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Contact Details

Phone
+64 3 479 7278
Email
sherly.parackal@otago.ac.nz
Position
Senior Research Fellow
Qualifications
BSc (Chemistry, Botany, Zoology), PG Dip (Food Science and Nutrition), MSc (Food Service Management and Dietetics), PG Dip (Nutritional Science), PhD (Nutritional Science)
Research summary
Diet-related non-communicable diseases in the Asia-Pacific region, migrant health, Asian health, ethnic-specific dietary assessment, community-centred intervention design, development and implementation (co-design)
Memberships

Research

Sherly is the research lead in non-communicable diseases (Epidemiology and Prevention) at the Centre for International Health.

Sherly migrated to New Zealand from Southern India in the mid-nineties. Since 2010, she has worked towards improving the health and well-being of ethnic migrants in Aotearoa, New Zealand with a particular focus on addressing diet-related NCDs. Sherly is the Principal Investigator of the EMIGRATE project, investigating the health trajectory of ethnic voluntary migrants in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Sherly, in collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine, Padjadjaran University, is also leading diabetes prevention project in Bandung, Indonesia.

Projects

Student projects as primary supervisor

Co-designing a diabetes prevention program for urban communities in Bandung, Indonesia.
Candidate: Mrs Noormarina Indraswari
Degree: PhD

Postdoctoral supervision

Improving service delivery for NZ South Asian women with gestational diabetes in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Candidate: Dr Sumera Akhtar

Funding: HRC Career Development Award, 2024

Abstract: South Asian women are at high risk of developing gestational diabetes and are almost four times more likely than other New Zealand ethnicities. Women with gestational diabetes are seven times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes(T2DM) within five to ten years of an index pregnancy. Despite the higher rates of GDM among South Asians, there is a gap in our understanding of the lived experiences, knowledge and management of GDM, which would inform and improve GDM care for NZ South Asian women.

Publications

Parackal, S., & Pendergast, C. (2024). Codesign in action [Workshop]. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society of New Zealand (NSNZ) 58th Annual Conference: Kotahitanga. (pp. 20). Retrieved from https://www.nsnzconference.co.nz/ Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Parackal, S., Coppell, K., Anwar, M., & Akhtar, S. S. (2024). Dietary beliefs, knowledge and behaviour of NZ South Asians at risk for cardiovascular disease. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society of New Zealand (NSNZ) 58th Annual Conference: Kotahitanga. (pp. 52). Retrieved from https://www.nsnzconference.co.nz/ Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Akhtar, S. S., Anwar, M., Coppell, K. J., & Parackal, S. M. (2024). Conventional medication adherence and self-treatment practices among South Asian immigrants: A qualitative study. Journal of Primary Health Care, 16(4), 390-397. doi: 10.1071/HC24084 Journal - Research Article

Parackal, S., Akhtar, S. S., Yadav, S., Yadav, S., & Brown, R. (2024). Using co-design to identify intervention components to address unhealthy dietary and activity behaviours in New Zealand South Asians. Journal of Nutritional Science, 13, e47. doi: 10.1017/jns.2024.48 Journal - Research Article

Parackal, S., & Holroyd, E. (2024). Asian health in Aotearoa New Zealand: Highlights and actionable insights. New Zealand Medical Journal/Te ara tika o te hauora hapori, 137(1601), 14-16. Retrieved from https://journal.nzma.org.nz/ Journal - Research Other

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