Dr Rachel Tham - Researcher Profile

Rachel Tham

Address

Monash University School of Rural Health
26 Mercy Street

Biography

Rachel joined the School of Rural Health, Office of Research in April 2007 as a Research Fellow after completing the two-year Victorian Public Health Training Scheme (Department of Human Services and La Trobe University).

She has 20 years clinical and research experience as a dentist within the private and public health sectors in metropolitan and rural areas of Australia, New Zealand and England. Her particular clinical interests lie with providing oral health care to people living with special needs: frail aged, people living with blood-borne viruses, homeless people, people with psychiatric disability and people with alcohol and drug dependency.
 

Rachel completed the Master of Public Health in 2003 and Master of Health Sciences in Public Health Practice in May 2007 which provided her with the opportunity to develop her research skills and expand her clinical and research interests into broader public health areas.

Rachel’s research interests include oral health, health workforce, health inequalities, the impact of ecosystem change on public health, environmental health, ethics and human rights, building effective collaborations, and international health.

Rachel is bringing together her clinical, academic and research experiences with those of the staff at the School of Rural Health to assist with the development of dynamic research that will aim to improve quality of life of people living in regional and rural areas.

Research & Supervision Interests

    1.   Oral health
    2.   Health service models
    3.   Health inequalities
    4.   Environmental Health
    5.   International health

Qualifications

DIPLOMA OF CONSERVATION AND LAND MANAGEMENT
Institution: University of Melbourne
Year awarded: 2008
HEALTH SCIENCES IN PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICE
Institution: La Trobe University
Year awarded: 2007
MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Institution: Monash University
Year awarded: 2004
BACHELOR OF DENTAL SURGERY
Institution: Univeristy of Adelaide
Year awarded: 1990

Publications

Journal Articles

Buykx, P., Humphreys, J.S., Tham, R.C.A., Kinsman, L., Wakerman, J., Asaid, A., Tuohey, K., 2012, How do small rural primary health care services sustain themselves in a constantly changing health system environment?, BMC Health Services Research [E], vol 12, issue Art. No: 81, BioMed Central Ltd, United Kingdom, pp. 1-7.

Tham, R.C.A., Hardy, S., 2012, Oral healthcare issues in rural residential aged care services in Victoria, Australia, Gerodontology [E], vol 29, issue 2, Wiley Blackwell Publishing Inc (Online), United States, pp. 1-7.

Erbas, B., Akram, M., Dharmage, S.C., Tham, R.C.A., Dennekamp, M.N., Newbigin, E.J., Taylor, P.G., Tang, M.L., Abramson, M.J., 2012, The role of seasonal grass pollen on childhood asthma emergency department presentations, Clinical And Experimental Allergy [P], vol 42, issue 5, Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd, United Kingdom, pp. 799-805.

Tham, R., Humphreys, J., Kinsman, L., Buykx, P., Asaid, A., Tuohey, K., 2011, Study protocol: Evaluating the impact of a rural Australian primary health care service on rural health, BMC Health Services Research [E], vol 11, issue 52, BioMed Central Ltd, UK, pp. 1-6.

Tham, R.C.A., Humphreys, J.S., Kinsman, L., Buykx, P., Asaid, A., Tuohey, K., Riley, K., 2010, Evaluating the impact of sustainable comprehensive primary health care on rural health, Australian Journal of Rural Health [P], vol 18, issue 4, Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Asia, Australia, pp. 166-172.

Palmer, R., Lemoh, C., Tham, R.C.A., Hakim, S., Biggs, B., 2009, Sudanese women living in Victoria, Australia: health-information-seeking behaviours and the availability, effectiveness and appropriateness of HIV/AIDS information, Diversity in Health and Care [P], vol 6, issue 2, Radcliffe Publishing Ltd, United Kingdom, pp. 109-120.

Tham, R.C.A., Erbas, B., Akram, M., Dennekamp, M.N., Abramson, M.J., 2009, The impact of smoke on respiratory hospital outcomes during the 2002-2003 bushfire season, Victoria, Australia, Respirology [P], vol 14, issue 1, Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Asia, Richmond, Vic, 3121, pp. 69-75.

Tham, R.C.A., Cassell, E.P., Calache, H., 2009, Traumatic orodental injuries and the development of an orodental injury surveillance system: a pilot study in Victoria, Australia, Dental Traumatology [P], vol 25, issue 1, Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Oxford, OX4 2DQ, United Kingdom, pp. 103-109.

Conference Proceedings

Tham, R., Brook, T., 2011, Developing oral health teams in rural Australian residential aged care services, Proceedings of the 11th National Rural Health Conference, 13-16 March 2011, National Rural Health Alliance, Canberra, ACT, Australia, pp. 1-8.

Tham, R.C.A., Bell, T., 2009, Bushfire smoke and public health: What information is available in Victoria?, Community Safety and Engagement - Roll of Fire in the Landscape (Research Poster), September 22-24, Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre, Melbourne, VIC, p. 1.

Tham, R.C.A., Humphreys, J.S., Kinsman, L., Buykx, P., Asaid, A., Riley, K., 2009, Evaluating the impact of a sustainable primary health care service on rural health, Health Services and Policy Research Conference 2009: Conference Handbook, November 25-27, Health Services Research Association of Australia and New Zealand, Ultimo, NSW, Australia, p. 103.

Tham, R.C.A., Humphreys, J.S., Asaid, A., Riley, K., Jones, J.A., Kinsman, L., Smith, K.B., 2009, 'Making a difference' - the impact of sustainable primary health care on rural health, Rural Health: The Place to be..., May 17-20, National Rural Health Alliance, Canberra, Australia, pp. 1-6.

Tham, R.C.A., Erbas, B., Akram, M., Dennekamp, M.N., Abramson, M.J., 2009, The impact of bushfire smoke on respiratory hospital outcomes in Victoria, January to March 2003, Rural Health: the place to be..., May 17-20, National Rural Health Alliance, Canberra, Australia, pp. 221-222.

Lavey, L.J., Poke, L., Tham, R.C.A., Kerr, S., 2009, Working outside the box - Supporting rural research excellence across multi-campus sites, Poster presentation made at the Australasian Research Management Society Annual Conference 2009, September 16-18, Australasian Research Management Society, Melbourne, VIC, p. 1.

Other

Tham, R., Buykx, P., Humphreys, J., Smith, K., Kinsman, L., Asaid, A., Tuohey, K., 2011, Bridging the evidence gap - What makes a rural primary health care service successful and sustainable?, Poster Abstract: 11th National Rural Health Conference, Perth, Monash University, Bendigo.

Tham, R., Brook, T., 2010, Developing oral health teams in Victorian rural residential aged care services, Australia, Poster presentation at 4th ADEA International Women's Leadership Conference, American Dental Education Association International Women's Leadership Conference, Salvador, Brazil.

Tham, R.C.A., 2009, Strenthening the bite: Improving oral health of older people in residential aged care facilities in the Hepburn Shire, Monash University, Bendigo, pp. 1-21.