Mary has been Professor of Dietetics at the University of Plymouth since 2016. Her research interests include all aspects of dietetic practice, sarcopenia and frailty, hospital nutritional care, and nutrition in older people. She worked in the NHS in various roles for over 23 years bringing extensive clinical experience to her academic role. She is also passionate about supporting dietitians to do high quality impactful research which enhances the profession’s evidence base.

She is currently the Co-Lead for the REFRESH trial: nutRition intervEntions For malnouRished oldEr adultS in care Homes: a parallel, superiority, three-arm cluster randomised controlled trial. The REFRESH study will establish if and how ONS impact quality of life, compared with a fortified diet or usual care alone. The trial will work with 90 care homes across Devon, Birmingham, Dorset and Hampshire and is funded by £2.78m from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The project starts in January 2025 and will be co-delivered by the University of Plymouth’s Peninsula Clinical Trials Unit (PenCTU), the Universities of Coventry, Exeter and Southampton, Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, and Harbour Healthcare.