Dr Claire Robertson

Dr Claire Robertson


Having completed an undergraduate degree in Applied Human Nutrition at Queen Margaret University College in Edinburgh (1997), I joined the Queens University of Belfast to complete a PhD entitled 'the role of carbohydrate and the glycaemic index concept in cardiovascular risk' (2001). This position initiated research experience within the study recognized globally as one of the most in-depth nutritional epidemiology projects ever conducted: the INTERnational collaborative study of MAcro and micronutrients and blood Pressure (INTERMAP).  Acting as site (Belfast centre) and later, country (UK) nutritionist, this has led to international recognition for my work on dietary assessment (most recently, I was an invited speaker at the 12th Asian Congress of Nutrition, Japan: May 2015).

Post-doctorate, I completed 5 years in a permanent research position at Imperial College London (Department of Epidemiology and Public Health), continuing my work with the INTERMAP study, running two separate UK Food Standards Agency funded projects and teaching undergraduate medicine and masters students on the MSc in Modern Epidemiology.  In April 2006, I joined the University of Westminster as a senior lecturer in nutrition and public health. During this time, I have continued collaboration with colleagues at Imperial (both in teaching and research), continuing my work on the INTERMAP study and working with a project team looking at the relationship between vitamin D supplements and growth and development in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort. My research is now focused primarily on how diet and lifestyle factors influence breast cancer recurrence (and survival) in women.


Current research interests:

  • Diet, lifestyle and its impacts on breast cancer survival and recurrence;
  • Assessing intakes: The complexities of nutritional epidemiology; 
  • Diet, Lifestyle and it's interactions on the inflammatory pathogenesis of breast cancer and other non-communicable diseases. 

Research projects:

  • Against Breast Cancer funded DietCompLyf Study.

Membership of professional bodies:

Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (April, 2017 - current)

  • Honorary Secretary of Association for Nutrition (February 2011 - December 2016)
  • Registered Nutritionist, Association for Nutrition (No. 893)
  • Nutrition Society membership (No. 1939792)
  • Diabetes UK life member (No. 130479)

Collaborations:

  • Dr Miriam Dwek, University of Westminster, DietCompLyf Study
  • Professor Paul Elliott & Dr Queenie Chan, INTERMAP Study, Imperial College London
  • Dr Jayne Woodside, Dr Marie Cantwell & Dr Sarah Brennan, The Queens University of Belfast, DietCompLyf Study


  • Health Data Science

Sustainable Development Goals
In brief

Research areas

Nutritional epidemiology, Dietary assessment and Disability