Professor Lisa Wood

Biography

Professor Lisa Wood is a tireless advocate for research being relevant and useful to the real world, and the need for academia to go beyond “the ivory tower” to make a difference. She is passionate in both her professional and personal commitment to preventing and reducing health disparities, particularly among some of the most vulnerable people in our society. Professor Wood leads the Home2Health team and its active program of inclusion health research, evaluation and research translation. All of her research has a strong focus on addressing health inequalities and takes a social determinants of health approach. Homelessness is a core area of Lisa's work, and most recently, she has instigated a broad suite of research and evidence-led advocacy to reduce the impacts of homelessness on pregnant women and their babies. With decades of experience in public health, Lisa is also involved in policy and intervention relevant research in tobacco control, alcohol/drug use and closing the gap in Aboriginal wellbeing. Prior to joining the University of Notre Dame in February 2022, she was a research and teaching academic at UWA for 20 years. Lisa is highly regarded for research that is translation focused and relevant to the real world, underscored by nurtured collaborations with policy makers and service providers in the health and homelessness sectors.

Teaching areas

Lisa is not currently teaching as holds a research intensive position at UNDA. She has however given guest lectures in Health Sciences, and has previously taught health leadership and health promotion for many years. She is also active in PhD student supervision, and she and her team have students undertaking research projects as part of their degrees.

Research expertise and supervision

Lisa is a mixed methods researcher, with extensive experience in both qualitative and quantitative research, and leads a growing program of multi-disciplinary ressearch. She is innovative in designing evaluation research to comprehensively capture the health, economic, social impact of interventions, including benefits at the individual, organisational and system level. She is deeply committted to the importance of consumer and community involvement in research, and the need for this to be undertaken in a trauma-informed way.

Knowledge and research translation is also central to all of Lisa's research.

Lisa is active in building the research capacity of others, both through formal student supervision and through mentoring. She currently supervises five PhD students and has previously supervised to completion three PhD students, two HDR prelim students, three Masters students, nine Honours students and eight Medical student 4th year dissertation projects.

Book chapters

Martin K, Wood L, (2014) ‘We live here too’… what makes a child friendly neighbourhood?’’ in Eds Cooper R, Burton E, Cooper G, Wellbeing: A Complete Reference Guide, Volume II, Wellbeing and the Environment Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford. ISBN: 978-1-118-60837-1.
Wood, L, Boruff, B, Smith, H (2013) When disaster strikes… how communities cope and adapt: a social capital perspective. In: Social Capital: Theory, Measurement and Outcomes. Nova Publishing, NY, USA.
Winstanley, M., Wood, L., (2012). Factors influencing the uptake and prevention of smoking. Tobacco in Australia: Facts and Issues (4th Ed). M. Scollo and M. Winstanley. Melbourne, Cancer Council of Australia.
Wood, L. & Christian, H. (2011). Dog walking as a catalyst for strengthening the social fabric of the community. In: Johnson, R, Beck, A, McCune, S. (eds.) The Health Benefits of Dog Walking for People and Pets. Evidence and Case Studies. Purdue University Press, USA.
Bull, F, Giles-Corti, B, Wood, L. (2010). Active Landscapes: An active nation – the methodological challenges in developing the evidence on urban environments and physical activity. In: Ward-Thompson, C, Bell, S, Aspinall, P. (eds.) Innovative Approaches to Researching Landscape and Health, Open Space: Open Space 2. Routledge, NY, USA.

Journal articles and proceedings

Wood L, Vallesi S, Tuson M, Hawkes, M. (2024). Perth’s First Medical Respite Centre: Evaluation of the Two-Year Pilot Model. Institute for Health Research. UNDA, Perth, WA.
Tuson, M, Lizama, N, Kameron, C, Gazey, A, Wood, L. (2024). Vape stores in Western Australia: growth, proximity to schools and socio-economic gradient of density. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 48(1), 100118.
Tuson M, Vallesi S, Wood L. (2024). Tracking deaths of people who have experienced homelessness: a dynamic cohort study in an Australian city. BMJ Open 14(3).
Wood L, Flatau P, Seivwright A, Wood N. (2021). Out of the trenches; prevalence of Australian veterans among the homeless population and the implications for public health. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health.46(2):134-141
Wood L, Davies A, Khan Z. Covid-19 Precautions–Easier Said Than Done When Patients Are Homeless. The Medical Journal of Australia (2020): 212(8); 384.

Conference papers

Wood L, Stafford A, Davies, A. (2024). The Power of Integration; a Joined-up Response to Homelessness Across Hospital, Primary Care and Community Services. International Conference of Integrated Care. Belfast, UK. 22 April 2024.
Jarvis E, Wood L. (2024). “It’s not just about teeth”. International Conference of Integrated Care. Belfast, UK. 22 April 2024.
Wood L (2023). Homelessness and Health Intertwined. NSW Health, Housing & Homelessness Community of Practice. 6 June 2023.
Wood L, Quilty S. (2022). Climate and the health of people experiencing homelessness. PHAA Prevention Conference. Brisbane Convention Centre. 13 May 2022.
Wood L, Vallesi S (2022). Inseparable: health, housing and life expectancy. Australian Zero Homelessness Summit. Brisbane Convention Centre. 27 October 2022.

In the media

250 newspaper article references to her research (international, national and WA)
38 radio interviews (national and WA)
7 TV news interviews (one national)
3 documentary interviews
4 articles in The Conversation
1 podcast with The Guardian (2024)

Professional affiliations

Public Health Association of Australia
Australian Health, Housing and Homelessness network (Australian Alliance to End Homelessness)
Australian Council on Smoking and Health
International Faculty for Inclusion Health
Special Interest Group for Inclusion Health auspiced by the International Foundation for Integrated Care.
Director on two not for profit Boards, Relationships Australia (WA) and "My Home" Australasia

Community engagement

Lisa is proactive in ensuring community engagement and participation is embedded in all research processes. In her homelessness research, building trust and credibility with vulnerable population groups and the community and health services working with them has been essential. Much of her research is undertaken in collaboration with community, health, homelessness or social sector organisations.

Awards

2024 Barry Marshall Travel Award, Spinnaker Health Research Foundation
2023 Excellence in Research and Evaluation: Therapeutic Community Research Award, Australiasian Therapeutic Communities Association
2021 PHAA 2021 Presidents Award, Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA, WA branch)
2021 PHAA 2021 Mentor Award, PHAA (WA branch)
2021 PHAA HEALTH PROMOTION SIG 2021 RESEARCHER AWARD FOR SERVICE. PHAA, Health Promotion Special Interest Group

Other

Lisa has secured over $10 million dollars in grant and commissioned research funding in the last decade, and has been an investigator on 55 grants, 25 as CI. She has led international, national, and state level research, almost always of a multi-disciplinary nature. While much of her research funding has come from category 1 schemes, she is proactive also in attracting industry (government and non-government) and philanthropic funding for research undertaken in real world settings.

Connect with Notre Dame on Social Media