JCU > Research Portfolio > Dr Karen Carlisle

About

Dr Karen Carlisle is a senior lecturer at the College of Medicine and Dentistry at James Cook University. With over 20 years of research experience in the UK and Australia, Karen has worked within population health, oral health, education and psychology settings. She has a particular interest and has published in the areas of community engagement and inter-sectoral collaboration to improve outcomes for the underserved and at risk.

Karen's primary degree is in Applied Psychology and began her career on a research council project examing skill acquisition in laparoscopic surgeons. Karen worked in the School of Education (Queen's Universty, Belfast) from 1999-2011 and completed her PhD examining the experience of coteaching for pre-service science teachers (2003-2008). In addition Karen was part of a team of researchers exploring multi-agency working in Northern Ireland (ESRC) which contributed to the development of the Shared Education Program aimed at promoting cross denominational school partnerships.

Karen moved to Australia in 2011 and joined Townsville Mackay Medicare Local as a research co-ordinator on the 'Townsville broadband enabled diabetes telehealth randomised controlled trial'. Karen has managed a number of NHMRC projects including the Rural Engaging Communities in Oral Health (Rural ECOH) project and the Scaling up Quality Improvement through learning from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary healthcare services: Lessons from the Best project. Karen was also project manager for the ‘Strengthening capacity for policy relevant research on surveillance and response’ stream within the Partners in Tropical Health project funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Currently Senior Lecturer in the College of Medicine and Dentistry and project managing two NHMRC projects: Leveraging Effectuve Ambulatory Practices (LEAP) and WOmen's action for Mums and Bubs (WOMB).

Teaching

HS5102: Qualitative Research Methods for Health Professionals (Level 5; TSV)
HS5405: Teaching for Learning in the Health Professions (Level 5; TSV)
HS5406: Strategies for Clinical Teaching (Level 5; TSV)
HS5410: Health Professional Education using Action Research (Level 5; TSV)
HS7410: Curriculum Design and Renewal in Health Professional Education (Level 7; TSV)
MD1010: Introduction to Integrated Medical Studies Part 1 of 2 (Level 1; TSV)
MD1020: Introduction to Integrated Medical Studies Part 2 of 2 (Level 1; TSV)
MD2011: Integrated Human System Pathophysiology Part 1 of 2 (Level 2; TSV)
MD2012: Integrated Human System Pathophysiology Part 2 of 2 (Level 2; TSV)
MD3000: Selective Study (Level 3; TSV)
MD3011: Introduction to Clinical Healthcare Part 1 of 2 (Level 3; TSV)
MD3012: Introduction to Clinical Healthcare Part 2 of 2 (Level 3; TSV)
PC5521: Pharmaceutical Public Health - Research Methodologies (Level 5; TSV)

Experience

2011 to 2016 - Research Co-ordinator, Townsville Mackay Medicare Local (Townsville)
1999 to 2011 - Research Fellow (Education), Queen's University, Belfast (Northern Ireland)
1998 to 1999 - Research Assistant (Psychology), Queen's University, Belfast (Northern Ireland)

Research Disciplines

Honours

Awards

2016 - JCU Learning and Teaching Quick Start Grant
2015 - Sessional Teaching Award: Outstanding contribution to teaching and learning. James Cook University

