Health Sciences

School of Public Health

Dr Priscilla Robinson

Contact Details

Email: priscilla.robinson@latrobe.edu.au
Phone: (03) 9479 5595
International: +61 3 9479 5595
Fax: (03) 9479 1783
International: +61 3 9479 1783
Office: HS1-125

Qualifications

BNurs, RGN, RHD, RHV, Manc (UK), MPH Monash, MHScPHP La Trobe, PhD Melb

Undergraduate and professional certificates
Bachelor of Nursing (School of Medicine, University of Manchester 1971)
Registered General Nurse (Manchester 1971)
Registered District Nurse (Manchester 1971)
Registered Health Visitor (Manchester 1971)
Fieldwork Teachers Certificate (Chiswick 1974)
Postgraduate
Master of Public Health (Monash, 1993)
Master of Health Science (Public Health Practice) (La Trobe 1999)
PhD (School of Medicine, University of Melbourne, 2003)

Interests

Priscilla Robinson's original training was at the medical school of the University of Manchester, in the north of England where, along with a degree in nursing, she gained qualifications in general nursing, district nursing and health visiting (the equivalent of maternal and child health nursing in Australia).

I made the move from community health to public health through a public health unit and a reference laboratory in the 1980s in Gloucestershire whilst involved in studies of communicable diseases, in particular meningococcal infection. Relocating to Australia in 1989 provided me with an opportunity to complete postgraduate public health training at Monash. In 1995 I secured a much-valued place on the Victorian Public Health Training Scheme, following which my abiding interest in mengingococci provided me with the impetus for further studies at the University of Melbourne. I have worked in both community health and public health settings, and have worked for several years for health authorities in Gloucestershire UK and the Victorian Department of Human Services; both these authorities are responsible for program delivery to several million people.

At La Trobe I am appointed as a senior lecturer, and I am involved in teaching in a wide variety of courses, including the applied epidemiology, communicable diseases, health policy and sociology. I am the course coordinator for the La Trobe Master of Public Health (part of the Victorian Consortium for Public Health MPH courses) and Master of Health Science (Public Health Practice and Public Health Law) programmes, and also teach in the International Health Programme for Monash University through the Burnet Centre for International Health.

Research Interests

My research interests focus primarily on data quality, surveillance and risk factors, from a very wide range of subject areas. At present my research include aspects of meningococcal disease, Legionnaires' disease, and public health reporting in the media, although I have to confess to being happy to count, measure and stratify just about anything. Public health interests outside work revolve around the Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA), an organisation which I have belonged to since I arrived in Australia. I am currently embarked on a second term on the Victorian PHAA committee, with a special focus on providing a seminar series for Victorian members.

Publications

Lin, Vivian, Smith, James, Fawkes, Sally, Robinson, Priscilla M., & Chaplin, S. (2007). Public health practice in Australia: The organised effort. Sydney: Allen & Unwin.

Robinson, Priscilla. (2007). Book review: Berger, S.A. & Marr, J.S. (2006). Human parasitic diseases sourcebook. Massachussets: Jones & Bartlett. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 30(5), 100.

van Buynder, Spinks, J., S, P., & Robinson, P. M. (2006). Bushfires and tank rainwater quality: A cause for concern? Journal of Water and Health, 4, 21-28.

Walker, R., Robinson, P., Tebbutt, J., Lin, V., & Bisset, P. (2006). Emergency management risk communication. Melbourne: Department of Human Services.

Lin, Vivian, and Priscilla M Robinson. 2005. Australian public health policy in 2003-2004. Australia and New Zealand Health Policy 2 (7): http://www.anzhealthpolicy.com/content/2/1/7.

Robinson, Priscilla M. 2005. Review of: Kawachi, I. & Berkman, L.F. (Eds). (2003). Neighbourhoods and Health. OUP. Australian Journal of Primary Health 11 (2):156.

Robinson, Priscilla M. 2005. Review of: Liamputtong, P. & Ezzy, D. Qualitative research methods (2nd ed.). Australian Journal of Primary Health 11 (2):159.

Robinson, Priscilla M. 2005. Review of: Leung, P.C. & Ooi, E.E. (2003). SARS War: Combating the disease. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health 29 (2):191.

Robinson, Priscilla M. 2005. Review of: Koh, T., Plant, A., & Lee, E.H., (2003). The New Global Threat – Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome and its impacts. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health 29 (2):191.

Wallis, L., and Priscilla M Robinson. 2005. Soil as a source of Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 (LP1). Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health.

Robinson, Priscilla M. 2005. Review of: Simpson, S.P. & Straus, M.C. (2003). Horticulture as therapy. New York: Food Products Press. Australian Journal of Primary Health 11 (3).

Robinson, Priscilla M. 2005. Review of: Berglund, C. & Saltman, D. (2002). Communication for health care. Melbourne: OUP. Australian Journal of Primary Health 11 (3).

Robinson, Priscilla M, Vivian Lin, Carla Troy, and Hilary Robinson. 2005. Canada to Australia: e-migrating an on-line public health education programme. Proceedings of the PHAA Conference, Perth, September. (Abstract).

Robinson, Priscilla M, Cathy Bennett, Helen Keleher, and Flavia Ciccutini. 2005. Does the VCPH MPH programme successfully teach public health? Proceedings of the PHAA Conference, Perth, September. (Abstract).

Robinson, Priscilla M, David Legge, and Chris King. 2005. Which sociologies should we teach students of Public Health? Proceedings of the PHAA Conference, Perth, September. (Abstract).

Walker, Rae, Priscilla M Robinson, Vivian Lin, and Penny Bissett. 2005. Community trust in risk situation communications. Proceedings of the PHAA Conference, Perth, September. (Abstract).

