Karen Carlisle

Dr Karen Carlisle is an Associate Professor, Medical Education and health services researcher at the College of Medicine and Dentistry at James Cook University and the Anton Breinl Research Centre for Health Systems Strengthening (within the Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, AITHM).  Her research employs interdisciplinary approaches and utilises qualitative and mixed methods, alongside implementation science. Dr. Carlisle’s work is underpinned by collaboration across disciplines, policy, community, and practice, ensuring that diverse perspectives and expertise contribute to meaningful health improvements.

With a background in applied psychology and education, Dr Carlisle career reflects transdisciplinary approaches to increase equity for under-served populations across a number of settings in the UK and Australia.  Prior to joining JCU, Karen’s research on cross-sectoral collaboration for at risk children revealed the pivotal role educational institutions play in fostering community relations in post-conflict societies and introduced innovative collaborative models for schools. Findings from this initiative and the Sharing Education Program have transformed post-primary education in Northern Ireland, promoting equality of opportunity and respect for identity, diversity, and community cohesion.

Dr Carlisle joined JCU in 2016 as a Research Fellow and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2019. Dr. Carlisle's research at JCU is focused on enhancing access to healthcare and improving health outcomes for rural and remote communities in Australia and the broader Asia-Pacific region, with a particular emphasis on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.  She has been a chief investigator for NHMRC (Quality improvement in Indigenous primary health care: Leveraging Effective Ambulatory Practices and Working it Out Together! Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander led co-design for a strong and deadly health workforce) and ARC (Optimising the roles of online communities in rural resilience) grants. Dr Carlisle has also collaborated with local and international partners on research and evaluation projects including World Health Organisation, Department of Health and Aged Care, Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council, Primary Health Networks and Queensland Mental Health Commission.

Dr. Carlisle serves as the Course Coordinator for the Postgraduate Health Professional Education courses and Research Electives, and currently holds the position of Chair for the Postgraduate Coursework committee at CMD. In addition, she teaches within the MBBS program and is the Subject Coordinator for Psychological Medicine and Human Development. Dr. Carlisle is also dedicated to mentoring the next generation of researchers, providing supervision to HDR candidates as well as Masters and Honours students across various health disciplines. Her leadership and commitment to education significantly enhance the academic environment and support the development of future health professionals.

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ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1781-4057