Gina Trapp

Area of research expertise: children's physical activity & the built environment, children's active transportation, the influence of the neighbourhood food environment on eating behaviour, childhood obesity & nutrition.

Dr Gina Trapp is a NHMRC Early Career Research Fellow at the Telethon Kids Institute and Centre for the Built Environment and Health, UWA and Adjunct Research Fellow at the School of Population Health, UWA. She has a Bachelor of Health Science with First Class Honours, a PhD in Public Health from The University of Western Australia and is a Registered Public Health Nutritionist recognised by the Nutrition Society of Australia. 

Through her NHMRC Early Career Research Fellowship, Gina is currently leading a program of research to generate policy-relevant evidence on built environments and their impact on dietary intake and overweight/obesity in children and adolescents. Bridging the disciplines of geography, nutrition, public health and urban planning, her unique and innovative research is examining whether the type, density or proximity of retail food outlets around homes and schools influences the types of foods children eat and their body weight. This research will provide vital Australian evidence to support policy interventions aimed at increasing neighbourhood access to healthy foods. 

Gina has over 13 years of research experience in the field of public health and has worked on a wide range of research projects spanning nutrition, physical activity, obesity and built environments. She has been the recipient of 22 research awards and prizes and in recognition of her commitment and outstanding contribution to research, was awarded the 2014 UWA, 'Vice Chancellor's Research Award for Early Career Excellence'. She was also formerly recognised by the Australian Institute of Policy and Science as 'One of Western Australia's most outstanding scientists in the area of scientific research and communication', receiving the 2015, 'WA Young Tall Poppy Science Award'.