Our Cairns Health Management Team
The Health Management team strives to make your experience in seeing the dietitian a positive one. Five very different dietitians bring a varied range of expertise and experience to the practice with two administration staff making up the Cairns team.
Christine Michael — Administration Extraordinaire
When you call Health Management, the friendly voice on the end of the line is Christine Michael. Christine is a local to Far North Queensland and has aspirations of becoming an Accredited Practising Dietitian after being accepted into the Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics at Sunshine Coast University to commence 2009.
Christine’s interests include sport and fitness. She is heavily involved in sport in Far North Queensland, having represented North Queensland in touch football.
Christine is passionate about health, coming from a family of health professionals where she adopted her healthy lifestyle values. While at school, Christine completed work experience at Health Management Dietetics and was welcomed back for her gap year after school.
Christine can assist you in making an appointment, answering some of your questions or putting you in touch with the person who can help you.
When you show up to your appointment early — you never know she may even make you a cup of tea or coffee.
Christine man’s our phones from 8.30am — 5.00pm; being dietitians, we do promote eating lunch, so if you call between 12noon and 1pm, don’t be surprised to talk to Annie our answering machine who will take your message until Christine returns. Annie also helps out during the day when the phone is running off the hook — please don’t be scared to speak with her, until Christine is available to return your call.
Tara Diversi — Manager and Accredited Practising Dietitian
Tara Diversi is an Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) and the director of Health Management. Although it has been argued that she left Cairns to hang out at the beach, she did return with a Bachelor of Health Science and a Masters of Nutrition & Dietetics from Griffith University.
Tara is passionate about all aspects of nutrition but is particularly interested in how food is used to fulfil needs other than nutrition and therefore causes over eating and under eating disorders. She enjoys working with eating disorders, weight loss clients, talking about bowels (not so much around the dinner table, but in her consulting room) and working with women with PCOS and other fertility problems.
Health Management has tried to keep her quiet but when she was appointed to the role of a media spokesperson for the Dietitians Association of Australia, Tara realised she could use these communication skills constructively and regularly contributes to the media in print, television and radio interviews; and writes regular feature articles for newspapers and magazines.
Besides nutrition, Tara is passionate about psychology and business. She has post graduate training in counseling and is currently completing her Graduate Diploma in Psychology thanks to the Australian Rural and Remote Health Professional Scholarship Scheme. In 2004, she was awarded the Cairns Business Women’s Club Next Generation (Young Business Woman of the year) Award; is currently completing her Masters of Business Administration through Deakin University; is a Human Operating System (HOSTM) and Neuropower Practitioner, trained in personality profiling and its application to health and human behaviour. Tara is also a board member of Sports Dietitians Australia.
Tara promotes positive ‘can do’ attitude and innovation in practice amongst the Health Management team and her clients encouraging them to aim to be the best they can be. Tara works with team members in ensuring they are receiving the very best in professional and personal development in their respective fields, which is insurance to our clients, knowing they are receiving advice from experienced and innovative practitioners.
Kate Rogers — Accredited Practising Dietitian
Kate Rogers is a Senior Dietitian with Health Management Dietetics. Somewhere in between travelling the world, getting married and having 3 children, Kate has managed to hold down a number of positions including Senior Diabetes Dietitian at Royal Melbourne Hospital, Head Community Dietitian for the Central Western Region of Qld and Primary Health Care (Nutrition) Specialist at Cairns TAFE. However she has found her niche in Private Practice consulting and now lays claim to over 13 years experience as a Private Practice Dietitian (mostly in Cairns).
Kate loves working with people of all ages from the very young to the young at heart helping them achieve their goals. She is passionate about food and cooking and loves giving practical advice for shopping and cooking to help ensure you enjoy what you eat. Kate looks forward to one day when she can find the time to fly off to Tuscany and have a long-anticipated gourmet cooking adventure so watch this space!
Kate holds a Bachelor of Science from Griffith University and a Graduate Diploma in Nutrition and Dietetics from Queensland University of Technology. She also holds qualifications in Sports Nutrition and Workplace Health and Training.
Kate is experienced and up to date in clinical research in the diet-disease relationships of most health conditions including heart conditions, cholesterol, bowel conditions and metabolic conditions. Having children of her own she is well versed in maternal, infant and child nutrition and she also has a special interest in food intolerances. Kate has also been consulting to people pre and post gastric banding surgery for the past 7 years.
She believes that because everyone is an individual with a unique health profile, individual food likes and dislikes, and a family/work life like nobody else, that there cannot possibly be a “one diet fits all” approach. She also knows that different strategies are needed for different people to achieve their goals. That is why Kate likes to take the time to develop a tailor-made program that suits the individual, no matter who they are or what their situation.
Kate is available for consultations mostly during school hours.
Eli Newman — Accredited Practising Dietitian/Sports Dietitian
Eli is a Cairns Local, an Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) and Sports Dietitian who holds a Bachelor of Health Science in Nutrition and Dietetics and further Sports Nutrition specific training.
Good food is something that Eli holds close to him, and he loves to share this passion with his clients by finding solutions to their individual issues and lifestyle.
