Professor Gina Trapp is a Professor of Food and Nutrition Environments within the Nutrition & Health Innovation Research Institute in the School of Medical and Health Sciences at Edith Cowan University, where she leads the Food Environments Team. She is a Stan Perron People Fellow, an Honorary Research Fellow at the Telethon Kids Institute, and a Registered Public Health Nutritionist recognised by the Nutrition Society of Australia. Gina earned her Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Western Australia in 2013 and previously held an ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award Fellowship and an NHMRC Early Career Research Fellowship at the same institution. Bridging nutrition, public health, geography, and urban planning, her research investigates how school, community, consumer, and cultural food environments—including emerging trends like energy drink consumption—influence children's dietary intake, physical activity, and weight status, informing public health and urban planning policies.
Gina leads multiple funded projects from the Australian Research Council, National Health and Medical Research Council, Healthway, and Cancer Council WA. At eight years post-PhD, she has authored over 130 publications, more than half in top 10% journals in their fields, delivered 150+ conference and seminar presentations including 50 invited or keynote addresses, and secured over $19.2 million in research funding. Her contributions have earned 39 research awards and prizes, including the University of Western Australia’s Vice Chancellor’s Award for Early Career Research Excellence, Telethon Kids Institute’s Illuminate Award and Early-Mid Career Research Contribution Award, Australian Health Promotion Association’s Excellence in Health Promotion Practice, and the Western Australian Young Tall Poppy Science Award. Key publications include 'Children's views on outdoor advertising of unhealthy food and beverages near schools' (Appetite, 2025), 'Mapping outdoor alcohol advertising around waterways in an exploration of where and what the advertisements feature' (Health & Place, 2025), and 'Length and Framing of Anti-Junk Food Ads Impact Inclinations to Consume Junk Food Among Normal Weight, Overweight, and Adults With Obesity' (Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 2026). She was a finalist for the 2025 Premier’s Science Awards Mid-Career Scientist of the Year.