Researcher biography

Dr Li Kheng Chai is a Dietitian, Research Fellow at Health and Wellbeing Queensland, and Honorary Fellow at University of Queensland, with a PhD in Nutrition and Dietetics from The University of Newcastle. She is an implementation researcher with experience in public health nutrition, health promotion education, clinical dietetics practices, medical nutrition therapy, behavioural and implementation sciences, health services research, and teaching and supervision. Her current research focuses on health promotion through systems and settings based approaches to improve nutrition and physical activity, and using technology and digital solutions to develop, deliver and evaluate health promotion programs.

Dr Chai has over a decade of experience working across diverse settings - health services, academia, government, local health districts - with ongoing collaboration with research groups across Australia and internationally. She holds an honorary editorial appointment with European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, and has contributed to joint publication outputs with international experts from Australia, United States, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Hong Kong, World Obesity Federation, and World Health Organization.

Dr Chai has been recognised through her many accolades, including the Dietitians Australia Emerging Researcher Award 2016, The University of Newcastle Alumni Excellence Awards 2021 - Beryl Young Researcher Award, Queensland Children's Hospital Precinct Early Career Researcher of the Year 2019, Queensland Health Practitioner Research Grant 2019-2021 (to trial a clinical paediatric nutrition care model) and Best Presentation at the 2020 Australian and New Zealand Obesity Society International Conference.