University and hospital join forces to strengthen nutrition care
CQUniversity and Townsville Hospital and Health Service (Townsville HHS) have joined forces to strengthen nutrition and dietetic services across the Townsville region, while creating new opportunities for research, student learning and workforce development.
The new partnership will bring together Townsville HHS Dietetics’ clinical expertise and understanding of local health needs with CQUniversity’s strengths in education, applied research, evaluation and workforce development.
The collaboration aims to support evidence-informed practice, develop a sustainable regional nutrition and dietetics workforce, and drive innovation that can deliver better health outcomes for communities across the Townsville and North Queensland region.
Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics Rachel Bacon said the partnership reflected CQUniversity’s commitment to working alongside regional health services to address local challenges and build a skilled workforce close to home.
“CQUniversity is proud to partner with Townsville HHS on an initiative that brings together clinical expertise, education and research to address the health needs of the North Queensland region,” Prof Bacon said.
“By working collaboratively, we can create meaningful opportunities for students and clinicians, support research that responds to real-world health challenges, and help strengthen the regional workforce.
“Importantly, this partnership is about translating knowledge and research into practical improvements in nutrition care for the communities we serve.”
Townsville HHS Director Nutrition & Dietetics Miriam Chin said the new partnership expanded on an existing relationship with CQU and would provide valuable opportunities to strengthen dietetic services while supporting the professional development of clinicians and the next generation of health professionals.
“By connecting THHS dietitians with CQU academics and students, we are advancing a culture of learning, innovation and excellence that benefits both our workforce and the communities we serve,” Ms Chin said.
“These early connections will encourage graduates to pursue careers in Northern Queensland, improving the local workforce capacity to deliver nutrition and dietetic services to our communities."
Miriam said the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) would also help to deliver CQU’s new Master of Nutrition and Dietetics course – a first-of-its-kind outside of South East Queensland.
"Up until now, students from our region would need to relocate to Southeast Queensland to study dietetics,” Ms Chin said.
“The new CQU course will allow North Queensland students to stay at home while they study, reducing the financial, logistical and social barriers to studying dietetics.”
Prof Bacon said applications were already open for the undergraduate entry pathway with the Masters to go live from July, 2027.
The partnership will also explore collaborative research and evaluation projects across areas including malnutrition, chronic disease, paediatric nutrition, First Nations nutrition, food security, digital health and interprofessional healthcare.
CQUniversity nutrition and dietetics students will also benefit from structured clinical, research and internship placement opportunities, with the potential for students to contribute to service improvement and innovation projects.
The partnership will further support professional development opportunities for Townsville HHS clinicians, including short courses, research training and pathways into higher degrees.
There will also be opportunities for Townsville HHS clinicians to contribute to CQUniversity teaching through guest lectures, case-based learning and curriculum development, alongside reciprocal opportunities for CQUniversity academics to contribute to health service education.
The organisations will also explore the development of a northern Queensland or statewide dietetics network to share best practice, build professional capability, support clinicians working in regional and remote areas, and strengthen collaboration in research and innovation.
CQUniversity Health Partnership Development Manager Warwick Pawsey said the collaboration demonstrated the value of universities and health services working together to tackle regional workforce and health challenges.
“Regional communities deserve access to high-quality, evidence-informed health care, and building strong connections between universities and health services is an important part of achieving that,” Mr Pawsey said.
“This partnership creates a pathway for clinical expertise, education and research to come together — from supporting students and clinicians through to testing new approaches to care and translating research into practice.
“We look forward to seeing the benefits of this collaboration flow through to Townsville’s health workforce and, ultimately, the communities that workforce serves.”
The partnership establishes a framework for continued long-term collaboration between CQUniversity and Townsville HHS, with future initiatives to be developed in response to local health service priorities and opportunities.
