Personal profile
Biography
Heidi is an advanced accredited practising dietitian and mid-career researcher. She and her team are advancing knowledge of diet-induced microbiome shifts and other mechanisms through which diet influences the brain and the gut. Her research is strengthening contemporary management of (i) common mental disorders, such as depression, and (ii) disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI), such as irritable bowel syndrome.
Her research has had international impact, including the discoveries that the low FODMAP diet shifts the gut microbiome in irritable bowel syndrome and that probiotic co-administration can mitigate these effects. Heidi has held prestigious research fellowships, including a NIHR Clinical Doctoral Research Fellowship, and her current National Health and Medical Research Council fellowship. She was a highly commended finalist for the Griffith University Research Australia Discovery Award in 2021. She serves on the Rome V DGBI Treatment Trials committee (2021-current), Dietitians Australia Gastroenterology Leadership team (2021-current) and Gastroenterological Society of Australia Luminal Committee (2023-current).
Education/Academic qualification
PhD
Masters of Nutrition & Dietetics
B App Sci (Humn Movt, Hons)
External positions
Senior Research Fellow, Food & Mood Centre, IMPACT Institute, Deakin University
Adjunct lecturer, University of Queensland
Research area keywords
- diet intervention
- clinical trials
- microbiome
- carbohydrate
- fibre
- gut disorders
- irritable bowel syndrome
- mental health
- depression
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):
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being -
SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Projects
- 4 Active
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Food, mood and microbes: Improving mental health through diet
Staudacher, H. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI))
1/01/25 → 31/12/27
Project: Research
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ANTF Travel Award
Staudacher, H. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI))
Nutrition Society of Australia
1/01/25 → 31/12/25
Project: Research
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The Adhere Study: evaluating an accessible dietary fibre intervention to improve survival outcomes in people with breast cancer
Cross, C. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Salter, A. B. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Wardill, H. R. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Staudacher, H. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Bareham, M. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Joshi, R. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Fosh, B. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Bowen, J. M. (Chief Investigator (CI))
1/04/24 → 1/04/26
Project: Research
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CoDeEndo: Co-Designing, Evaluating, and Implementing Supportive Care for Endometriosis
Mikocka-Walus, A. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Evans, S. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Abbott, J. A. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Livingston, P. M. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Orellana, L. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Jacka, F. N. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Armour, M. (Chief Investigator (CI)), McCaffrey, N. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Skvarc, D. R. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Hutchinson, A. M. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Hooper, K. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Staudacher, H. (Chief Investigator (CI)), O, E. S. C. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Tsaltas, J. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Druitt, M. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Tyson, K. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Van Niekerk, L. M. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Ng, C. H. M. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Ciccia, D. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Michelmore, J. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Aras, D. (Associate Investigator (AI)) & Varney, J. (Associate Investigator (AI))
1/02/23 → 31/01/28
Project: Research
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Adherence to a Mediterranean Diet Predicts Gastrointestinal and Anxiety Symptom Response in Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Staudacher, H. M., So, D., Hockey, M., Mahoney, S., Shanahan, E. & Loughman, A., 2026, (Accepted/In press) In: Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 3 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Letter › Other › peer-review
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A Double-Blind Randomised Controlled Trial of Prebiotic Supplementation in Children with Autism: Effects on Parental Quality of Life, Child Behaviour, Gastrointestinal Symptoms, and the Microbiome
Palmer, J. K., van der Pols, J. C., Sullivan, K. A., Staudacher, H. M. & Byrne, R., Mar 2025, In: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 55, 3, p. 775–788 14 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access15 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus) -
Co-designing, evaluating and implementing online supportive care for endometriosis in Australia: study protocol for the hybrid type 1 effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and implementation randomised controlled trial of the CodeEndo program
Mikocka-Walus, A., Naude, C., Coitinho Biurra, Y., Blake, L., Bowring, J., De Araugo, S., Bassili, A., Bennetts, S. K., Hutchinson, A. M., Ng, C. H. M., Prasertsung, C., Skvarc, D., Aras, D., Ciccia, D., Eric, O., Jacka, F., Staudacher, H. M., Varney, J., Abbott, J. & Harris, J. & 21 others, , Sept 2025, In: BMJ Open. 15, 9, 12 p., e097872.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Other › peer-review
Open Access -
Cultural competence in the delivery of nutrition and symptom care in irritable bowel syndrome
Shah, N. D. & Staudacher, H. M., Dec 2025, In: The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology. 10, 12, p. 1057-1059 3 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment / Debate › Other › peer-review
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FODMAPs and functional dyspepsia: emerging evidence but unanswered questions
Black, C. & Staudacher, H., 2025, (Accepted/In press) In: Gut. 2 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment / Debate › Other › peer-review