Professor Alan Clough is an Epidemiologist with a track record over the last two decades in designing, implementing and evaluating community-based interventions to reduce the disastrous effects of substance misuse in remote Indigenous communities, primarily in tropical northern Australia.  Research in remote community populations is widely recognised as being amongst the most difficult. Alan has a strong track record of doing research which translates into policy and regulation.

In an unusual career path, he has worked at the community level managing alcohol issues in restricted areas in remote Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory.  In his public health practice he has acted as a Member of the NT Licensing Commission (appointed by the Minister) and has heard and determined applications for restricted area declarations supported by alcohol management plans in several NT localities giving him a unique researcher's perspective on the regulatory environment.

Alan is principally recognised in Australia and internationally for his work in the difficult and often neglected area of substance misuse in remote community populations. As well as a rapidly-expanding research career, his CV describes a background in applied community development and advocacy including at the Local Government level. This experience underpins his long commitment to making positive changes at the population level.  Much of his research and practice is intervention research. It has led to positive change in situations where substance misuse has been highly problematic, e.g. reducing cannabis use, reducing petrol sniffing, kava abuse, managing alcohol and investigating ways to reduce the harms from alcohol abuse, smoking cannabis and tobacco in rural and remote populations. In public health generally there is a dearth of intervention research which seeks to document change in populations and which fosters change while the research is occurring.

Interests

Teaching

• Public Health Law, Research and Policy

Experience

• 2016 to present - Professorial Research Fellow, Cairns Institute (Cairns)
• 2016 to 2017 - Chair, NHMRC Career Development Award Panel (Cairns)
• 2010 to 2016 - Research Fellow, The Cairns Institute (Cairns Qld)
• 2006 to 2016 - Associate Professor, School of Public Health, Tropical Medicine and Rehabilitation Services, James Cook University (Cairns Qld)
• 2015 - Member, NHMRC Career Development Award Panel (Cairns)
• 2011 to 2014 - Associate Professor, Sansom Institute, Division of Health Sciences, University of South Australia (Honorary) (South Australia)
• 2012 to 2013 - Chair - Early Career Fellowship Review Panel, National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia
• 2011 to 2013 - Chair - Early Career Fellowship Review Panel, National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia
• 2012 - Member - Grant Review Panel 6A - Project Grants, National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia
• 2012 - Invited participant - Alcohol Data Workshop, NHMRC Prevention and Community Health Committee
• 2012 - Program Grants Review Panel - Additional Expert, National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia
• 2012 - Member, Health Research Council of New Zeland, Public Health Science Assessing Committee
• 2007 to 2010 - Principal Research Fellow, Menzies School of Health Research (Honorary)
• 2006 to 2009 - Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney (Honorary) (Sydney NSW)
• 2005 to 2008 - National Healht and Medical Research Council - Postdoctoral Fellow, James Cook University
• 2007 - Member - Grant Review Panel - NHMRC_GRP5A, National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia
• 2005 to 2007 - Senior Lecturer, School of Population, University of Queensland (Honorary) (Queensland)

Research Disciplines

• Public Health and Health Services (1117)

Socio-Economic Objectives

• Indigenous Health (9203)
• Public Health (9204)

Awards

• 2011 - Finalist, Queensland Reconciliation Awards, Queensland Police Service and James Cook University for ‘Weed-it-Out’ project.
• 2011 - Australian Crime and Violence Prevention Award, Partnered Project, Queensland Police Service ‘Weed-it-Out’ and James Cook University ‘Cape York Cannabis Project’. 2011

Fellowships

• 2010 - Research Fellow - Cairns Insitute - James Cook University
• 2013 to 2016 - Career Development Award Fellowship, National Health and Medical Research Council
• 2006 to 2008 - Early Career Fellowship, National Health and Medical Research Council

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU. Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Journal Articles

