About the Cluster for Public Health Nutrition (CPHN)

The Cluster for Public Health Nutrition, formerly known as the NSW Centre for Public Health Nutrition (The Centre, or CPHN) was established in 2000 in collaboration with the Sydney University Nutrition Research Foundation, and the NSW Health Department. The Cluster comprises a team of public health professionals with specialist expertise in nutritional epidemiology, evidence-based intervention planning and applied nutrition research. CPHN is part of the Institute of Obesity, Nutrition and Exercise (IONE) and is one of three groups which are co-located and form the Prevention Research Collaboration (PRC) at the University of Sydney. The two other PRCs are (PANORG) and the Cluster for Physical Activity and Health (CPAH).

CPHN is headed by Professor Ian Caterson, as director of IONE, and A/Prof Tim Gill. Dr Vicki Flood manages the CPHN work program. A small number of other researchers make up the team. The goal of the CPHN is to promote relevant and effective policy, practice, and applied research in the field of public health nutrition, working closely with students and post-doctorate researchers. The CPHN works towards the achievement of this goal through five streams of work comprising food and nutrition monitoring and surveillance, evidence-based planning, applied research, workforce development, and inputs to national food regulatory standards and national nutrition policies and guidelines.

The themes of the Cluster's current projects are:

• Dietary behaviours, chronic disease and the prevention of obesity;
• Infant and young child feeding;
• Food standards, consumer issues, food and nutrition policy; and
• Nutrition and equity