Publications

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

Lindsay D, Bates N, Callander E, Johnston K, Carlisle K, Smith D, Evans R and Larkins S (in press) Evaluating the quality and safety of the BreastScreen remote radiology assessment model of service delivery in Australia. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, , DOI:10.1177/1357633X20975653.
Smith D, Johnston K, Carlisle K, Evans R, Preston R, Beckett J, Geddes D, Naess H, Poole M and Larkins S (2021) Client perceptions of the BreastScreen Australia remote radiology assessment model. BMC Women's Health, 21 (30), DOI:10.1186/s12905-020-01163-7.
Harrington R, Redman-MacLaren M, Harvey N, Puia M, Carlisle K and Larkins S (2020) Barriers and enablers to using contraceptives for family planning at Atoifi Hospital, East Kwaio, Solomon Islands. Pacific Journal of Reproductive Health, 1 (10), pp. 586-597, DOI:10.18313/pjrh.2020.003.
Johnston K, Smith D, Preston R, Evans R, Carlisle K, Lengren J, Naess H, Phillips E, Shephard G, Lydiard L, Lattimore D and Larkins S (2020) “From the technology came the idea”: safe implementation and operation of a high quality teleradiology model increasing access to timely breast cancer assessment services for women in rural Australia. BMC Health Services Research, 20, Article: 1103, DOI:10.1186/s12913-020-05922-y.
Larkins S, Carlisle K, Harrington H, MacLaren D, Lovo E, Harrington R, Alves L, Rafai E, Delai M and Whittaker M (2020) From the frontline: strengthening surveillance and response capacities of the rural workforce in the Asia-Pacific region. How can grass-roots implementation research help? Frontiers in Public Health, 8, Article: 507, DOI:10.3389/fpubh.2020.00507.
Larkins S, Carlisle K, Turner N, Taylor J, Copley K, Cooney S, Wright R, Matthews V, Thompson S and Bailie R (2019) 'At the grass roots level it's about sitting down and talking': exploring quality improvement through case studies with high-improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary healthcare services. BMJ Open, 9 (5), Article: e027568, DOI:10.1136/bmjopen-2018-027568.
Turner N, Taylor J, Larkins S, Carlisle K, Thompson S, Carter M, Redman-MacLaren M and Bailie R (2019) Conceptualizing the association between community participation and CQI in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander PHC services. Qualitative Health Research, 29 (13), pp. 1904-1915, DOI:10.1177/1049732319843107.
Carlisle K, Farmer J, Taylor J, Larkins S and Evans R (2018) Evaluating community participation: a comparison of participatory approaches in the planning and implementation of new primary health-care services in northern Australia. International Journal of Health Planning and Management, 33 (3), pp. 704-722, DOI:10.1002/hpm.2523.
Farmer J, Bigby C, Davis H, Carlisle K, Kenny A and Huysmans R (2018) The state of health services partnering with consumers: evidence from an online survey of Australian health services. BMC Health Services Research, 18, Article: 628, DOI:10.1186/s12913-018-3433-y.
Farmer J, Carlisle K, Dickson-Swift V, Teasdale S, Kenny A, Taylor J, Croker F, Marini K and Gussy M (2018) Applying social innovation theory to examine how community co-designed health services develop: using a case study approach and mixed methods. BMC Health Services Research, 18, Article: 68, DOI:10.1186/s12913-018-2852-0.
Taylor J, Carlisle K, Farmer J, Larkins S, Dickson-Swift V and Kenny A (2018) Implementation of oral health initiatives by Australian rural communities: factors for success. Health and Social Care in the Community, 26 (1), pp. e102-e110, DOI:10.1111/hsc.12483.
Warren R, Carlisle K, Mihala G and Scuffham P (2018) Effects of telemonitoring on glycaemic control and healthcare costs in type 2 diabetes: a randomised controlled trial. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, 24 (9), pp. 586-595, DOI:10.1177/1357633X17723943.

More: ResearchOnline@JCU stores 24+ research outputs authored by Dr Karen Carlisle from 2012 onwards.

Current Funding

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

Australian Research Council - Discovery - Projects

Identifying the roles of online communities in rural resilience

Indicative Funding: $16,000 over 3 years (administered by Swinburne University of Technology)
Summary: The role of online communities in helping rural people to overcome isolation and service inaccessibility, and in identifying service priorities, is the study focus. We will apply social media data analytics to study seven diverse examples of online communities, to inform what rural people discuss, where, when and in different online communities and to identify the impact of online communities in addressing rural resilience. Findings will inform workshops with online hosts to develop and test a 'best practice toolkit' to inform future online community data analy6tics. The project's outcomes will be to: extend knowledge about roles of online communities for realising rural resilience and providing data to inform service innovations.
Investigators: Jane Farmer, Anthony McCosker, Sue Kilpatrick, Karen Carlisle and Hilary Davis in collaboration with Sarah-Anne Munoz and Artur Steiner (Swinburne University of Technology, University of Tasmania, College of Medicine & Dentistry, University of the Highlands and Islands and Glasgow Caledonian University)
Keywords: Rural Health; online communities; Health Planning

