Melissa Kilburn is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and Senior Research Fellow with the UQ Poche Centre for Indigenous Health. Melissa has over a decade of clinical dietetic experience and over five years of research collaboration and delivery across the Torres Strait region.
At the UQ Poche Centre, Melissa's research is aimed at improving screening, diagnostic pathways, and prevention strategies for acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease. Her work supports the development of culturally responsive approaches to early detection and care pathways that can help reduce the burden of disease for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Melissa's research portfolio encompasses healthy ageing, nutrition, and chronic disease prevention for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Her PhD examines approaches to improving dietary assessment and supporting healthy ageing in communities across the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Area. Working in partnership with communities, her research centres Indigenous knowledges and priorities through community engagement, co-design, yarning methodology, and collaboration with local stakeholders and co-researchers.
She led the development and validation of the ADAPTTS-QFFQ, a culturally relevant quantitative food frequency questionnaire designed to improve dietary assessment for Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal communities of Far North Queensland. Melissa has also led research exploring community food environments and the co-design of culturally relevant healthy eating and physical activity initiatives.
Melissa is committed to strengths-based, community-led research that translates evidence into practical strategies for improving health outcomes. Her research interests include healthy ageing, remote area nutrition, implementation science, and health service innovation.