![Associate Professor Leigh Tooth](/sites/default/files/profiles/217.png)
Overview
Background
A/Prof Leigh Tooth is a Principal Research Fellow who specialises in research on maternal and child health and general women's health, in particular on women carers, health inequalities and the socio-economic determinants of health, quality of life and comorbidity.
A/Prof Leigh Tooth is currently Principal Research Fellow and Deputy Director of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH). She chairs the Data Access Committee of the ALSWH. She is CI on the NHMRC funded Centre for Research Excellence on Women and Non-communicable Disease (CRE WaND): Prevention and Detection (2019–2024). She was CI on the NHMRC funded Mothers and their Children’s Health Study (MatCH) (2014-2018). MatCH is investigating the relationship between mothers’ health history, since 1996, and the family environment to children’s health and development outcomes, including health service utilisation. She is also leading a program of research into health inequalities and the socio-economic determinants of health, and women carers. Her other current research interests are quality of life and comorbidity. Her previous research experiences include a NHMRC Public Health Fellowship (1999-2003), during which she investigated the short and long term functional and community outcomes of people following stroke, and being a NHMRC Fellow with the Longitudinal Studies Unit in the School of Public Health at the University of Queensland researching statistical methodology and teaching into the epidemiology program. She has a PhD and first class honours degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of Queensland.
Availability
- Associate Professor Leigh Tooth is:
- Not available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor (Honours) of Occupational Therapy, The University of Queensland
- Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland
Research interests
-
Health inequalities in lifecourse research
Impact of health inequalities on health outcomes across the lifecourse in women Impact of health inequalities on health service use Impact of intergenerational mobility of health inequalities on health outcomes
-
Maternal and child health
A/Prof Leigh Tooth is CI on the NHMRC funded Mothers and their Children’s Health Study (MatCH). MatCH is investigating the relationship between mothers’ health history, since 1996, and the family environment to children’s health and development outcomes, including health service utilisation.
-
chronic disease/multi-morbidity
Measurement of multi-morbidity Impact of mulit-morbidity on health outcomes in women
-
Caring
Impacts of caring on Australian women Determinants of transitions in caring by women Health service use of women carers
Research impacts
I have successfully led several major research projects which have focussed on elements of the Australian health care system. Several of my research publications and reports have informed health policy, for example by:
· Delivering policy recommendations about the use and impact of Medicare and DVA funded health care services on war widows to the DVA
· Delivering policy recommendations to inform the
1) Government’s National Respite for Carers Program, in particular the Employed Carers Innovative Project,
2) Report by the Centre for Health Service Development on “Effective Caring: A synthesis of the International Evidence on Carer Needs and Interventions”, and subsequently
3) Australian Government’s National Women’s Health Policy 2010.
I am also one of the founding chief investigators of the OTseeker (Occupational Therapy Systematic Evaluation of Evidence) database (http:\\www.otseeker.com). OTseeker contains citations and abstracts of >9000 systematic reviews and RCTs relevant to occupational therapy. All RCTs have been critically appraised and rated to assist therapists’ judge the quality and usefulness of trials to help inform clinical interventions and decision making. OTseeker is freely available worldwide. Since its launch in 2003, OTseeker has had >2 million visits; people accessing OTseeker come from >100 countries including the USA, UK, Canada, the Scandinavian countries, Japan, Germany, Senegal, Chad, Slovenia, Columbia, Georgia, Tanzania and Kuwait.
The quality and impact of OTseeker is reinforced by its continued external funding since 2002.
The international status and importance of OTseeker is further evidenced by:
· Endorsement at the International Conference on Evidence based Practice in 2004
· The invitation by the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) to the developers of OTseeker to contribute to the 2011 special edition WFOT bulletin on “Evidence based Occupational Therapy Practice around the Globe” (see publication A65).
· Endorsement during the opening keynote address at the 2013 Occupational Therapy Australia National Conference in Adelaide, in which Professor Marion Walker from the University of Nottingham, UK, said “… every occupational therapist should have OTseeker on their desktop.”
