Robyn McDermott is Professor of Public Health Medicine at the Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention James Cook University, Senior Clinical Research Fellow (Queensland),  NHMRC Practitioner Fellow and Professor of Public Health in the School of Population Health (UniSA) and the Sansom Institute for Health Research (South Australia).

Robyn previously served as Professor of Public Health Medicine at JCU in Cairns from 2002-4 and prior to that, as Medical Epidemiologist in the Cairns Tropical Public Health Unit from 1995. She has been a Research Fellow at the Menzies School of Health Research in the NT and spent many years working as a clinician and health services manager in rural and remote Australia, and in refugee health in South East Asia in the 1980’s and 90’s.

From 2000 to 2004 she served as Vice President, then President of the Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine and numerous advisory committees to state and commonwealth governments. Robyn has worked as a consultant for WHO, AusAID, the World Bank and State and Commonwealth governments and others, in health services and Public Health.  Her research interests are in chronic disease epidemiology, clinical quality improvement and disease prevention. She has chaired NHMRC Grant Review Panels for Projects, Fellowships and Capacity Building Grants and has had continuous NHMRC funding as lead investigator since 1998, totalling more than $12 million.

Robyn has co-ordinated and taught Masters level courses in Epidemiology and Health Economics while in the Northern Territory, and a new masters course in chronic disease and public health at James Cook University, as well as contributing to undergraduate teaching on the new JCU Medical Course.

Qualifications: MBBS University of Sydney 1978, FAFPHM The Royal Australasian College of Physicians 1990,MPH Harvard University 1993, PhD University of Sydney 2002

Interests

Research

• Robyn's research interests include the epidemiology of chronic disease and health transition, and how primary health care can improve outcomes in resource-poor settings. Her work on improving diabetes care systems in remote far north Queensland resulted in major changes to policy and practice, and was recognised by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) as one of the “best 10” projects in 2006 More recently her focus has been the effective translation of research evidence into clinical and public health practice, with attention to systems issues including funding models, policy environment, information systems, workforce development and quality improvement in primary care settings Although coming late to the formal research world, she has earned more than $7 million in NHMRC research grant funding as lead investigator and more than $8million as co-investigator.

Research Disciplines

• Public Health and Health Services (1117)
• Clinical Sciences (1103)

Socio-Economic Objectives

• Indigenous Health (9203)
• Clinical Health (9201)
• Health and Support Services (9202)

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

• Berger M, Taylor S, Harriss L, Campbell S, Thompson F, Jones S, Sushames A, Amminger G, Sarnyai Z and McDermott R (in press) Hair cortisol, allostatic load, and depressive symptoms in Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Stress,
• Harriss L, Thompson F, Lawson K, O'Loughlin M and McDermott R (in press) Preventable hospitalisations in regional Queensland: potential for primary health? Australian Health Review,
• O'Loughlin M, Harriss L, Thompson F, McDermott R and Mills J (2019) Exploring factors that influence adult presentation to an emergency department in regional Queensland: a linked, cross‐sectional, patient perspective study. Emergency Medicine Australasia, 31 (3). pp. 67-75
• Berger M, Taylor S, Harriss L, Campbell S, Thompson F, Jones S, Makrides M, Gibson R, Amminger G, Sarnyai Z and McDermott R (in press) Cross-sectional association of seafood consumption, polyunsaturated fatty acids and depressive symptoms in two Torres Strait communities. Nutritional Neuroscience,
• Harriss L, Kyle M, Connolly K, Murgha E, Bulmer M, Miller D, Munn P, Neal P, Pearson K, Walsh M, Campbell S, Berger M, McDermott R and McDonald M (2018) Screening for depression in young Indigenous people: building on a unique community initiative. Australian Journal of Primary Health, 24 (4). pp. 343-349
• Hill I, Johnson D, Scrimgeour D and McDermott R (2018) Accuracy of national key performance indicator reporting from two Aboriginal medical services: potential to underestimate the performance of primary health care. Australian Health Review, 42 (4). pp. 453-460
• Leonard D, Buttner P, Thompson F, Makrides M and McDermott R (2018) Anaemia in pregnancy among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women of Far North Queensland: a retrospective cohort study. Nutrition and Dietetics, 75 (5). pp. 457-467
• Li M, Roder D and McDermott R (2018) Diabetes and smoking as predictors of cancer in Indigenous adults from rural and remote communities of North Queensland: a 15-year follow up study. International Journal of Cancer, 143 (5). pp. 1054-1061
• Black A, D'Onise K, McDermott R, Vally H and O'dea K (2017) How effective are family-based and institutional nutrition interventions in improving children's diet and health? A systematic review. BMC Public Health, 17.
• Callander E and McDermott R (2017) Measuring the effects of CVD interventions and studies across socioeconomic groups: a brief review. International Journal of Cardiology, 227. pp. 635-643
• 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
• Fitts M, Robertson J, Towle S, Doran C, McDermott R, Miller A, Margolis S, Ypinazar V and Clough A (2017) ‘Sly grog’ and ‘homebrew’: a qualitative examination of illicit alcohol and some of its impacts on Indigenous communities with alcohol restrictions in regional and remote Queensland (Australia). BMC Research Notes, 10.

More

ResearchOnline@JCU stores 128+ research outputs authored by Prof Robyn McDermott from 2002 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

• Older Persons enablement and rehabilitation for complex health conditions: OPEN ARCH Study (PhD , Secondary Advisor/AM)
• Obesity in Pregnancy (PhD , Secondary Advisor/AM)
• Analysis of Hookworm Infection-Induced Changes in the Intestinal Microbiome of People at Risk of Developing Type 2 Diabetes (PhD , Secondary Advisor/AM)
• Health Care Homes in Cairns: a mixed methods study exploring the experience of adults living with chronic conditions to inform the new model of primary health care (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Features of Primary Health Care Services in Remote Indigenous Communities that Contribute to Hospital Avoidance for Ambulatory Sensitive Chronic Conditions (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• So Like your Mum! Is the health of Mothers in Far North Queensland Reflected in the Nutrition and Growth of their Children in Early Life? (PhD , Primary Advisor/AM)
• Building a Simulation Model to Improve Cardiovascular Disease Risk Prediction and Treatment for Indigenous Australians (PhD , Primary Advisor/AM)

Completed

• Biological Endophenotypes of Prodromal Psychosis and Depression (2018, PhD , Secondary Advisor/AM)
• Evaluation of a pragmatic community-tailored physical activity program with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (2018, PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Helminth infection and metabolic disease: Strongyloides stercoralis infection and type 2 diabetes mellitus in an Aboriginal community (2018, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Improving Diabetes Care and Management in Torres Strait Remote Primary Health Care Settings. (2017, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Clinicopathological characteristics of pancreatitis in Far North Queensland (2014, PhD , Primary 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.