ProfessorFelice Jacka
(she/her)
Deakin Distinguished Professor
Faculty of Health/School of Medicine/Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation
- Deakin Distinguished ProfessorFaculty of Health/School of Medicine/Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation
- HERB, Health, Education and Research Building (HERB), Level 1, 285 Ryrie Street, Geelong
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Professor Jacka has pioneered the new field of Nutritional Psychiatry by leading the development of a robust body of evidence regarding the influence of lifestyle behaviours, particularly diet, on common mental disorders. She has an overarching interest in population-based approaches to the prevention of mental health problems, using public health strategies. She also leads an extensive program of research that examines diet and lifestyle-based treatment interventions for clinical depressive illnesses and mechanistic pathways of interaction, including the human microbiome.
Knowledge Areas
Nutrition
Psychiatry
Epidemiology
Clinical Trials
Gut microbiota research
Projects
Professor Jacka currently heads a large team of researchers and HDR students at the Food & Mood Centre; her team conducts an extensive program of research focused on diet, nutrition, gut microbiota and mental health. This program encompasses both epidemiology and clinical trials and spans the spectrum of mechanistic research through to public health interventions.
GRANTS
- GRANTFoundations of a Resilient Microbiome: The Barwon Infant Study2 Mar 2026 - 1 Mar 2027People funded by this grant:
- CONTRACT RESEARCH'Philanthropic Gift to Food & Mood Centre - Living Soil, Growing Brains'1 Jan 2026 - 31 Dec 2030People funded by this grant:
- Felice Jacka
- GRANTA midwife-delivered prenatal dietary intervention to prevent perinatal depression and child neurocognitive vulnerability in regional and rural communities: a randomised controlled trial1 Jan 2026 - 31 Dec 2030People funded by this grant:
- Vuillermin P,
- Dawson S,
- Jacka F,
- Alston L,
- Sominsky L
- GRANTGut theRapy for the Alleviation of Chronic pElvic pain: The GRACE Trial1 Jan 2026 - 30 Nov 2028People funded by this grant:
- McGuinness A,
- El-Omar E,
- Jacka F,
- El-Assaad F,
- Druitt M
- FELLOWSHIPNutritional Psychiatry: Clarifying Mechanisms to Support Precision Interventions1 Jan 2026 - 31 Dec 2030People funded by this grant:
- Felice Jacka
- GRANTPathways of Influence through the Gut Microbiome in Post-Acute COVID-19 Sequelae: The RECOVERy Study1 Jun 2024 - 31 May 2026People funded by this grant:
- McGuinness A,
- Jacka F,
- El-Omar E,
- Dudley J,
- Berk M
- COLLABORATIVE GRANTResearch Agreement - Food4Mood1 Apr 2024 - 30 Sep 2024People funded by this grant:
- Rocks T,
- Jacka F
- INTERNAL GRANTCultivating harmony: Fostering mental health and microbiome diversity in students through regenerative farmingInstitute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation (IMPACT), Deakin University1 Jan 2024 - 31 Dec 2024People funded by this grant:
- Jacka F,
- Mcguinness AMELIA,
- Enez A
- GRANTThe effect of a gut-focused dietary smartphone app for pregnant women on the infant gut microbiome: Bugs & Bumps RCT1 Jun 2023 - 30 Nov 2024People funded by this grant:
- Dawson S,
- Jacka F,
- Vuillermin P,
- Young C,
- Alston L
- GRANTCoDeEndo: Co-Designing, Evaluating, and Implementing Supportive Care for Endometriosis1 Feb 2023 - 31 Aug 2028People funded by this grant:
- GRANTCoDeEndo: Co-Designing, Evaluating, and Implementing Supportive Care for Endometriosis1 Feb 2023 - 31 Jan 2028People funded by this grant:
- INTERNAL GRANTCharacterising the gut microbiome in the Curbing Anxiety and depression using Lifestyle Medicine (CALM) trial: the CALM-MB studyInstitute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation (IMPACT), Deakin University1 Jan 2023 - 31 Dec 2023People funded by this grant:
- Mcguinness A,
- Jacka F,
- O'Neil A,
- Loughman A,
- Dawson S
- GRANTNocebo response to fermentable carbohydrate dietary challenge: A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled crossover challenge trial1 Jun 2022 - 1 Jun 2024People funded by this grant:
- Staudacher H,
- Jacka F,
- Mikocka-Walus A
- GRANTTargeting site specific improvements of clinical trial operational processes - Jessica Davis internship28 Feb 2022 - 2 Dec 2022People funded by this grant:
- Felice Jacka
- CONTRACT RESEARCHA Listening and Learning Healthcare System approach to improve outcomes for acute-care mental health consumers in the Barwon-Southwest Victoria Region.1 Jun 2021 - 31 Dec 2023People funded by this grant:
- Peeters A,
- Allender S,
- Brennan-Olsen S,
- Berk M,
- Dean O
- FELLOWSHIPNutritional Psychiatry: extending the evidence and ensuring translation1 Jan 2021 - 31 Dec 2025People funded by this grant:
- Felice Jacka
- INTERNAL GRANTTesting and Deployment of mHealth Platforms for the BeNEFIT TrialInstitute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation (IMPACT), Deakin University1 Jan 2021 - 31 Dec 2021People funded by this grant:
- Jacka F,
- O'Neil A,
- Staudacher H
- GRANTThe development of the BUB (Bugs, Unborns and Bugs) mHealth program1 Sep 2020 - 31 Aug 2022People funded by this grant:
- Jacka F,
- O'Neil A,
- Staudacher H
- CONTRACT RESEARCHNutritional Psychiatry: Education & Training1 Jun 2020 - 30 Jun 2023People funded by this grant:
- Felice Jacka
- CONTRACT RESEARCHNutritional Psychiatry: Education & Training1 Jun 2020 - 30 Jun 2023People funded by this grant:
- Felice Jacka
- CONTRACT RESEARCHNutritional Psychiatry: Education and Training1 Jun 2020 - 31 Dec 2020People funded by this grant:
- Felice Jacka