ÑÇÃÀÆåÅÆ

Can you tell us a little about yourself? 

I am a Sydney local who originally studied psychology, and then completed a doctorate in cognitive science here at ÑÇÃÀÆåÅÆ. From there I joined the Faculty of Medicine and Health in 2019, and branched into epidemiology and biostatistics. I now use big data to study questions relating to populations requiring special consideration and methods, including people with intellectual disability, people living with dementia, and pregnant women. I have a strong interest in causal inference methods, and coordinate an interest group here at ÑÇÃÀÆåÅÆ.

What motivated you to pursue this area of research?

Getting to work with some of the most incredible advocates. For example, in a recent project on dementia and self-harm, I was able to talk to ten incredible individuals who had lived experience of dementia, and in another project I worked with individuals under 65 living in aged care. Their resilience and passion for improving the healthcare system, so that no-one has to go what they went through, made me want to be part of the solution. 

What is the main problem your research addresses?

My current research focuses on using large-linked data to establish whether there is any link between medically assisted reproduction (like IVF) and cancer in the people who receive the treatment and their children. There is a lot of mixed evidence on this topic, and I feel people considering using medically assisted reproduction deserve to know the risks they undertake. 

What do you consider the most exciting or innovative aspect of your work? 

I am always trying to learn and apply new methods to complicated medical research problems. There are a lot of challenges with using medical data to do research, especially data not collected for hospital record keeping rather than for research.

By applying cutting edge methods, we can learn more than we ever could before about health and healthcare systems. 

What are your hopes for your research in the coming years?

I would like to continue developing my own profile as a researcher, and begin working directly with policy makers to optimise how healthcare is delivered. Throughout that process, I want to continue to engage with people with lived experience, as I believe they are the key the understanding the gaps in our healthcare systems.

What key insights would you share with those just starting out in research?

Just get involved with things that sound interesting to you! Ask people about what they are working on, send emails, and offer to help to be involved. Most people love to hear that someone is interested in their research. Over time you can whittle down to what you are really interested in, while also surrounding yourself with network of experts who you can lean on when you need to.