Dr. Alice Rumbold

1. Dr. Alice Rumbold Senior Research Fellow The University of Adelaide

2. About me • Adelaide born and bred • Full time health science researcher • 32 years old • When in high school.... no idea about what I wanted to do!

3. How did I get here? 1995 ‘96-98 1999 2000 ’01-05 ‘05-08 2009 - Finished High School Bachelor of Science Honours Travel PhD Postdoctoral research Research Fellow Music Maths Physics Chemistry History Biology Anatomy Psychology Biological Anthropology Reproductive health Reproductive health Indigenous women’s health Women’s & children’s health

4. Why? • Studied science...didn’t want to narrow my field too early.. • General science degree was a good choice for me because it is broad - can open up a range of career pathways • Research, teaching, industries like agriculture, defence, food technology and pharmaceuticals.

5. Why? • Spent one year doing a research project (because the real world was too scary!) • During this project I realised... • There is so much we don’t know about health and how the body works and why disease occurs • So much opportunity for new discoveries in science • Knowing that these opportunities for new discovery exist continues to drive me to do research today and in the future • Opportunity to make a real difference to individuals and communities

6. What my research involves • Looking at patterns of health problems in a population AND • Using this information to help control the health problem • Involves elements of medicine/health, biology, maths, environmental studies • The ‘science of people’

7. Research questions • Why are certain cancers much higher amongst Aboriginal women in the Northern Territory compared with other Australian women? • Can we improve the care Aboriginal women receive when they are pregnant? • Does a woman’s diet during pregnancy ‘program’ the health of her child (in childhood and adulthood)

8. Research questions • Why are certain cancers much higher amongst Aboriginal women in the Northern Territory compared with other Australian women? • Can we improve the care Aboriginal women receive when they are pregnant? • Does a woman’s diet during pregnancy ‘program’ the health of her child (in childhood and adulthood)

9. Background • Reports from doctors working in the NT that they were seeing lots of Aboriginal women with gynaecological cancers, including some of the rarer types of cancers • Most of the women diagnosed appeared to live in a certain area on the north-east coast of the NT • Do these cancers occur more often in Aboriginal women living in these areas, and if so, why?

10. Step 1 • Collect of records (notifications) of cancer in the NT • Examine the rate of cancer based on geographic region and ethnicity • Are the rates the same as the rate in the total Australian population?

11. Rate (amount) of cancer by region in the NT per 100,000

12. Rate (amount) of cancer by region in the NT Identified a cancer cluster per 100,000

13. Why? • Some gynaecological cancer is caused by infection with a common virus known as human papillomavirus (HPV), so..... • Is there more HPV infection amongst women living in the area where there is a high rate of cancer?

14. Step 2.What this kind of research involves

15. Fieldwork

16. Fieldwork

17. Team work – local, national & international

18. Collecting and analysing biological samples in a laboratory to identify the presence of infections such as human papillomavirus Examining women and checking health records

19. Analysing Information • Use maths to determine if the amount of infection found is more or less common than what is seen in the Australian population overall • Apply this knowledge to determine whether: • Infection is the primary cause of this cluster, and whether the HPV vaccine will prevent the cancer in future generations • Or the high rates are caused by something else, for example, something in the environment

20. Why study patterns of disease? • Many health problems don’t affect all groups of people equally.... so, by determining which groups of people are more or less affected by a disease we can identify clues to its causes • Monitor trends in diseases • Determine priorities • Identify emerging health issues

21. Other applications • Mapping the swine flu (H1N1) epidemic • Where did it originate? • How fast is it spreading? • How many deaths occurred? • http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8083179.stm

22. Patterns in major causes of deaths in Australia, 1907 to 2003 Source: AIHW 2005. Mortality over the twentieth century in Australia: Trends and patterns in major causes of death. Mortality Surveillance Series no. 4. AIHW cat. no. PHE73. Canberra: AIHW.

23. Research culture • Sharing ideas... about problems and solutions • Respecting everyone’s opinions • Planning activities and carrying them out in a systematic way to test new ideas • Knowing when things don’t work • Flexibility • Passing on knowledge

24. Why work in health research? • Opportunities for discovery • Variety (fieldwork, teams, data analysis not just about working in a laboratory) • Flexibility • Travel

25. Where has my work taken me?

26. Studying Science • A Science Degree can be a passport to a career in a wide range of fields • Take me for example! • General science & maths ►health sciences ► health research ►women’s health – working with Aboriginal communities