Dr Clare Pettinger

    Overview

    Profile summary

    Clare Pettinger is an award winning Registered Dietitian, Public Health Nutritionist and experienced educator, who is actively engaged in community-focussed research around food systems, poverty and social justice.
     
    She is passionate about public engagement and radical creative approaches to tackle local (and global) health, (in)equality and social well-being challenges.
     
    Currently (from Feb 2021) Principal Investigator (Plymouth workpackage) for 5 year national consortium project led by University of Reading (Chief investigator Professor Carol Wagstaff) 'Co-producion of healthy, sustainable food systems for disadvantaged communities'. £6million funded by UK Research and Innovations (UKRI) Strategic Priorities fund. Leading local research team, liaising nationally and training community food researchers in Plymouth to support inclusive approaches to food system change (see PhD student). This includes additional strands of activity: i) FoodSEqual-Health (Fresh Street fruit & vegetable voucher intervention) £65K and ii) Synergy project (shared lead with Prof Charlotte Hardman) £25K - What does 'co-production' look like for Food System Transformation? Mapping and curating the evidence across the Transforming the UK Food System (TUKFS) programme.
     
    Previously (2015-2018): Led the 'Food as a Lifestyle Motivator' (FLM) project (British Academy funded), exploring creative methods to engage 'marginalized' communities in food activities to enhance their health, well-being and life skills. See publications and link: FLM project See recent documentary film: Food on the margins in Plymouth (produced by Fotonow CIC, funded via Creative Associates award from Sustainable Earth Institute).
     
    Completed research fellowship (2017) to evaluate the initial stages of the Thrive Plymouth (4-4-54) 10 year inequalities programme, which led to winning the CAHPR Public Health Research award. Previously led comprehensive process evaluation of the Cities of Service 'Grow, share, cook' project in Plymouth (2016).
     
    Clare is an enthusiastic 'sustainability advocate' involved in promoting 'collaborative leadership for sustainability' (2022 collaborating with Smita Tripathi Plymouth Business School) and environmentally sustainable diets for nutrition professionals and Allied Health Professionals. She regularly engages with the faculty Sustainability Health & Wellbeing Interest Group (SHWIG), working with staff and alumni to develop more sustainable practices in education and healthcare. She also worked with British Dietetic Association to co-produce One Blue Dot campaign & AHP sustainability advisory group, for which she was nominated for a 'Greener AHP' award (CAHPO) in 2022. She previously won highly commended for a 2017 SSTAR award for sustainability in the curriculum. She delivered the prestigious British Dietetic Association's Elsie Widdowson memorial lecture on 6th September 2022 with the title 'How Dietitians Can Protect the Planet'. Presented evidence (on behalf of BDA) in parliament at APPG Food&Health Forum (6.12.22) on 'Healthy Sustainable Diets'. Won Caroline Walker Trust 'Lecturer of the Year' award (2023) for 'sustainable food'. Won University of Plymouth Vice Chancellor award for 'civic and public engagement' (Dec 2024)

    Professional memberships

    • Health & Care Professions Council - Registered Dietitian
    • Association for Nutrition - Registered Nutritionist (Public Health)
    • Member of British Dietetic Association (BDA) 
    • Public Health Nutrition Network (BDA specialist group)
    • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (from 2008)

    Roles on external bodies

    • Advisor to the the BDA Sustainable Diets specialist group (from 2022)
    • Chief Allied Health Profession (AHP) Officers pre-reg curriculum guidance design for environmental sustainability in curricula (advisory group) 2023
    • Chief Alllied Health Professional (AHP) Officers Sustainability Advisory Group (from June 2020-July 2021)
    • Greener AHP Advisory Group (from October 2021)
    • British Dietetic Association (BDA) steering group for Environmentally Sustainable Diets (2017-2019) One Blue Dot
    • Food Plymouth partnership - Action lead for Health and Wellbeing (food equality/poverty focus)
    • Strategic Lead Plymouth Food Equality Project (2017-2021)
    • Sunflower Recovery Project steering group (2016-2019)
    • Editorial Board for Urban Food Futures (online magazine) (from 2017-2021)
    • Advisory panel for Food Research Collaboration (from March 2018-2020)

    Supervised research degrees

    Supervising PhD Students: Mx Hannah Gardiner - (working title) A 'Community Food Researcher' model: exploring the impact of community based research for food systems transformation . Start date Jan 2022 (linked to FoodSEqual)

    Mrs Sue May (from Jan 2025) Addressing health inequalities - Understanding facilitators of and barriers to accessing and engaging with Musculoskeletal (MSK) Physiotherapy services in under-served rural and
    coastal communities in the Southwest of the UK

    Teaching interests

    Programme Lead for MSc Human Nutrition
    Main teaching responsibilities include Undergraduate (Dietetics) and Postgraduate (Human Nutrition):
    • 'Food choice' /availability/access
    • Public Health Nutrition
    • Environmentally Sustainable Diets
    • Food Systems
    • Inequalities, food (in)security, poverty and social justice
    • Nutritioinal Epidemiology
    • Research skills
    I also deliver Public Health Nutrition for other faculties.

    Fellow of the Higher Education Academy with a keen interest in enhancing student learning experiences using creative pedagogic methods. 

    Won Caroline Walker Trust 'Lecturer of the Year' (sustainable food) 2023

    Nominated for SSTAR award (Feb 2017) for 'sustainability within the curriculum'

    Additional information

    Personal interests:

    Mother of twin boys (Clyde and Jago), born July 2011
    Music and performance: The Singing Dietitian (YouTube); lead vocalist in 9 piece soul/funk band The Cuckoo Collective; 4 female a capella group The Q-dettes; Trustee for Plymouth Music Zone; art and craft; cooking; fund-raising; running, wild swimming...

    Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

    In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

    • SDG 1 - No Poverty
    • SDG 2 - Zero Hunger
    • SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
    • SDG 4 - Quality Education
    • SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
    • SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities
    • SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities
    • SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production
    • SDG 14 - Life Below Water
    • SDG 16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
    • SDG 17 - Partnerships for the Goals

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