Rate My Professor Bronwyn Berthon

Dr Bronwyn Berthon is a Lecturer in the School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy within the Faculty of Health and Medicine at the University of Newcastle. She holds a Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics (Honours Class I with Medal) obtained in 2010 and a PhD in Medical Biochemistry completed in 2014, both from the University of Newcastle. As an early career researcher with 7.5 years of postdoctoral research teaching output, Berthon serves as Clinical Trial Coordinator at the University of Newcastle and Research Program Manager of the Immune Health Program at the Hunter Medical Research Institute, where she is Deputy Leader of the Nutrition and Metabolism research theme. Her career encompasses clinical trial design, ethics applications, recruitment, data collection, statistical analysis, publication, infrastructure management, grant submissions, and co-supervision of postgraduate higher degree research students, resulting in six PhD completions and two current supervisions. Berthon is a member of the Nutrition Society of Australia Newcastle Regional Branch committee and the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand.

The foundation of Berthon's research program lies in nutrition-focused clinical trials that explore the metabolic, immunological, and biochemical relationships between dietary intake, obesity, inflammation, and respiratory diseases, with a particular emphasis on asthma. Her expertise spans clinical trial execution, dietary intake and nutritional biomarker assessment, and clinical evaluation of airways disease, complemented by collaborations with discovery scientists on mechanistic pathways in asthma and obesity. Notable publications include 'Oral lactoferrin reduces systemic inflammation, enhances anti-viral responses and modulates immune cell profiles: an RCT in healthy, older adults' (British Journal of Nutrition, 2026), 'Pilot investigation of an oligosaccharide blend in adults with asthma – a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, 4-arm crossover trial' (Respiratory Medicine, 2025), and 'Weight Loss and Short-Chain Fatty Acids Reduce Systemic Inflammation in Monocytes and Adipose Tissue Macrophages from Obese Subjects' (Nutrients, 2022). She has led discoveries such as soluble fibre as an anti-inflammatory treatment for asthma and fruit and vegetable intake reducing asthma risk. Berthon has secured 21 grants totaling $3,800,129, including NHMRC funding for immunometabolic mechanisms in asthma-COPD overlap. Awards include Best Oral Presentation in Asthma and Allergy at the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand Annual Scientific Meeting (2021), Ann Woolcock Young Investigator Award finalist (2013), Asthma Foundation of New South Wales Khancoban International Travel Award (2012), and Vice-Chancellor's Award for Outstanding Research Candidates (2010). Her vision is to develop dietary guidelines for individuals with respiratory conditions through novel clinical trials.