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About

Vicki’s key area of expertise is paediatric food allergy. She is the dietitian for the Department of Allergy and Immunology at the Royal Children’s Hospital where her role involves patient care, teaching, training, resource development and research.

Vicki’s expertise in food allergy sees her involved in food allergy training of dietitians, nurses and doctors and she is a frequently invited to participate in conferences, training sessions, and resource development in the area of food allergy.

She is the current Victorian convenor of the Dietitian food allergy interest group and is a past chair of the dietitian subcommittee of ASCIA. She has also contributed a chapter to a textbook on food allergy and has been in involved in food allergy research. She is currently completing her PhD in food allergy with the Centre for Food and Allergy Research based at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and the University of Melbourne.

Vicki has extensive experience in all areas of paediatric food allergy including not only how to safely avoid the foods that your child is allergic too but how to ensure your child receives the optimal nutrition they need from the foods they can eat. She focuses not only on the nutritional side of eating but the developmental issues as well. Many of the children she sees have limited diets and or difficult eating behaviours. Vicki has a very practical approach with lots of meal and snack ideas as well as how to source specialised food products and interpret food labels correctly for food allergies.

Being a dietitian Vicki, not surprisingly, has a passion for food and loves to cook or eat out with friends and family. She tries to balance a love of food, wine and chocolate with running and group training sessions!

PUBLICATIONS

SPT predictive values for the outcome of cashew challenges in children.​ ​​McWilliam V, Peters RL, Allen KJ, Dharmage SC, Ponsonby AL, Tang ML, Smart J, Perrett K, Tey D, Robinson M, Taranto M, Koplin JJ, Gurrin LC; HealthNuts and SchoolNuts investigators.​ J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2019 Jul 2.

The global incidence and prevalence of anaphylaxis in children in the general population: A systematic review.  Wang Y, Allen KJ, Suaini NHA, McWilliam V, Peters RL, Koplin JJ. Allergy. 2019 Jun;74(6):1063-1080.

Anaphylaxis management in Australian schools: Review of guidelines and adrenaline autoinjector use.​ ​Vale S, Netting MJ, Ford LS, Tyquin B, McWilliam V, Campbell DE.​ ​J Paediatr Child Health. 2019 Feb;55(2):143-151.

Early Exposure to Cow’s Milk Protein Is Associated with a Reduced Risk of Cow’s Milk Allergic Outcomes.Peters RL, Koplin JJ, Dharmage SC, Tang MLK, McWilliam VL, Gurrin LC, Neeland MR, Lowe AJ, Ponsonby AL, Allen KJ.​ ​J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2019 Feb;7(2):462-470

Patterns of tree nut sensitization and allergy in the first 6 years of life in a population-based cohort.McWilliam V, Peters R, Tang MLK, Dharmage S, Ponsonby AL, Gurrin L, Perrett K, Koplin J, Allen KJ; HealthNuts investigators.​ ​J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2019 Feb;143(2):644-650

Patterns of Carriage of Prescribed Adrenaline Autoinjectors in 10- to 14-Year-Old Food-Allergic Students: A Population-Based Study.Robinson M, Koplin JJ, Field MJ, Sasaki M, Peters RL, McWilliam V, Sawyer SM, Patton GC, Vuillermin PJ, Douglass J, Gurrin LC, Tang MLK, Dharmage SC, Allen KJ; SchoolNuts Investigators.​ ​J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2019 Feb;7(2):437-443.

Risk Factors for Food Allergy in Early Adolescence: The SchoolNuts Study.​ ​Sasaki M, Peters RL, Koplin JJ, Field MJ, McWilliam V, Sawyer SM, Vuillermin PJ,​ ​Pezic A, Gurrin LC, Douglass JA, Tang MLK, Dharmage SC, Allen KJ.​ ​J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2018 Mar – Apr;6(2):496-505.

Self-reported adverse food reactions and anaphylaxis in the SchoolNuts study: A population-based study of adolescents.​ ​McWilliam VL, Koplin JJ, Field MJ, Sasaki M, Dharmage SC, Tang MLK, Sawyer SM, Peters RL, Allen KJ; SchoolNuts investigators. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2018 Mar;141(3):982-990.

Food Allergy Is an Important Risk Factor for Childhood Asthma, Irrespective of Whether It Resolves.​ ​Vermeulen EM, Koplin JJ, Dharmage SC, Gurrin LC, Peters RL, McWilliam V, Ponsonby AL, Dwyer T, Lowe AJ, Tang MLK, Allen KJ; HealthNuts investigators.​ ​J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2018 Jul – Aug;6(4):1336-1341

Prevalence of clinic-defined food allergy in early adolescence: The SchoolNuts study. Sasaki M, Koplin JJ, Dharmage SC, Field MJ, Sawyer SM, McWilliam V, Peters RL, Gurrin LC, Vuillermin PJ, Douglass J, Pezic A, Brewerton M, Tang MLK, Patton GC, Allen KJ. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2018 Jan;141(1):391-398

An Australian Consensus on Infant Feeding Guidelines to Prevent Food Allergy: Outcomes From the Australian Infant Feeding Summit.Netting MJ, Campbell DE, Koplin JJ, Beck KM, McWilliam V, Dharmage SC, Tang MLK, Ponsonby AL, Prescott SL, Vale S, Loh RKS, Makrides M, Allen KJ; Centre for Food and Allergy Research, the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, the National Allergy Strategy, and the Australian Infant Feeding Summit Consensus Group. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2017 Nov – Dec;5(6):1617-1624

Fecal microbial transplantation in a pediatric case of recurrent Clostridium difficile infection and specific antibody deficiency.Loke P, Heine RG, McWilliam V, Cameron DJ, Tang ML, Allen KJ.​ ​Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2016 Dec;27(8):872-874.

Consensus of stakeholders on precautionary allergen labelling: A report from the Centre for Food and Allergy Research.Zurzolo GA, Koplin JJ, Ponsonby AL, McWilliam V, Dharmage S, Heine RG, Tang ML, Prescott S, Campbell DE, Loh R, Rueter K, Netting M, Frith K, Norton W, Said M, Gold M, Lee NA, Mathai M, de Courten M, Allen KJ.​ ​J Paediatr Child Health. 2016 Aug;52(8):797-801.

Multiple food protein intolerance of infancy or severe spectrum of non-IgE-mediated cow’s milk allergy?–A case series.McWilliam V, Heine R, Tang ML, Allen KJ.​ ​J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2016 Mar-Apr;4(2):324-6.

Nut allergy prevalence and differences between Asian-born children and Australian-born children of Asian descent: a state-wide survey of children at primary school entry in Victoria, Australia.​ ​Panjari M, Koplin JJ, Dharmage SC, Peters RL, Gurrin LC, Sawyer SM, McWilliam V, Eckert JK, Vicendese D, Erbas B, Matheson MC, Tang ML, Douglass J, Ponsonby AL, Dwyer T, Goldfeld S, Allen KJ.​ ​Clin Exp Allergy. 2016 Apr;46(4):602-9

Persistent Food Allergy and Food Allergy Coexistent with Eczema Is Associated with Reduced Growth in the First 4 Years of Life.​ ​Beck C, Koplin J, Dharmage S, Wake M, Gurrin L, McWilliam V, Tang M, Sun C, Foskey R, Allen KJ; HealthNuts Investigators.​ ​J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2016 Mar-Apr;4(2):248-56.

The Prevalence of Tree Nut Allergy: A Systematic Review. McWilliam V, Koplin J, Lodge C, Tang M, Dharmage S, Allen K. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep. 2015 Sep;15(9):555.