Esmarie van Tonder is a registered dietitian and academic, currently serving as a Lecturer in Therapeutic Nutrition at Nelson Mandela University. She is near completion of a PhD in Nutritional Sciences from Stellenbosch University, where her dissertation focuses on validating body composition markers to diagnose malnutrition in adult hospitalised patients. She also obtained her Master's Degree in Nutrition and a BSc in Dietetics from Stellenbosch University.
Esmarie has a keen interest in research, particularly in the field of adult disease-related malnutrition. Her contributions include multiple peer-reviewed journal articles and conference presentations. She has been recognised with several awards, such as the Arina Prins Clinical Nutrition Award for the best publication in both national and international journals, and the Emerging Researcher of the Year award from the Faculty of Health Sciences at Nelson Mandela University.
Esmarie is an active member of several professional organisations, including the South African Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (SASPEN), the Association for Dietetics in South Africa (ADSA), and the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN). She has contributed to the academic community as an external examiner in Therapeutic nutrition for various universities and a reviewer for prominent peer-reviewed journals.
In addition to her research and teaching, she is committed to leadership and mentorship in the field of nutrition, supervising various undergraduate and postgraduate research projects and serving on academic committees.
Designation:
Lecturer
Email:
esmarie.vantonder@mandela.ac.za
Contact Number:
0415044306
Faculty:
Health Sciences
Department:
Human Nutrition and Dietetics
Qualifications:
BSc Dietetics, Master of Nutrition, PhD in Nutritional Sciences (passed but await formal award)
Professional Memberships:
HPCSA, Association for Dietetics in South Africa (ADSA), South African Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition in South Africa (SASPEN), The European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN)
Orcid ID:
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5326-9271
NRF Rating:
N/A
Research Interests:
Current non-degree Research Projects:
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Part of international Delphi study within the GLIM (Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition) initiative, which aims to create worldwide consensus on the conceptual definition of 'risk of malnutrition' and the operationalization of the definition of 'risk of malnutrition'.
Current Final Year Undergraduate/Honours Research Projects:
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Identification of Malnutrition Risk in Hospitalised Patients by Professional Nurses using the Malnutrition Screening Tool (Jenna Lobb).
Number of currently supervised Masters and PhD candidates (2023 to 2024):
Research Output 2023 to 2024:
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Van Tonder E. Adult Hospital malnutrition: What is the situation in 2023? Critical Care Society of Southern Africa Congress, Boardwalk Convention Centre, Gqeberha, 2023. (Invited podium presentation).
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Van Tonder E, Wenhold F, Esterhuizen T & Blaauw R. Diagnostic accuracy of muscle mass surrogates within the GLIM criteria for limited resource settings. Critical Care Society of Southern Africa Congress, Boardwalk Convention Centre, Gqeberha, 2023, 2023. (Podium presentation).
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Van Tonder E, Wenhold F, Esterhuizen T & Blaauw R. Prevalence of malnutrition using the GLIM criteria in South African hospitals and validation of muscle mass surrogates within its phenotypic criteria. Nutrition Congress, Lord Charles Hotel, Somerset-West, 2023 (Podium).
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Van Tonder E, Wenhold F, Esterhuizen T & Blaauw R. Malnutrition prevalence and severity grading in South African public and private hospitals using the GLIM criteria. Faculty of Health Science Research Week, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, 2023. (Podium)
Current Research Collaborations within your Department or Discipline:
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Part of international Delphi study within the GLIM (Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition) initiative, which aims to create worldwide consensus on the conceptual definition of 'risk of malnutrition' and the operationalization of the definition of 'risk of malnutrition'.
Current Inter-Disciplinary/Multi-Disciplinary/Trans-Disciplinary Research Collaborations:
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Supervising (Prof van Rooyen as co-supervisor) Masters project, titled 'Recommendations to Support Professional Nurses with the Identification, Referral, and Management of Adult Patients with Malnutrition in a Public Hospital in Nelson Mandela Bay', where we work closely with the Nursing Department at NMU as well as stakeholders at the hospitals.