Researcher biography

Professor Elizabeth Eakin is Head of School and Principal Research Fellow in the School of Public Health, University of Queensland. As a behavioural scientist working in the field of population health, she has developed an internationally recognised program of research in health behaviour interventions in chronic disease prevention and management. Her research emphasises CONSORT-designed, pragmatic randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of physical activity, dietary behaviour and weight loss interventions, using broad-reach delivery modalities (telephone and text messaging) to maximise population reach. Attention is given to rigorous measurement of health behaviours and biomarkers of disease risk; development of intervention protocols guided by and contributing to the science of behaviour change and maintenance; and systematic evaluation of outcomes important to informing translation into practice, including cost-effectiveness. She has developed numerous partnerships across the cancer control community – including with consumers, clinicians, researchers nationally and internationally and cancer control organisations - which have facilitated the uptake her team's work on telephone health coaching by state-level organisations across Australia.

Elizabeth has been awarded 15 years of continuous NHMRC Research Fellowship funding and is a Thompson-Reuters Highly Cited Scholar for 2016, 2017 and 2018. She has been Associate Dean (Research) Faculty of Medicine (2017 - 2020), Director of the Cancer Prevention Research Centre in the School of Public Health (2011 - 2019), Head of the School's Division of Disease Prevention and Control from 2013 - 2016, Deputy Head of School from 2016 - 2017 and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.