Coming from an active background where he dabbled in competitive cricket and football as a junior, Eli has a strong interest in sporting performance and addressing the unique needs of those playing sport and exercising in the North. Eli understands to be competitive in sport in North Queensland requires lots of dedication along with a large amount of travel. This creates nutritional issues in themselves, and Eli enjoys finding solutions for those who want to excel in their chosen field. Eli provides up to date sports nutrition education to individuals and groups including coaches, athletes and parents. He is also an active member of Sports Dietitians Australia.
As well as sports nutrition, Eli’s dietetic interests include men’s health, corporate nutrition –particularly in prevention, identification and management of diabetes and heart disease risks within the workplace.
Eli enjoys working with men, from the young trying to lose or increase weight; trades and businessmen trying to get healthy while still getting the job done, through to elderly men to ensure they are meeting their nutritional needs and get the best out of their life. He likes teaching men how to shop for healthy food and how to make quick, easy tasty and nutritious meals.
Eli is also passionate about improving the health of the workforce, particularly in male-dominated industries and identifying areas that can improve working performance and health while still fitting within the lifestyle of employees.
When not working, Eli enjoys fishing, BBQ’s and poker with his mates while reminding them of how many hot dogs are in the beer that they have just drank.
Eli is available for consultations between 8am and 5pm.
Camey Demmitt — Accredited Practising Dietitian
Camey Demmitt is an Accredited Practising Dietitian originally from Colorado in the United States. Camey arrived in Australia on Australia Day in 2007 with her 17 year old daughter and worked for a year in Whyalla, South Australia before moving to Cairns in January 2008.
Camey completed her dietetics study in the United States in 1999 and as a Registered Dietitian in Colorado, has worked in a variety of settings including as a clinical dietitian in Wyoming and as a community nutrition dietitian working specifically with low-income, minority, and/or at-risk populations across north-eastern Colorado. Additionally, Camey worked in her own private practice providing nutrition consulting services and education for organisations, businesses, and community groups.
Camey is interested in all areas of nutrition, particularly lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and heart disease; nutrition for addiction recovery, mental health, aged care, malnutrition, children and adolescent health, HIV, Hepatitis C and gastrointestinal disorders. Her philosophy with nutrition counselling is that it is not just about telling you what to do; but being at your side step by step to help you determine what works best for you and ultimately give you the greatest success possible in your journey towards better health.
Camey is really looking forward to exploring all the things there are to do and see here in Far North Queensland, such as hiking and bushwalking in the rain forests, exploring the Reef, and learning more about the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nutrition and culture, as well as other cultures of all the many different groups of people that call Cairns home. Although, it might take her a while to get used to the heat and humidity here in Cairns, after all, she is from the heart of the Rocky Mountains!
Camey is available for consultations between 9am and 6pm
Joanna Martin — Accredited Practising Dietitian
Joanna is a young, enthusiastic dietitian, who loves to laugh! Originally from Brisbane, Joanna moved to Cairns, where the grass is greener, about 2 years ago to take up a full time position at Cairns Base Hospital. She completed a Bachelor of Health Science in Nutrition and Dietetics at Queensland University of Technology and is an Accredited Practicing Dietitian.
Jo gets great satisfaction from helping people with their health and nutrition related goals. Jo finds it easy to put a positive spin on things and evoke an optimistic attitude on changing behaviours to improve nutrition and health.
Being a bit of a foodie, Jo loves trying great food as well as going to the gym, long walks on the beach, playing with her dogs and cat and hanging out with her friends.
Jo works with Health Management on Saturday mornings and is interested in all aspects of human nutrition from weight management through to medical nurition therapy. Jo is particularly passionate about assisting those with kidney disease, bowel issues and adolescents and adults with eating disorders.
Diane Diversi — Finance Officer
Diane is energetic, hard working and committed to everything she does. With qualifications in nursing and book keeping, Diane is perfectly qualified to keep Health Management Dietetics running as smoothly as possible.
Diane is responsible for our finances, so if you want to sell us something, you want us to sponsor something, you owe us money or we owe you money, Diane will be able to help you out with your enquiries.
Diane has worked in the health industry as a nurse in Far North Queensland for over nearly 20 years as a practice nurse in GP and specialist private practices, hospitals and aged care facilities. Conversely, she also did a 2 year stint working in a bank.
Diane’s second home is the golf course and will pick up a club at every opportunity!
Marilyn Marsh-Booth — Office Manager
Marilyn was born and grew up in Yorkshire, England, and then moved to Australia in 1988 and has spent all but one year since then in Cairns.
Her belief is that you just aim for what you want in life and work as hard as you can to make it happen, and she has sure made lots of things happen. After many years in the aviation industry she went on to own three businesses, the most recent a personal training studio; she has a passionate interest in health and fitness.
She has won numerous awards, including the Cairns Business Women of the Year 3rd age Award, Cairns City Council’s International Women’s Day Award, and Mature Age Employee Award, and through her previous business, Fitness Queensland’s Community Service Award for initiating a project to assist women who had suffered from breast cancer, and for Wuffa Yoga which raised funds for Animal Welfare, and encouraged people to take up Yoga with their pets.
Marilyn likes to think outside the square and brings her knowledge and life experience into this high achieving business to assist it to function even more efficiently and smoothly.
