
Dr Marina Iacovou
- Senior Research Scientist, Microbiota and Systems Biology
- marina.iacovou@monash.edu
- Role: Senior Research ScientistGroup: Microbiota and Systems Biology
Marina has more than 15 years experience as a Nutritionist and an Accredited Practising Dietitian in clinical practice. Marina also has 20 years experience in Project Management, initially in the communications corporate sector, and then in nutrition science. Marina completed her PhD in 2016 with the Department of Gastroenterology at Monash University where she investigated dietary therapies for breastfeeding mothers and infants with colic. Between 2017 and 2019, Marina was responsible for >$1.5 million in industry funding, which contributed to the funding of dietary therapy research for gastrointestinal conditions at the Department of Gastroenterology, Monash University. Between February 2019 and October 2020 Marina implemented a multicentre dietary intervention study funded by an NHMRC Grant of >$1.4M titled Shifting Weight using Intermittent Fasting in night shift workers (The SWIFt study) at the Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food, Monash University. Marina is now one of three Chief investigators who in December 2020 was awarded an NHMRC New Ideas Grant of >$1.4 million over 5 years and is investigating food-derived bacteria and their role in treating
disease.
Selected publications
O’Malley J, Iacovou M, Holdsworth-Carson SJ. Evidence for an Association Between
Endometriosis and Allergic and Non-allergic Food Hypersensitivity Is Lacking. Front Reprod
Health. 2021 Nov 1;3:726598. doi: 10.3389/frph.2021.726598.Iacovou, M. Editorial: interventions in infantile colic – can efficacy be attributed to treatment or
to time? Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2020 Feb;51(3):397-398. doi: 10.1111/apt.15599.Iacovou M, Gibson PR, Muir JG. Dietary Changes Among Breastfeeding Mothers. J Hum Lact.
2021 Aug;37(3):566-576. doi: 10.1177/0890334420959283.Skodje GI, Minelle IH, Rolfsen KL, Iacovou M, Lundin KEA, Veierød MB, Henriksen C. Dietary and
symptom assessment in adults with self-reported non-coeliac gluten sensitivity. Clin Nutr
ESPEN. 2019 Jun;31:88-94. doi: 10.1016/j.clnesp.2019.02.012.Iacovou M, Craig SS, Yelland GW, Barrett JS, Gibson PR, Muir JG. Randomised clinical trial:
reducing the intake of dietary FODMAPs of breastfeeding mothers is associated with a greater
improvement of the symptoms of infantile colic than for a typical diet Aliment Pharmacol Ther.
2018; October 11:DOI: 10.1111/apt.15007..