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Help us achieve our mission to bridge the gap between food and mood research and real-world practice.
Find out howABOUT THE FOOD & MOOD ACADEMY
Led by Dr Tetyana Rocks, the Food & Mood Academy is the translational arm of the Food & Mood Centre. We design and deliver evidence-driven education, training and resources aimed at upskilling health professionals, healthcare consumers, and organisations, to apply the transformative field of Nutritional Psychiatry in their everyday professional and personal lives.
OUR VISION AND MISSION
The Food & Mood Academy envision a world where everyone has the knowledge and skills to support their mental health and wellbeing through food.
We are on a mission to bridge the gap between food-mood research and real-world practice, empowering individuals and professionals alike with expert-led education and training.
Meet the Academy Team
Dr Tetyana Rocks is an Accredited Practising Dietitian, Senior Research Fellow and director of the Food and Mood Academy. Tetyana’s work focusses on translating food and mood evidence into practical and accessible education and training. Tetyana’s work enables implementation of the latest research in Nutritional Psychiatry into transdiagnostic clinical practice and supports globally connected education, directly addressing the current gap between evidence and practice. Tetyana is regularly invited to speak at academic, professional, and community events in Australia and overseas.
Felice Jacka OAM is Deakin Distinguished Professor of Nutritional Psychiatry, founder and director of the Food & Mood Centre at Deakin University, and founder and immediate-past president of the International Society for Nutritional Psychiatry Research. Professor Jacka has been responsible for the development of the highly innovative and impactful field of ‘Nutritional Psychiatry’, establishing diet as a risk factor and treatment target for mental disorders. She is an ISI Highly Cited Researcher (2020-2024 inclusive) and was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2021. She has written two booked for commercial publication, including the popular children’s book “There’s a Zoo in my Poo”. Professor Jacka is regularly invited to speak at academic, professional, and community events worldwide, and has made many media appearances.
Phelia Harrison is a nutrition researcher and professional chef at the Food & Mood Academy. Phelia holds a Bachelor of Nutrition Science (Hons) from Deakin University. She has a particular interest in plant-based foods and consumer behaviour. Her work includes social media and marketing, and supporting the development of food and mood related training and education material. Phelia began her work with the Food & Mood Academy in 2023 and supports research within the broader Food & Mood Centre.
Megan Pilon is a registered psychologist and Associate Research Fellow at the Food and Mood Academy. Megan support development and delivery of food and mood related training. She also works clinically as a psychologist practice supporting individuals and groups to improve mental health outcomes through cognitive, behavioural and lifestyle change.
Jodie Cram is a project officer at the Food & Mood Academy. Jodie has worked in the professional space at Deakin University in various roles for the last 6 years all within the School of Medicine. She has been with the Food & Mood Centre since early 2019, supporting administrative aspects of various projects. Prior to that Jodie worked in various fields with a focus on business development and customer centric roles. Her professional life began as a Registered Nurse, and she worked for 10 years at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
FOOD & MOOD ACADEMY HIGHLIGHTS
Read about some of our work from 2024