Illawarra nutrition expert Professor Linda Tapsell was named as a Member of the Order of Australia in this year's Australia Day celebrations.
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Prof Tapsell received the award for her "significant service to health science as an academic and clinician specialising in diet and nutrition".
After spending the first 14 years of her career in hospital clinics and public health, she moved into research.
The University of Wollongong Professor of Medicine has written more than 200 scientific publications while editing journals and chairing various research committees.
The honorary life member of the Dietitians Association of Australia launched a health study at the University of Wollongong's Smart Centre last May.
The HealthTrack Illawarra Shoalhaven Healthy Lifestyle study enlisted a range of health and nutrition experts to help community members manage their weight in an inventive preventive health program.
She highlighted Illawarra's troubling obesity rates during the program's early stages.
"Over 60 per cent of Australians are now classed as overweight and Illawarra and Shoalhaven residents are, on average, above the state average," she said.
She has long advocated the importance of food in combating preventable diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes.