Guy, R. J., R. Di Natale, H.A. Kelly, S.B. Lambert, S. Tobin, Priscilla M Robinson, G. Tallis, and A.W. Hampson. 2004. Influenza outbreaks on aged-care facilities: Staff vaccination and the emerging use of antiviral therapy. Medical Journal of Australia 180 (12):640-642.

Robinson, Priscilla M. 2004. Editorial: Public health success stories - infectious diseases. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health 28 (3):205-206.

Robinson, Priscilla M. 2004. Influenza outbreaks on aged-care facilities: Staff vaccination and the emerging use of antiviral therapy. Medical Journal of Australia 180 (12):640-642.

Robinson, Priscilla M. 2004. Review of "The International Vaccine Scene". Australian Health Review 28 (2):206.

Robinson, Priscilla M, and Vivian Lin. 2004. Quality control in data collection and capacity building for data collections systems. (Pre-conference workship report for: Global Issues in Surveillance of Health Behaviours in Populations: Translating Data into Action. 3rd International Scientific Meeting.

Robinson, Priscilla M, Vivian Lin, and La Trobe University Project team (Deakin University, Monash University, and the University of Melbourne). 2004, October. Report for the Victorian Consortium for Public Health entitled: Student Survey for the Victorain Consortium for Public Health

Counahan, M., Robin, S., Andrews, R. M., & Robinson, P. M. (2003). Measles - get vaccinated! Victorian Infectious Diseases Bulletin, 6(2), 33-34.

Guy, R. J., Andrews, R. M., Robinson, P. M., & Lambert, S. B. (2003). Mumps and rubella surveillance in Victoria: 1993-2000. Communicable Diseases Intelligence, 27(1), 94-99.

Robinson, P. M. (2003). Review of: Garrett, L. (2002). Betrayal of trust. Oxford University Press. Australian Mosaic Magazine, 4(Spring).

Robinson, P. M. (2003). Review of: Gregg, M.A. (Ed). Field epidemiology (2nd ed.). Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 27(5), 567-568.

Robinson, P., Lester, R. Meningococcal disease in Victoria, 1990-2001. Health of Victorians - The Chief Health Officer's Bulletin, 2002. 2 (2), 35-39.

Tribe, D., Zaia, A., Griffith, J., Robinson, P., Li, H., Taylor, K., and Hogg, G.G. Increase in meningococcal disease associated with the emergence of a novel ST-11 variant of serogroup C Neisseria meningitidis in Victoria, Australia, 1999-2000. Epidemiology & Infection. 2002, 128, 7-14.

Robinson, P., Taylor, K., and Nolan, T. Risk-factors for meningococcal disease in Victoria, Australia, in 1997. Epidemiology.&.Infection, 127:261-268, 2001.

Robinson, P., Griffith, J., Taylor, K., Carnie, J., Jolley, D., Hogg, G.G., and Nolan, T. Laboratory enhanced surveillance for meningococcal disease in Victoria. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 27:S7-S12, 2001.

Robinson, P., Jenney, A.W., Tachado, M., Yung, A., Mannitta, J., Taylor, K., and Biggs, B.A. Imported malaria treated in Melbourne, Australia: epidemiology and clinical features in 246 patients. Journal of Travel Medicine, 8:76-81, 2001.

Robinson, P., Taylor, K., Tallis, G., Carnie, J., Rouch, G., Griffith, J., Tribe, D., Zaia, A., Li, H., and Hogg, G.G. An outbreak of serogroup C meningococcal disease associated with a secondary school. Communicable Diseases Intelligence, 25:121-125, 2001.

Skull, S., Butler, J., Robinson, P., and Carnie, J. Should programmes for community-level meningococcal vaccination be considered in Australia? An economic evaluation. International Journal of Epidemiology, 30:571-578, 2001.

Griffith, J., Zaia, A., Tribe, D., Hogg, G.G., Taylor, K., and Robinson, P. Update on meningococcal disease in Victoria (editorial). VICBUG /SCIC, 67:16, 2000.

Kelsall, H., Robinson, P., and Howse, G. Public Health Law and Quarantine in a Federal System. Journal of Law and Medicine, 7:87-95, 1999.

Robinson, P. Meningococcal disease and the law: does non-notification really happen? Communicable Diseases Intelligence, 23:97-101, 1999.

Griffith, J., Robinson, P., and Taylor, K. Meningococcal disease in Victoria, 1992-1997. VICBUG, 7-8, 1998.

Garland, S., Tabrizi, S., Robinson, P., Hughes, C., Markman, L., Devenish, W., and Kliman, L. Hepatitis C - role of perinatal transmission. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 38:424-427, 1998.

Robinson, P. and Nolan, T. Paediatric slow-speed non-traffic fatalities: Victoria, Australia 1985-1995. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 29:731-737, 1997.

Pilotto, L.S., Douglas, R.M., Burch, M.D., Cameron, S., Beers, M., Rouch, G., Robinson, P., Kirk, M., Cowie, C.T., Hardiman, S., Moore, C., and Attewell, C. Health effects of exposure to cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) during recreational water-related activities. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 21:562-566, 1997.

Stuart, J.M., Robinson, P., Cartwright, K.A., and Noah, N.D. Antibiotic prescribing during an outbreak of meningococcal disease. Epidemiology & Infection. 117:103-105, 1996.

Robinson, P., Peel, M., Skowronski, G., and Rouch, G. Toxic shock syndromes in Australia and New Zealand 1990-1994. Communicable Diseases Intelligence, 20:336-339, 1996.

Hogg, G.G., Strachan, J., Huayi, L., Beaton, S., Robinson, P., and Taylor, K. Non-toxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae biovar gravis: evidence for an invasive clone in a south-eastern Australian community. Medical Journal of Australia, 164:72-75, 1996.