The challenge of making healthy choices in unsupportive food environments spurred Magda Rosin to complete a PhD on the ‘Development and testing of an evidence-based tool to support adoption and implementation of the National Healthy Food and Drink Policy’ in New Zealand’s hospital cafes.
The RE-FRESH: Next Generation member, based at the University of Auckland, evaluated barriers and facilitators to implementation of healthy food policies for hospital staff and visitors. Her research involved developing and testing the Healthy Kai (Food) Checker, a new web-based tool to support policy implementation. Excitingly, this research informed a review of New Zealand’s hospital food policy, and the Healthy Kai Checker will be available to use for free as part of an updated policy implementation toolkit.
Her PhD was supervised by RE-FRESH: Next Generation Associate Investigator Prof. Cliona Ni Mhurchu and Dr Sally Mackay and undertaken between June 2020 and December 2023. Magda graduated with her PhD in December 2024.
She took some time time out to reflect on her PhD years.
Tell us about your journey to pursuing a PhD?
After working in the hospitality industry, I pursued a degree in Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Auckland. During my studies, I became increasingly interested in policy-level approaches to improving health and nutrition, including the hospital food policy I worked on during my public health placement, as I saw how difficult it is for people to make healthier choices in unsupportive food environments. After finishing my dietetics degree, I began working with my PhD supervisor on another project related to food environments, and we both shared an interest in evaluating the hospital policy. Pursuing a PhD in this area felt like a natural next step. My PhD was funded through a Healthier Lives National Science Challenge Population Nutrition PhD Scholarship.
You’ve now graduated with your PhD, what is your focus now?
I’m continuing work with the hospital network to support policy implementation and applying what we’ve learned in other settings like universities and workplaces. Alongside that, I’m researching online food environments and exploring how AI tools can improve policy evaluation and support change. I’m also beginning to explore how AI is used in healthcare more broadly, including how we assess and monitor its real-world impact.
ABOVE: Dr Magda Rosin celebrates her PhD graduation with her supervisors Prof. Cliona Ni Mhurchu (left) and Dr Sally Mackay.
What was the toughest thing about doing your PhD?
Doing the research in a healthcare setting during COVID-19 was challenging, as priorities shifted and engagement was sometimes limited. It could also feel isolating at times, especially when progress slowed during long data collection or analysis phases. Being far from family and unable to travel to Europe for important events made the experience even tougher at times.
What did you enjoy most about your PhD?
I really enjoyed seeing things come together, like building and testing the implementation tool and hearing how it could help people doing the real work. I also loved presenting the work at conferences and hearing how it resonated with others working in policy or implementation, which helped sharpen my thinking on policy implementation.
What did you learn most from your supervisors?
I learned how valuable strong, respectful, and open working relationships are in research. We each brought different strengths, and I saw how feedback, even when challenging, improves the quality of the work. I also learned that things don’t have to be perfect to be meaningful and impactful; progress and adaptability matter more.
What did you learn from studying at this level? Perhaps a pearl of wisdom you could share with others starting their PhD journey?
A PhD can feel like a long and uncertain journey, but persistence pays off, and things eventually come together. Feedback from supervisors is key, but it’s also a two-way learning process, as supervisors often learn from candidates too. Building respectful and honest relationships makes the journey much more rewarding.
Where do you see yourself – hopes/dreams – in 20 years from now?
I hope to see our research contributing to real change in food environments and helping shift systems toward healthier, more equitable outcomes. I see myself contributing to meaningful projects and supporting the next generation of researchers and PhD students. I’d also love to stay connected to the people and things that ground me, like gardening, creative projects, and spending time with loved ones.
Finally, can you share a list of publications that have come out of your PhD?
Rosin, M., Mackay, S., Gerritsen, S., Te Morenga, L., Terry, G. and Ni Mhurchu, C. ‘Barriers and facilitators to implementation of healthy food and drink policies in public sector workplaces: a systematic literature review’. Nutrition Reviews. 2024;82(4):503-535.
Rosin, M., Mackay, S. and Ni Mhurchu, C. ‘Tools and resources used to support implementation of workplace healthy food and drink policies: A scoping review of grey literature’. Nutrition & Dietetics. 2023;80(5):452-462.
Rosin, M. Ni Mhurchu, C. and Mackay, S. ‘Implementing healthy food policies in health sector settings: New Zealand stakeholder perspectives’. BMC Nutrition. 2024;10(1):119.
Rosin, M., Ni Mhurchu, C., Umali, E. and Mackay, S. ‘Healthy Kai (Food) Checker web-based tool to support healthy food policy implementation: development and usability study’. JMIR Formative Research. 2025;9:e60447.
Do you have any links to other resources/projects you’ve worked on that you’d like to share?
- I’d like to share this recording of a presentation in which my supervisor Cliona and I talk about the findings from the HYPE study (New Zealand’s first national evaluation of the implementation and impact of The National Healthy Food and Drink Policy) and the PhD at Healthier Lives Kōrero Tahi 2024 presentations:
- I’d also like to share a ‘Research Findings Brief’ which combining findings from the HYPE study and my PhD.
