Dr Tracey Parkin

Role

As programme lead, I enjoy working with the dietetic team to ensure that we deliver a quality programme. I have an active teaching role, leading the 'dietetics in practice' module in year 3 as well as leading communication skills/behaviour change training across the 3 years of the programme and at postgraduate level, as well as supervising dissertations for UG, Masters and PhD students. I maintain an active role in delivering clinical supervisory skills training to practice educators across the South West and in researching and developing education to support competency in skill attainment when communicating for behaviour change. In addition, research into self-care management, through structured education programmes and effective consulting skills is ongoing. More recently, I have been focusing on motivation to support behaviour change and have been working with psychologists using functional imagery training (FIT) in the area of weight management.

I graduated from Kings College London with a degree in Nutrition, followed by a postgraduate diploma in dietetics. I went on to work as a dietitian in the NHS, covering a range of dietetic areas before specialising in diabetes. I worked as a diabetes specialist dietitian for 14 years with a strong interest in developing structured education programmes and developing communication skills. I completed my doctorate in 2012 which focuses on "empathy" and "information exchange" within the dietetic consultation. I joined the Dietetics team here at Plymouth in 2006 and have been the programme lead since 2016.  

• BSc (Hons) Nutrition
• Postgraduate Diploma in Dietetics RD
• FETC
• PgCert LTHE
• FHEA
• PhD 

2009 – ongoing Member of the HEI Placement Network (BDA)

2014–2018 External Examiner – MSc Advanced Diabetes Educator (Children, young people and families) (MDIAB) – Leeds Becket University 

2015 – Member of the Practice Education Working group – for the British Dietetic Association (BDA) 

I teach undergraduates and postgraduates 

I cover a range of dietetic areas, my specialist areas are:

• diabetes 
• communication skills/behaviour change.

I teach communication skills / behaviours for effective working with patients across the 3 years of the dietetic programme. In addition I am interested in supervisory skills training and help deliver education in this area to practice educators across the South West.

My research interest fall into three main areas:

Patient education 

• Communication skills around one to one consultations
• Facilitating self care management 
• Structured education programmes for people with long term/chronic conditions
• Motivation for long term behaviour change

Diabetes

• Dietary management of diabetes
• Prevention of diabetes

Dietetic practice

• Communication /behaviour change skills training
• Supervisory skills 
• Student training - placement education