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Canada Sheila Skeaff is a distinguished nutritionist and researcher, recognized for her extensive contributions to understanding nutritional health, particularly iodine and food waste, and for her commitment to education and public health initiatives.
Professor Skeaff served as the President of the Nutrition Society of New Zealand for six years and is the vice-chair of the trans-Tasman Expert Working Group for Iodine.
Sheila is an enthusiastic educator about nutrition, including iodine, gaining national recognition with an Ako Aotearoa tertiary teaching excellence award.
Professor Skeaff leads the Metrics and Management theme of Food Waste Innovation at the University of Otago.
Professor Skeaff is listed as a contributor to the Global Dietary Database, involved in publications analyzing global dietary patterns and health outcomes.
Sheila Anne Skeaff was born in Canada in 1961 and later became a New Zealand nutritionist. She earned an MSc in Nutritional Biochemistry from the University of Guelph in 1988. In mid-1989, Professor Skeaff moved to Dunedin, New Zealand, with her husband, Murray Skeaff, to work at the University of Otago. Her academic journey continued at the University of Otago, where she completed a PhD in Human Nutrition in 2004, under the supervision of Christine Thomson. Throughout her career, Professor Skeaff’s research has focused on the trace element status of populations, with a specific emphasis on iodine and fluoride in vulnerable groups such as children and pregnant women. She aims to clarify the effects of mild iodine deficiency on normal growth, development, and cognitive function. She was also part of a multidisciplinary group that assessed the environmental literacy of students at the University of Otago.
More recently, Professor Skeaff has led efforts to develop and validate an online questionnaire for measuring food literacy in children. This tool is currently used to evaluate the impact of school gardens on food literacy in New Zealand children. She also leads the Metrics and Management theme of Food Waste Innovation Otago, an initiative dedicated to measuring food waste, developing reduction strategies, applying innovative technology, and modifying producer and consumer behavior. Her work in this area includes measuring food waste in primary production, retail, and food service sectors, such as university halls of residence and aged care facilities. This research aligns with her broader interest in sustainable nutrition.
Beyond her academic roles, Professor Skeaff has held numerous national and international expert group appointments. She served as President of the Nutrition Society of New Zealand for six years and is the vice-chair of the trans-Tasman Expert Working Group for Iodine, which is reviewing the Australian/New Zealand Nutrient Reference Values for Iodine. She is also a member of a World Health Organisation external expert group tasked with revising guidance on Iodine indicators. Professor Skeaff plays a crucial role in the governance of the Oceania Nutrition Leadership Platform, where she serves as Chair. Her expertise is further recognized through her positions on the Editorial Boards of the journals Maternal and Child Nutrition and Frontiers of Nutrition. In 2018, she received national recognition with an Ako Aotearoa Tertiary Teaching Excellence Award, and in 2022, she was named the OUSA best postgraduate supervisor of the year.
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