· Its description as a key resource in occupational therapy texts, research policy documents of international occupational therapy associations, journal articles and editorials, and its listing on hundreds of library and professional websites.
Works
Search Professor Leigh Tooth’s works on UQ eSpace
2009
Book
Caring and use of services in women born between 1946 and 1951: Findings from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health: Detailed report for the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing Carers Project, Stage 2, Phase 1
McKenzie, Samantha, Tooth, Leigh, Lucke, Jayne and Dobson, Annette (2009). Caring and use of services in women born between 1946 and 1951: Findings from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health: Detailed report for the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing Carers Project, Stage 2, Phase 1. Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH).
2009
Book
Caring for carers: Caring and use of services in women carers born between 1921 and 1926: Detailed report for the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing Carers Project, Stage 2, Phase 2
McKenzie, Samantha, Tooth, Leigh, Lucke, Jayne, Mendis, Shehara and Dobson, Annette (2009). Caring for carers: Caring and use of services in women carers born between 1921 and 1926: Detailed report for the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing Carers Project, Stage 2, Phase 2. Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH).
2009
Conference Publication
Living long and living well: Findings from the Australian longitudinal study on women’s health
Byles, J., Gibson, R., Tooth, L., Brilleman, S., Sibbritt, D. and Dobson, A. (2009). Living long and living well: Findings from the Australian longitudinal study on women’s health. 19th IAGG World Congress of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Paris, France, 5-9 July 2009. IAGG.
2009
Conference Publication
Australian longitudinal study on women’s health: Women, health and ageing
Byles, J., Pachana, N. and Tooth, L. (2009). Australian longitudinal study on women’s health: Women, health and ageing. 42nd National Conference of the Australian Association of Gerontology, Canberra ACT, Australia, 25–27 November 2009. Malden MA: Wiley - Blackwell Publishing. doi: 10.1111/j.1741-6612.2009.00397.x
2009
Conference Publication
Australian longitudinal study on women's health: Women, health and ageing
Byles, J., Pachana, N. and Tooth, L. (2009). Australian longitudinal study on women's health: Women, health and ageing. 42nd National Conference of the Australian Association of Gerontology, Canberra, ACT, Australia, 25-27 November 2009. Richmond, Vic., Australia: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Asia. doi: 10.1111/j.1741-6612.2009.00397.x
2008
Journal Article
Few urban-rural differences in older carers' access to community services
Lucke, Jayne, Russell, Anne, Tooth, Leigh, Lee, Christina, Watson, Melanie, Byrne, Gerard, Wilson, Andrew and Dobson, Annette (2008). Few urban-rural differences in older carers' access to community services. Australian Health Review, 32 (4), 684-690. doi: 10.1071/AH080684
2008
Journal Article
Interventions for stroke rehabilitation: analysis of the research contained in the OTseeker evidence database
Hoffmann, Tammy, Bennett, Sally, McKenna, Kryss, Green-Hill, Julie, McCluskey, Annie and Tooth, Leigh (2008). Interventions for stroke rehabilitation: analysis of the research contained in the OTseeker evidence database. Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation, 15 (4), 341-350. doi: 10.1310/tsr1504-341
2008
Journal Article
Weighted Multi-Morbidity Indexes Predict Mortality, Health Service Use and Health-Related Quality of Life in Older Women
Tooth, Leigh, Hockey, Richard, Byles, Julie and Dobson, Annette (2008). Weighted Multi-Morbidity Indexes Predict Mortality, Health Service Use and Health-Related Quality of Life in Older Women. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 61 (2), 151-159. doi: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2007.05.015
2008
Conference Publication
The impact of caring roles on women's mental health
Tooth, L., Lucke, J., Russell, A., Byrne, G., Lee, C., Wilson, A. and Dobson, A. (2008). The impact of caring roles on women's mental health. 3rd International Congress on Women's Mental Health, Melbourne, Australia, 17-20 March 2008.