National Health & Medical Research Council - Partnership Projects

Implementation of quality improvement in Indigenous primary health care: Leveraging Effective Ambulatory Practices (LEAP)

Indicative Funding: $1,144,570 over 4 years, in partnership with North Queensland Primary Health Network ($315,000); Northern Territory Department of Health, Top End Health ($20,000); Northern Territory Primary Health Network (NTPHN) ($38,700) and Western Queensland Primary Health Network (WQPHN) ($210,000)
Summary: Despite increased policy attention and funding, not all primary healthcare (PHC) services for Indigenous Australians show the desired improvements in quality of care. Practices which provide PHC services are complex systems and emerging evidence indicates many things affect quality improvement. There remains a knowledge gap regarding what is required for Indigenous PHCs to succeed in improving the quality of their services and, subsequently, health outcomes for their patients. This project will capitalise on emerging research and existing strong partnerships to provide a solid evidence base for interventions to improve quality of priority health services in Indigenous PHC settings.
Investigators: Sarah Larkins, Ross Baille, Catrina Felton-Busch, Paul Burgess, Emma McBryde, Kerry Copley, Rebecca Evans, V Matthews and Karen Carlisle in collaboration with Judy Taylor, Karla Canuto, Donald Whaleboat, S Thompson, Christine Connors and Roderick Wright (College of Medicine & Dentistry, The University of Sydney, Mt Isa Centre for Rural & Remote Health, Department of Health (NT), Australian Institute of Tropical Health & Medicine, Aboriginal Medical Service, Apunipima Cape York Health Council, The University of Western Australia and Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council)
Keywords: Learning community; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander; Primary Health Care; Quality Improvement

World Health Organization - TDR

Independent evaluation of the Structured Operational Research and Training Initiative on Ebola conducted in Liberia and Sierra Leone

Indicative Funding: $5,000 (administered by The Kirby Institute, UNSW)
Summary: In 2016, TDR conducted SORT iT courses in Sierra Leone and Liberia, with the aim of strengthening research capacity following the Ebola outbreak. Funding was provided by the UK Department for International Development (DFID). The purpose of this evaluation is to (1) Evaluate the process of implementation, short and intermediate-term impact of SORT-iT work in Liberia and Sierra Leone. (2) To develop and pilot a framework for independent impact evaluations of SORT-iT. The findings will inform future rounds of SORT-iT in both countries. Furthermore the pilot framework will focus on low cost and easy-to-use tools to foster wider and continued application.
Investigators: John Kaldor, Liza Doyle and Karen Carlisle (The University of New South Wales and College of Medicine & Dentistry)
Keywords: research capacity strengthening; Program Evaluation

Western Queensland Primary Care Collaborative Limited - Contract Research

Diabetes Collaborative Evaluation Project

Indicative Funding: $28,860 over 1 year
Summary: The diabetes collaborative is a Continuous quality Improvement (CQI) approach to change that aims to improve health outcomes for patients diagnosed with Diabetes. It involves the introduction of a team-based, sustainable approach to learning whilst providing a sound understanding and application of quality improvement methodology and skills. This project aims to evaluate the implementation and outcomes of the WQPHN diabetes collaborative. Expected outcomes of the equation will be a greater understanding of the process of implementation and any changes within participant health services as a result of the collaborative. Evaluation of the program in the rural and remote context of WQPHN will inform on feasibility and effectiveness of this approach.
Investigators: Sarah Larkins, Karen Carlisle, Sabina Knight, Rebecca Evans, Robyn Preston and Karen Johnston (College of Medicine & Dentistry, Australian Institute of Tropical Health & Medicine and Mt Isa Centre for Rural & Remote Health)
Keywords: Quality Improvement Approach; Primary Health Care; Diabetes

Supervision

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

An Exploration of the Role of Community and Recreational Activities on Mental Health to Frame a Model of Connectedness and Social Resilience in Tasmania (PhD , Primary Advisor)
Defining Pharmaceutical Public Health Competencies for Australian Pharmacists (PhD , Secondary Advisor)

Collaboration

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.