinical role and focus on my academic post and my role as Subject Lead for Nutrition and Dietetics in the Department of Life Sciences.

Research interests

• Prevention of malnutrition in older people with dementia
• Dietary advice for secondary prevention of stroke
• Patient-centred outcomes in relation to obesity management

I also supervise a PhD student who is working on a project to determine student nurses’ attitudes towards provision of nutritional care of older people.

I teach many aspects of nutrition and dietetics on several programmes including BSc Human Nutrition and Dietetics, PgD Dietetics, MSc Clinical Nutrition and Health, MSc Diabetes Care Management, BSc Human Biology with Sociology and Psychology, BSc Food Bioscience.

I was recently shortlisted for a student-led teaching award for ‘Timely and effective feedback’

I’m the co-ordinator for the final year Honours projects for the BSc Human Nutrition and Dietetics and I’ve been working over the last few years to develop external links with dietitians, nutritionists and other health care workers to devise some very useful and relevant practical research and audit projects. This should help with employability of our students and also enables them to submit an abstract to a national conference.

Recent Publications

• Jackson J, Currie K, Graham C, Robb Y (2011) The effectiveness of interventions to reduce undernutrition and promote eating in older adults with dementia: A systematic review. JBI Library of Systematic Reviews JBL000306 2011;9(37):1509-1550
• Jackson, J and Polding-Clyde (2011) Promoting nutrition with frail older people. In: Evidence informed nursing with older people. Eds: Tolson D, Booth J and Scholfield I. Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford.
• Lawrence M, Kerr S, Watson HE, Jackson JA, Brownlee MG (2009) A survey of stroke nurses’ knowledge of secondary prevention lifestyle issues. Br J Neuroscience Nursing 5 (11): 518-523
• Lawrence M, Kerr S, Watson HE, Jackson JA, Brownlee MG (2009) A summary of the guidance relating to four lifestyle risk factors for recurrent stroke. Br J Neuroscience Nursing 5 (10): 471-6
• Jones, N. Furlanetto, DLC, Jackson, JA and Kinn, S (2007) An investigation of obese adults’ views of the outcomes of dietary treatment. J. Hum. Nutr. Dietet. 20:486-494
• Jackson, J.A., Kinn, S., Dalgarno, P (2005) Patient-centred outcomes in dietary research. J. Hum. Nutr. Dietet 18 : 83-92
• Jackson, J.A. Kinn, S., Dalgarno, P (2003) Patient-centred outcomes in dietary research. Proc. Nut. Soc. 62. Special Issue 1. Pp 1A-10A.

Recent presentations

• Strachan, J and Jackson JA. (2012) Poor completion of nutritional screening documentation in medical wards in a district general hospital. BDA conference: Dietitians new to Research Feb 2012 London
• Jackson JA. (2010) Improving nutrition for people with dementia. NHSQIS Showcase event, Glasgow. 9th Nov 2010
• Drew L and Jackson JA. (2009) Dietitians’ knowledge and use of behaviour change techniques in weight management. BDA Research Symposium London Dec 2009.