Dr Reena Vijayakumaran
- rvijayakumaran at bournemouth dot ac dot uk
- http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9597-9981
- Senior Lecturer In Behavioural Psychology and Nutrition
- Bournemouth Gateway Building BGB504, St Pauls Lane, Bournemouth, BH8 8GP
- Keywords:
- Ageing
- Behaviour
- Nutrition
- Qualitative methodology
Biography
Dr Reena Vijayakumaran is a Registered Public Health Nutritionist, a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK) and a Senior Lecturer in Nutrition & Behaviour at Bournemouth University, UK. She is also a Accreditation Assessor (Association for Nutrition), a part of the Dorset Allied Health Professionals (AHP) Public Health Strategy Group and an External Examiner for BSc. Nutrition. In BU, she is in the Global Regional Group for East, South East Asia & Oceania group. Before joining BU, Reena was a lecturer in Nutrition and dietetics at the University of Sains Malaysia. With a passion for imparting knowledge, she has extensive experience as a lecturer in Nutrition. Reena has designed and delivered courses focusing on blended learning, fostering a comprehensive understanding of nutrition and behaviour among students, and teaching at both BSc. and MSc. levels. She led the student mobility programme with Malaysia through Turing Funding for the MSc. Nutrition & Behaviour students. She was awarded (2023) the Vice Chancellor’s Award for Enriching Student Experiences...
Reena is an interdisciplinary researcher with expertise and experience in qualitative research (nutrition assessment, designing and implementing community interventions, and using innovative digital tools), focusing on ethnic minorities and older adults research and promoting healthy ageing. She also focuses on frailty, sarcopenia, food insecurity and research related to sustainability. She continues to explore international and partnership-based research with Malaysia and other countries such as India. Research and grants include the ARC Wessex Researcher Initiation Award (2022), the British Council’s Going Global Partnerships 2023 Grant, and the MRC Grant - Ageing Research Development Awards (2023).
moreExpertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person's work contributes towards the following SDGs:
Zero hunger
"End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture"
Good health and well-being
"Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages"
Sustainable cities and communities
"Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable"
Partnership for the Goals
"Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development"
Journal Articles
- Vijayakumaran, R.K., Daly, R.M. and Tan, V.P.S., 2023. “We want more”: perspectives of sarcopenic older women on the feasibility of high-intensity progressive resistance exercises and a whey-protein nutrition intervention. Frontiers in Nutrition, 10.
- Vijayakumaran, R.K. and Nur Amalina, S., 2018. Influences of nutrition information on fast food consumption among undergraduates. Food Research, 2 (3), 228-233.
- Vijayakumaran, R., Abdul Razak, S. and Aminuddin, N.F., 2018. Patient Satisfaction With Hospital Foodservice and its Impact on Plate Waste in Public Hospitals in East Malaysia. Hospital Practices and Research, 3 (3), 90-97.
- Vijayakumaran, R., Eves, A. and Margaret, L., 2018. Understanding Patients’ Meal Experiences through Staff’s Role: Study on Malaysian Public Hospitals. Hospital Practices and Research, 3 (2), 50.
- Vijayakumaran, R., Eves, A. and Lumbers, M., 2016. Patients Emotions during Meal Experience: Understanding through Critical Incident Technique. International Journal of Hospital Research, 5 (4), 113-121.
Conferences
- Vijayakumaran, R.K., Lawrence, V., Murphy, J., El-Gabry, Y., Mansbridge, P., Woodvine, A. and Haddad, M., 2023. Ageing as a Vegetarian and Vegan in the UK: Challenges and Barriers in Addressing their Dietary Preferences. PROCEEDINGS OF THE NUTRITION SOCIETY, 82 (OCE5).
- Thurston, J. and Polkinghorne, M., 2022. Students as Researchers. In: Fusion Learning Conference - Innovation and Excellence in the Pandemic 28 June-29 July 2021 Bournemouth University: UK. Poole, UK: Bournemouth University.
- Vijayakumaran, R., Eves, A. and Lumbers, M., 2014. The Relationship between Emotions during Hospitalisation and Patients’ Eating Behaviour. In: 2014 3rd International Conference on Nutrition and Food Sciences 18-20 June 2014 Copenhagen, Demark.
Profile of Teaching PG
- Nutrition for Brain & Mental Health
- Developing Professional Practice
- Nutrition in Prevention and Management of Disease
Profile of Teaching UG
- Promoting Health
- Promoting Health
Grants
- UK-Malaysia Going Global Partnerships Grant for Student Mobility 2023 (British Council, 06 Dec 2023). In Progress
- Ageing Research Development Awards: A coproduced sustainable food-based intervention to improve nutritional health and ageing in older South Asian and Black African communities living in the UK. (UKRI-MRC, 01 Sep 2023). In Progress
- Understanding the impact of current dietary strategies and adaptations among people living with Type 1 Diabetes (NIHR ARC Wessex Researcher Initiation Award, 01 Jun 2022). Completed
Conference Presentations
- Nutrition Society Summer Conference 2023, Ageing as a Vegetarian and Vegan in the UK: Challenges and Barriers in Addressing their Dietary Preferences, 03 Jul 2023, Liverpool
- Asian Conference on Kinesiology, Highlighted Symposium - Understanding and perception of intervention for sarcopenia and fall prevention, 19 Aug 2021, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Honours
- VC Awards for Enriching Student Experience (Bournemouth University, 2023)
Memberships
- Nutrition Society, Fellow (2023-),
- Advance HE fellowship (HEA), Fellow (2020-),
- Association for Nutrition, Member (2020-),