Dr Priya Iyer
Sydney Nursing School
Faculty of Medicine and Health
Dr Priya Iyer is a dedicated accredited practising dietitian and passionate researcher with a profound commitment to advancing nutritional care in spinal cord injury (SCI). With extensive clinical experience spanning over two decades, predominantly as a clinical lead within a leading spinal and traumatic brain injury rehabilitation facility in NSW for most of that time, Priya continues to actively pursue research in SCI nutrition. Priya’s vision is to radically transform nutrition care and improve health outcomes for persons with SCI.
Priya has a range of research interests, including:
- All things nutrition and SCI
- Food systems and dining models within health facilities, particularly spinal rehabilitation settings
- Synergistic effects of advanced technology and diet quality in SCI
- Diet and neurogenic bowel in SCI
- Co-designing with consumers to direct care and improve outcomes
- Clinical (hospital/healthcare) food services
- Nutrition and traumatic brain injury
- Rehabilitation model of care
- Health promotion within hospital facilities, particularly spinal rehabilitation settings
- Digital solutions to advance nutrition care and food services in hospital settings
- Interprofessional practice
- Translational research
Food Service Management
Nutritional Food Science
Clinical nutrition and dietetics
Nutrition in complex neurological conditions
Masters (MND) research projects
- Scoping Review of Foodservice Systems and Dining Models in Inpatient Spinal Facilities (lead investigator and primary supervisor)
- A multinational survey of foodservice systems and dining models in spinal facilities (lead investigator and primary supervisor)
- Drivers of dietary behaviours of young South Asian adults in Australia – a qualitative study (lead investigator and primary supervisor)
- Listening to quiet patients’ voices: Exploring patient hospital meal experience via proxy staff feedback and experiential knowledge. (qualitative study, co-supervisor in collaboration with SLHD)
- Nutrition outcomes in SCI research (lead investigator and supervisor with international collaborators)
- Co-designing assessments with tertiary students (co-supervisor)
- Sustainable practices of patient meals in hospitals (co-supervisor)
Other research projects
- Nutrition datasets in SCI (lead investigator collaborating with international researchers)
- Nutrition care and practices in SCI (lead investigator, collaborating with spinal dietitians in Queensland & Victoria)
Dietitians Australia
International Spinal Cord Society (ISCoS)
Australia and New Zealand Spinal Cord Society (ANZSCoS)
Spinal Cord Research Hub (SCoRH)
Australian Nutrition Educators’ Community of Practice
Universities (those offering accredited dietetics program within NSW and Canberra) and Meals on Wheels working party
Nutrition Special Interest Group (International)
ANZ Spinal dietitians Network
Pressure injury prevention subcommittee (International)
Australian Academy of Science
Awarded Gold Medal and First Rank for Master of Science in Food Sc & Nutr, India (1996)
Spinal Research Institute's SCI Research Writing Prize (2021)
(Spinal rehabilitation hospital) Mentoring a nursing professional on research in nutrition education intervention | |
(Nordic spinal dietetics network Nutri_NORD) Collaborating on developing education resource for health professionals - diet and neurogenic bowel | |
(City, University of London) Nutrition datasets in SCI - research project | |
(Health facility and ISCoS) Research collaboration in developing nutrition datasets in SCI | |
(Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois) Nutrition Datasets in SCI and nutrition outcomes in SCI - research collaboration | |
(University of Miami, Florida) Nutrition datasets in SCI and nutrition outcomes in SCI - Research collaboration |
Publications
Journals
- Rigoli, A., Francis, L., Nicholson, M., Weber, G., Redhead, J., Iyer, P. (2024). A systematic review of the effects of robotic exoskeleton training on energy expenditure and body composition in adults with spinal cord injury. International Journal of Rehabilitation Research, 47(2), 64-74. [More Information]
- Thompson, E., Nicholson, M., Rowe, S., Iyer, P. (2022). Exploring nutrition screening practices in patients with traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury in specialist rehabilitation: A qualitative study. Journal of the Australasian Rehabilitation Nurses Association (JARNA), 24(1), 20-28. [More Information]
- Iyer, P., Beck, E., Walton, K. (2021). A systematic review of the effect of dietary interventions on cardiovascular disease risk in adults with spinal cord injury. Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine, 44(2), 184-203. [More Information]
Conferences
- Iyer, P., et al (2024). Eating Well to Manage Neurogenic Bowel: Unpacking the Dietary Elements. 18th Nordic Spinal Cord Society Conference (NoSCoS), Helsinki, Finland.
- Iyer, P. (2023). Nutrition in spinal cord injury. Amara Seva Sangam Education Forum, Tenkasi, India.