• Clough A, Margolis S, Miller A, Shakeshaft A, Doran C, McDermott R, Sanson-Fisher R, Ypinazar V, Martin D, Robertson J, Fitts M, Bird K, Honorato B, Towle S and West C (2017) Alcohol management plans in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) Australian communities in Queensland: community residents have experienced favourable impacts but also suffered unfavourable ones. BMC Public Health, 17 (55). pp. 1-14
• Gould G, Stevenson L, Cadet-James Y and Clough A (in press) Cultural challenges when developing anti-tobacco messages for Indigenous Australians. Health Promotion International,
• Graham V, Campbell S, West C and Clough A (2017) Substance misuse intervention research in remote Indigenous Australian communities since the NHMRC 'Roadmap'. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 41 (4). pp. 424-431
• Oppermann E, Brearly M, Law L, Smith J, Clough A and Zander K (2017) Heat, health, and humidity in Australia's monsoon tropics: a critical review of the problematization of 'heat' in a changing climate. WIREs Climate Change, 8 (4).
• Robertson J, Fitts M and Clough A (2017) Unintended impacts of alcohol restrictions on alcohol and other drug use in Indigenous communities in Queensland (Australia). International Journal of Drug Policy, 41. pp. 34-40
• Stevens B, Watt K, Brimblecombe J, Clough A and Judd J (in press) Development of a locally produced, balanced protein–energy food-based supplement and its acceptance by undernourished pregnant women in Northern Bangladesh. Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition, pp. 1-16
• West C, Muller R and Clough A (in press) Injuries and alcohol management plans in remote Indigenous communities: a two-community comparison. Injury Prevention, pp. 1-4
• Bird K, Fitts M and Clough A (2016) Alcohol management plans in Indigenous communities in Queensland (Australia) may have unintended implications for the care of children. Health & Justice, 4 (8). pp. 1-7
• Clough A, Margolis S, Miller A, Shakeshaft A, Doran C, McDermott R, Sanson-Fisher R, Towle S, Martin D, Ypinazar V, Robertson J, Fitts M, Bird K, Honorato B and West C (2016) Alcohol control policies in Indigenous communities: a qualitative study of the perceptions of their effectiveness among service providers, stakeholders and community leaders in Queensland (Australia). International Journal of Drug Policy, 36. pp. 67-75
• Fitts M, Palk G, Lennon A and Clough A (in press) The characteristics of young Indigenous drink drivers in Queensland, Australia. Traffic Injury Prevention,
• Gould G, Watt K, West R, Cadet-James Y and Clough A (2016) Can smoking initiation contexts predict how adult Aboriginal smokers assess their smoking risks? A cross-sectional study using the 'Smoking Risk Assessment Target'. BMJ Open, 6 (7).
• Gould G, Cadet-James Y and Clough A (2016) Getting over the shock: taking action on Indigenous maternal smoking. Australian Journal of Primary Health, 22 (4). pp. 276-282

More

ResearchOnline@JCU stores 128+ research outputs authored by Prof Alan Clough from 1995 onwards.

Current and recent Research Funding to JCU is shown by funding source and project.

Advisory Accreditation: I can be on your Advisory Panel as a Primary or Secondary Advisor.

These Higher Degree Research projects are either current or by students who have completed their studies within the past 5 years at JCU. Linked titles show theses available within ResearchOnline@JCU.

Current

• Reducing Assaults in the Cairns Night Time Economy Using Realist Evaluation: A Focus on Closed Circut Television (CCTV). (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Psychologists' Engagement with Clients Regarding Alcohol Use: Understanding the Role of Personal Consumption, Knowledge and Attitudes. (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Chronic Hepatitis B: Raising Awareness and Enabling Health-Protective Action in the North Queensland Among Community Focusing on GP Involvement and Antenatal Care (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Impact of a physical activity program on 'walking and moving about' for individuals with Machado Joseph Disease (MJD) living in the Top End of Australia (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Preventing Intrauterine Growth Restriction and Improving Infant Growth Outcomes in Bangladesh (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• From hospital to home: understanding the lived experience of traumatic brain injury in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations and the implications for transition support (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• The Role of Traditional Food and Lifestyle Interventions in Reducing Modifiable Chronic Disease Risk Factors in Australian Indigenous Communities. (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Patient Safety: Risk Management of Paramedic Initiated Non-Transport Cases. (Masters , Primary Advisor)
• Evidence-to-Action to Reduce Impacts of Criminalisation in Communities with Alcohol Management Plans (AMPS): Effective Policies and Programs need Sound Evidence for Considered Decisions (PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Exploring Protective Factors for Violent Offending and Incarceration of Indigenous Adults in Far North Queensland. (PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Implementing Large Scale, Community-Level Intervention Studies in Remote Indigenous Communities: A Realist Evaluation of the 'Cape York Cannabis Project'. (PhD , Primary Advisor)

Completed

• Making salient messages for Indigenous tobacco control (2015, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Improving the Prevention, Diagnosis and Management of Acute Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease in Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander Populations (2015, PhD , Associate Advisor)

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
Note: Map points are indicative of the countries or states that institutions are associated with.