Dr Patricia Heavey is the course co-ordinator and lecturer on the BSc (Hons) Nutrition and Health Science programme in the Department of Sport and Health Science, Athlone Institute of Technology. Patricia completed her undergraduate studies in nutrition at the University of Ulster, where she also obtained her PhD investigating new methodologies for studying the human infant gut. She spent the next four years working as a Research Associate managing several projects investigating the effects of functional foods on human health. In May 2009, Patricia was appointed Manager of the National Nutrition Surveillance Centre, University College Dublin. This involved monitoring trends in health status and advising on these findings for health planners. The role also involved providing information and research expertise, particularly in nutritional epidemiology and surveillance methodology to various governmental and non-governmental bodies. Dr Heavey also managed the WHO Childhood Growth Surveillance Study in Ireland which included the collection of anthropometric and lifestyle data on over 5,000 children in both 2008 and 2010. This interest in obesity and public health continues and Dr Heavey is currently the Chairperson for the Association for Health Promotion Ireland. Throughout her career, Patricia has supervised or mentored both MSc and PhD students and continues to be research active with particular interest in the role of nutrition in obesity, functional foods and public health nutrition.