- Rigoli, A., Francis, L., Nicholson, M., Weber, G., Redhead, J., Iyer, P. (2022). The impact of robotic exoskeleton training on energy expenditure and body composition in adults with spinal cord injury – a systematic review. 61st International Spinal Cord Society Conference, Vancouver, Canada.
Report
- Iyer, P., et al (2023). Package of interventions for rehabilitation - Module 3 Neurological conditions - World Health Organization.
- Iyer, P., et al (2019). Nutrition for Adults with Spinal Cord Injury - (NSW Government).
- Iyer, P., et al (2017). Pressure injury toolkit - Agency for Clinical Innovation (NSW Government).
2024
- Rigoli, A., Francis, L., Nicholson, M., Weber, G., Redhead, J., Iyer, P. (2024). A systematic review of the effects of robotic exoskeleton training on energy expenditure and body composition in adults with spinal cord injury. International Journal of Rehabilitation Research, 47(2), 64-74. [More Information]
- Iyer, P., et al (2024). Eating Well to Manage Neurogenic Bowel: Unpacking the Dietary Elements. 18th Nordic Spinal Cord Society Conference (NoSCoS), Helsinki, Finland.
2023
- Iyer, P. (2023). Nutrition in spinal cord injury. Amara Seva Sangam Education Forum, Tenkasi, India.
- Iyer, P., et al (2023). Package of interventions for rehabilitation - Module 3 Neurological conditions - World Health Organization.
2022
- Thompson, E., Nicholson, M., Rowe, S., Iyer, P. (2022). Exploring nutrition screening practices in patients with traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury in specialist rehabilitation: A qualitative study. Journal of the Australasian Rehabilitation Nurses Association (JARNA), 24(1), 20-28. [More Information]
- Rigoli, A., Francis, L., Nicholson, M., Weber, G., Redhead, J., Iyer, P. (2022). The impact of robotic exoskeleton training on energy expenditure and body composition in adults with spinal cord injury – a systematic review. 61st International Spinal Cord Society Conference, Vancouver, Canada.
2021
- Iyer, P., Beck, E., Walton, K. (2021). A retrospective audit of cardiovascular disease screening practices in spinal cord injury rehabilitation. 27th Australia and New Zealand Spinal Cord Society (ANZSCoS) Conference, Sydney, Australia.
- Iyer, P., Beck, E., Walton, K. (2021). A systematic review of the effect of dietary interventions on cardiovascular disease risk in adults with spinal cord injury. Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine, 44(2), 184-203. [More Information]
- Iyer, P., Walton, K., Weber, G., Beck, E. (2021). Cardiovascular disease and risk factors in adults with spinal cord injury – an audit of rehabilitation admissions. 60th International Spinal Cord Society (ISCoS) Conference, Vancouver, Canada.
2020
- Iyer, P., Beck, E., Walton, K. (2020). Exploring nutrition knowledge and dietary intake of adults with spinal cord injury in specialist rehabilitation. Spinal Cord, 58(8), 930-938. [More Information]
2019
- Iyer, P., et al (2019). Nutrition for Adults with Spinal Cord Injury - (NSW Government).
2018
- Iyer, P., Beck, E., Walton, K. (2018). Exploring Food and Nutrition Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviours of Spinal Inpatients in Specialist Rehabilitation. 10th World Congress of Neurorehabilitation, Mumbai, India.
- Iyer, P., Beck, E., Walton, K. (2018). Exploring Food and Nutrition Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviours of Spinal Inpatients in Specialist Rehabilitation. 35th National Conference of the Dietitians Association of Australia, Sydney, Australia.
- Iyer, P., Beck, E., Walton, K. (2018). Nutrition Practices of Patients with Spinal Cord Injury in Specialist Rehabilitation. 57th International Spinal Cord Society (ISCoS) Conference, Sydney, Australia.
2017
- Iyer, P., et al (2017). Pressure injury toolkit - Agency for Clinical Innovation (NSW Government).
- Iyer, P., et al (2017). Spinal Cord Injury Pain - Pain Management Network (NSW Government).
2014
- Iyer, P., et al (2014). Model of Care for Prevention and Integrated Management of Pressure Injuries in People with Spinal Cord Injury and Spina Bifida (NSW Government).
- Iyer, P., et al (2014). Nutrition Fact Sheet - Healthy Eating for Adults with Spinal Cord Injury (NSW Government).
Collaboration Group Publications
- Truby, H.,Allman-Farinelli, M.,Beck, E J.,Beckett, E L., Bondonno, C.,Dordevic, A L.,Livingstone, K M.,Willcox, J.,Wilkinson, S A., National Committee for Nutrition and its working groups (2024). Advancing the decadal plan for the science of nutrition: Progressing a framework for implementation. Nutrition and Dietetics, 81(2), 133-148. [More Information]