Prof Louise van den Berg

Prof Louise van den Berg, 
Associate Professor and Registered Dietician at University of the Free State

Over the last 15 years, food security has emerged as a major risk for academic success in tertiary education, globally. This session will unpack the prevalence, impact and drivers of student food insecurity and highlight the link with student health and wellness based on research conducted at the UFS.

LOUISE VAN DEN BERG is a registered dietician and associate professor in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of the Free State. She holds BSc in Dietetics and BMebSc degrees, a PhD and MSc in Immunology and a BMedSc (Hons) in Haematology.

Louise has worked as a laboratory assistant in the Department of Hematology, UFS, as a researcher at the Institute of Pathology at the University of Pretoria, and as a private practising dietitian and consultant. She joined the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at the UFS full-time in 2006, where she currently lectures in therapeutic nutrition and food sytems, and supervises post-graduate research. Her research interests include epidemiology, lifestyle diseases, food insecurity and health in higher education, therapeutic nutrition, fatty acids and micronutrients.

Louise serves on the Board of the SA Nutrition Society and is an NRF-rated researcher.