Nutritional Masterclass Series: Advanced, practice-driven nutrition for modern clinical care

Advanced, practice-driven nutrition for modern clinical care

A four‑part monthly masterclass series featuring key sessions on functional iron deficiencies; the role of omegas in inflammation, vascular function, and neurological health; new perspectives on mental and cognitive health beyond the neurotransmitter paradigm; and emerging evidence in epigenetics, methylation biology, and mitochondrial function as they relate to fertility.

Session 1: Beyond Neurotransmitters - Nutritional Strategies for Brain Function, Mood & Cognitive Resilience
Tuesday 28 April  |  Emma Van Den Driest

Session 2: Programming the Next Generation - Nutrition for Fertility, Preconception & Pregnancy
Tuesday 26 May  |  Averil Bates

Session 3: Membrane Matters - Omega-3s, Lipid Mediators & the Resolution of Inflammation
Tuesday 30 June  |  Gina Wilson

Session 4: Iron on a Knife Edge - Deficiency, Oxidative Stress & the Clinical Art of Hormesis
Tuesday 28 July  |  Sam Cartwright

Live Stream Times

• QLD, NSW, VIC, ACT, TAS: 6:30-7:30pm 
• SA & NT: 7:00-8:00pm
• WA: 4:30-5:30pm
• NZ: 9:30-10:30pm

Times on registration page reflect your local time.

If you are unable to attend live, the session recordings will be available within 10 business days.

Session & Dates

Session 1: Beyond Neurotransmitters - Nutritional Strategies for Brain Function, Mood & Cognitive Resilience

Tuesday 28 April  |   Emma Van Den Driest

Mental and cognitive health can no longer be reduced to neurotransmitter depletion models. Advances in neuroscience reveal that brain function is shaped by neural circuitry, metabolic health, stress physiology and neuroimmune signalling.

This masterclass presents a systems-based framework for nutritional support of emotional and cognitive health. We will explore how nutrients and metabolites influence brain energetics, stress responsivity, inhibitory–excitatory balance and neuroplasticity, rather than simply increasing neurotransmitter precursors.

Designed for clinicians managing anxiety, low mood, burnout, cognitive fatigue and stress-related presentations, this session clarifies how and when to use foundational nutrients, conditionally essential compounds and selected nootropic agents to support brain resilience and function.

Learning objectives

By the end of this session, practitioners will be able to:

• Move beyond neurotransmitter-centric prescribing models
• Understand how nutrition influences neural circuits and stress physiology
• Identify when cognitive and emotional symptoms reflect metabolic or neuroimmune strain
• Apply a structured nutritional framework to mood, anxiety and cognitive presentations
• Prescribe with greater confidence in complex or overlapping mental health cases

Session 2: Programming the Next Generation - Nutrition for Fertility, Preconception & Pregnancy

Tuesday 26 May  |  Averil Bates

Nutrition in fertility and pregnancy is not only about meeting requirements—it is about biological programming. Emerging evidence in epigenetics, methylation biology and mitochondrial function shows that targeted nutritional strategies can influence reproductive outcomes and long-term offspring health.

This masterclass explores evidence-based nutrition across preconception, conception and pregnancy, with equal attention to maternal and paternal contributions. We will examine nutrient timing, conditional essentiality and the clinical implications of choline, iodine, vitamin D, calcium and mitochondrial cofactors in reproductive care.

The session equips practitioners with a confident, modern framework for supporting fertility, healthy pregnancy progression and optimal developmental outcomes.

Learning objectives

By the end of this session, practitioners will be able to:

• Apply current evidence to nutritional care in fertility and preconception
• Understand the role of epigenetics and methylation in early development
• Identify key nutrients that become conditionally essential during reproduction
• Support both maternal and paternal nutritional contributions to fertility
• Prescribe pregnancy nutrition with greater clinical precision and confidence

Session 3: Iron on a Knife Edge - Deficiency, Oxidative Stress & the Clinical Art of Hormesis

Tuesday 30 June  |  Gina Wilson

Iron is essential for mitochondrial function, oxygen transport and vitality—yet it is also one of the most biologically volatile nutrients we prescribe. While iron deficiency remains common, particularly in women, elevated or poorly regulated iron can drive oxidative stress, inflammation and disease progression.

This masterclass reframes iron through the lens of redox biology and hormesis, moving beyond a simplistic “low ferritin = replace iron” paradigm. We will explore functional iron deficiency, the role of inflammation and hepcidin in iron dysregulation, and how ferritin behaves as both a storage protein and an acute phase reactant.

Clinicians will examine when iron repletion is necessary, when it may be counterproductive, and how antioxidant strategies (including vitamin C, NAC and alpha lipoic acid) can either support recovery or inadvertently blunt adaptive redox signalling. The session emphasises context-driven prescribing, helping practitioners avoid both under- and over-treatment.

Learning objectives

By the end of this session, practitioners will be able to:

• Differentiate absolute vs functional iron deficiency using ferritin, CRP and clinical context
• Understand the role of hepcidin and inflammation in impaired iron utilisation
• Identify clinical scenarios where iron supplementation may exacerbate oxidative stress
• Apply hormesis principles to decide when antioxidant support is beneficial versus disruptive
• Prescribe iron with greater precision, safety and therapeutic intent

Session 4: Membrane Matters - Omega-3s, Lipid Mediators & the Resolution of Inflammation

Tuesday 28 July  |  Sam Cartwright

Cell membranes are dynamic signalling platforms that shape inflammation, vascular function and neurological health. At the core of this system are membrane lipids—particularly omega-3 fatty acids and phospholipids—which influence both the initiation and resolution of inflammatory responses.

This masterclass begins with the foundational role of traditional omega-3 fatty acids, exploring how EPA and DHA support cardiovascular health, brain structure, endothelial function and inflammatory tone through membrane integration and direct biochemical effects—independent of their conversion to downstream mediators.

Building on this foundation, the session then examines the emerging biology of specialised pro-resolving mediators (SPMs), lipid-derived signals that actively terminate inflammation and promote tissue repair. We will explore why resolution often fails in chronic disease, and why some patients do not respond adequately to omega-3 supplementation alone.

The role of phospholipid signalling is further explored through palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), highlighting its function as an endogenous regulator of neuroimmune and inflammatory balance.

Clinicians will leave with a clear framework for combining lipid strategies rationally in pain, cardiovascular disease, neuroinflammation and chronic inflammatory presentations.

Learning objectives

By the end of this session, practitioners will be able to:

• Explain the structural and functional roles of EPA and DHA in cell membranes
• Identify cardiovascular and neurological benefits of omega-3s independent of SPM production
• Understand how and why SPM biosynthesis may be impaired in chronic disease
• Distinguish clinical scenarios suited to omega-3 support, SPM intervention, or combined use
• Integrate phospholipid and lipid mediator strategies into chronic pain and inflammatory care