Rate My Professor Leanne Brown

Professor Leanne Brown serves as Professor and Director of the University of Newcastle Department of Rural Health, part of the College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, based in Tamworth, Australia. She earned her PhD in Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Newcastle in 2009, with a thesis exploring barriers to best practice nutrition and dietetics service models in rural areas. Additional qualifications include a Bachelor of Health Science (Nutrition and Dietetics) from the University of Newcastle, a Graduate Certificate in Paediatric Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Melbourne, and a Graduate Certificate in Sports Nutrition from Deakin University. Prior to her academic career, she worked as a clinical dietitian in metropolitan settings for eight years. Brown joined the Department of Rural Health in 2003 as Lecturer in Nutrition and Dietetics, progressed to Senior Lecturer from 2012 to 2017, served as Acting Director in 2016 and from September 2024, and now holds her current position as Professor and Director.

Her research specializations include rural health workforce issues, rural health service delivery and models of care, interventions for chronic disease, and using knowledge translation and implementation frameworks to translate evidence into practical solutions for rural communities, with expertise in mixed methods and qualitative research. Professor Brown has authored over 90 peer-reviewed journal articles, five book chapters, and 133 conference outputs. Key publications comprise 'Experiences and Perceptions of Rural Dietitians in Australian Primary Care Settings: A Qualitative Research Study Informing the Development of a Rural Telehealth Medical Nutrition Therapy Intervention' (2026, Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics), 'Rural Immersion Placements Help Develop Critical, Community-Focussed Allied Health Students: A Qualitative Study of Student Perspectives' (2026, Australian Journal of Rural Health), 'The impact of telehealth-delivered Medical Nutrition Therapy on diabetes outcomes in rural general practice: A secondary analysis of the Healthy Rural Hearts randomised controlled trial' (2026, Diabetes Obesity and Metabolism), and book chapters such as 'Putting interprofessional education into practice: Is it really as simple as it seems?' (2016). She has received major awards including the Rural Engagement Award from the College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing (2021), UON Faculty of Health and Medicine Special Leadership Excellence Award (2016), Vice Chancellor's Award for Programs that Enhance Learning (2013), Office of Teaching and Learning Citation for Programs that Enhance Learning (2014), and Vice Chancellor's Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning (2008). As a leader in rural health education and research, she serves as Executive Vice Chair of the Australian Rural Health Educators Network Board and on the Board of Editors for the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.