Assoc. Professor Antigone Kouris
Antigone is an Accredited Practising Dietitian with over 30 years experience as a clinician, researcher, author, educator and more recently food product developer. She has a PhD in Nutrition from the Faculty of Medicine at Monash University, Bachelor of Science with Honours in Biochemistry/Microbiology from Melbourne University and Post Graduate Diplomas in Dietetics from Deakin University and Botanic Medicine from Newcastle University.
With over 50 published papers with a combined 1300+ citations and a h-index of 17, Antigone is one of Australia’s most well established dietitians. As an academic she has co-authored 35 chapters to 7 university textbooks, has authored 3 of her own books and contributed to numerous reports for the Australian Government and World Health Organisation.
Whilst training, she worked and was mentored by the esteemed physician, medical nutritionist and scientist Professor Mark Whalqvist MD, FRACP, AO for 20 years, primarily in the department of Medicine at Monash University where she completed her PhD.
Research Areas
Dr. Kouris’ PhD was the first study to show that adherence to a Mediterranean Diet Pattern (MDP) in old age conferred longevity, resulting in a landmark paper in the British Medical Journal in 1995. Her research team at the time was also the first to develop a validated MDP score, enabling many researchers around the world to study the health benefits of the MDP contributing to the huge body of evidence surrounding this diet.
Dr. Kouris also coordinated an international cross-sectional study on 800 elderly from 4 countries called the “Food Habits in Later Life study”, which included Anglo-Celtic and Greek Australians, Aboriginal Australians in Western Australia, Greeks in Spata Greece, Swedes and Japanese. She was also the managing editor of the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition for 4 years.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
- Functional foods (especially with legumes/lupins) and food product development
- Nutraceuticals/herbs/spices in the treatment/ management of health problems.
- Gut health/microbiome, Diabetes, Weight management, Vegetarian nutrition
- Mediterranean diet
- Drug nutrient herb interactions
QUALIFICATIONS
- PhD in Nutrition, Faculty Medicine, Monash Uni 1992
- Post Grad Dip of Dietetics, Deakin University 1986
- Honours Nutrition program, Deakin University 1985
- Bachelor of Science, double major in Biochemistry and Microbiology, Melbourne University 1984
- Dip Botanic Med, Uni Newcastle 2010
MEMBERSHIPS
- Member, Dietitians Association of Australia for over 30 yrs
- Member, Diabetes Australia, Victoria
- Member, Coeliac Society, Victoria
- Referee of scientific papers submitted to medical journals e.g Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics