Dr Anna Gryka-MacPhail is a Lecturer in Public Health Nutrition, within the DNBS Division at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh. Anna is also a Full Member of the .
- Overview
- Research Interests
- Research Publications
- Funded Projects
- Teaching and Learning
- Activities and Awards
Dr Anna Gryka-MacPhail is a Registered Nutritionist (RNutr) and Lecturer in Public Health Nutrition at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh. Her teaching and research interests span public health nutrition, epidemiology, food environments, health inequalities, nutrition across the life course, and sports and performance nutrition.
Anna's career spans academia, the NHS, public health policy, and the third sector. She completed a PhD at Robert Gordon University investigating dietary interventions for obesity and type 2 diabetes, followed by postdoctoral research exploring longevity of vitamin D supplementation effetcs. She subsequently worked within NHS Grampian Research and Development, delivering training in Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and research governance for health professionals and researchers.
Prior to joining 精东传媒, Anna spent over five years at Obesity Action Scotland, where she led evidence reviews, policy development, stakeholder engagement and public affairs activities to support action on obesity, healthier food environments and public health improvement. This work strengthened her interest in translating research evidence into policy and practice.
At 精东传媒, Anna teaches across undergraduate and postgraduate nutrition and dietetics programmes and supervises student research projects. She also serves as Admissions Tutor for Nutrition. She is currently undertaking a funded curriculum enhancement project supported through the Data Skills Gateway initiative, focused on strengthening data literacy, analytical skills and the responsible use of artificial intelligence among nutrition and dietetic students.
Her current research interests focus on food environments, health inequalities, dietary behaviours, public health surveillance, young adult health and wellbeing, and nutrition education, and she is developing a collaborative programme of research in these areas.
Anna's research focuses on understanding how dietary behaviours, food environments and wider social determinants influence health and wellbeing across the life course. Her work combines public health nutrition, epidemiology and applied research to support evidence-informed practice, policy development and health improvement.
She has experience conducting and supporting clinical trials, observational studies, surveys, evidence reviews and policy-focused research. Her current research interests include food environments, health inequalities, obesity prevention and management, nutrition behaviours among young adults, and nutrition education. She is also interested in developing students' data analysis skills and exploring the appropriate use of artificial intelligence within higher education and nutrition training.
Anna's active research interests include:
- Public health nutrition
- Food environments
- Health inequalities
- Obesity prevention and management
- Dietary behaviours
- Public health surveillance
- Young adult health and wellbeing
- Nutrition education
- Artificial intelligence and data literacy in higher education
Secured funding through Scotland's Data Skills Gateway initiative to support curriculum development aimed at strengthening data literacy, analytical capability and responsible use of artificial intelligence within nutrition and dietetics education (2026).
Anna teaches across undergraduate and postgraduate nutrition programmes in areas including public health nutrition, epidemiology, research methods, evidence-based practice, nutrition across the life course, and sports and performance nutrition.
Anna has a particular interest in developing students' data analysis, critical appraisal and evidence-based decision-making skills. She recently secured funding through Scotland's Data Skills Gateway initiative to support curriculum development aimed at strengthening data literacy, analytical capability and responsible use of artificial intelligence within nutrition and dietetics education.
Anna supervises undergraduate and postgraduate research projects and is committed to creating engaging, inclusive and practice-oriented learning experiences. She is also interested in the responsible integration of artificial intelligence into nutrition education and in supporting students to develop the digital and analytical skills required within contemporary nutrition and public health professions.
Professional Recognition
- Registered Nutritionist (RNutr) (Nutrition Science, Public Health), Association for Nutrition
- Full Member, Nutrition Society
- Associate Fellow of Advance HE (AFHEA)
Recent Activities
路 Secured funding through Scotland's Data Skills Gateway initiative to enhance data literacy, analytical skills and responsible use of artificial intelligence within nutrition and dietetics education (2026).
路 Abstract accepted for presentation at the Nutrition Society Congress (2026)
Developing a collaborative research programme focused on food environments, diet, wellbeing and health inequalities among young adults in Scotland.