2008
Conference Publication
Systematic reviews: Evidence for occupational therapy interventions
Bennett, Sally, McCluskey, A., Tooth, L., Hoffmann, T., McKenna, K. and Walsh A. (2008). Systematic reviews: Evidence for occupational therapy interventions. OT Australia: 23rd National Conference & Exhibition 2008 - Creating the future: to inspire, to explore, to take action, Melbourne, 11-13 September 2008. Australian Association of Occupational Therapists.
2008
Journal Article
Impact of cognitive and physical impairment on carer burden and quality of life
Tooth, L., Russell, A., Lucke, J., Byrne, G., Lee, C., Wilson, A. and Dobson, A. (2008). Impact of cognitive and physical impairment on carer burden and quality of life. Quality of Life Research, 17 (2), 267-273. doi: 10.1007/s11136-007-9300-7
2008
Conference Publication
Few urban-rural differences in older carers’ access to community services
Tooth, Leigh, Lucke, Jayne, Russell, Anne, Lee, Christina, Watson, Melanie, Byrne, Gerard, Wilson, Andrew and Dobson, Annette (2008). Few urban-rural differences in older carers’ access to community services. 41st National Conference of the Australian Association of Gerontology, Fremantle, Western Australia, 18-21 November 2008. Melbourne: AJA.
2008
Conference Publication
Impact of cognitive and physical impairment on carer burden and quality of life.
Tooth, L., Russel, A., Lucke, J., Byrne, G., Lee, C., Wilson, A. and Dobson, A. (2008). Impact of cognitive and physical impairment on carer burden and quality of life.. Australian Association of Gerontology Conference, Freemantle, Western Australia, 19 -21 November, 2008.
2008
Journal Article
Which splint? Dynamic versus static progressive splinting to mobilise stiff joints in the hand
Fleming, Jenny, Glasgow, Celeste and Tooth, Leigh (2008). Which splint? Dynamic versus static progressive splinting to mobilise stiff joints in the hand. British Journal of Hand Therapy, 13 (4), 104-110. doi: 10.1177/175899830801300401
2008
Conference Publication
Relative survival as an indicator of generalisability for longitudinal studies of older people
Tooth, Leigh, Hockey, Richard and Dobson, Annette (2008). Relative survival as an indicator of generalisability for longitudinal studies of older people. Population Health Congress 2008, Brisbane, Qld, Australia, 6- 9 July, 2008.
2007
Journal Article
Evidence for Occupational Therapy Interventions: Effectiveness Research Indexed in the OTseeker Database
Bennett, Sally, McKenna, Kryss, McCluskey, Annie, Tooth, Leigh, Hoffmann, Tammy and Strong, Jenny (2007). Evidence for Occupational Therapy Interventions: Effectiveness Research Indexed in the OTseeker Database. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 70 (10), 426-430. doi: 10.1177/030802260707001003
2007
Journal Article
The value of an evidence database for occupational therapists: An international online survey
Bennett, S, McKenna, K, Hoffmann, T, Tooth, L, McCluskey, A and Strong, J (2007). The value of an evidence database for occupational therapists: An international online survey. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 76 (7), 507-513. doi: 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2006.02.005
2007
Journal Article
Quality and quantity of paediatric research: An analysis of the OTseeker database
Hoffmann, T., McKenna, K., Hadi, T., Bennett, S., McCluskey, A. and Tooth, L. (2007). Quality and quantity of paediatric research: An analysis of the OTseeker database. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 54 (2), 113-123. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1630.2006.00588.x
2006
Journal Article
Evidence-based occupational therapy [2]
McCluskey, A., McKenna, K., Bennett, S., Hoffmann, T., Tooth, L. and Strong, J. (2006). Evidence-based occupational therapy [2]. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 69 (3), 144-145.
2006
Book Chapter
Planning educational interventions
McKenna, K. T. and Tooth, L. R. (2006). Planning educational interventions. Client Education: A Partnership Approach for Health Practitioners. (pp. 112-127) edited by K. McKenna and L. Tooth. Sydney: UNSW Press.
Funding
Current funding
Supervision
Availability
- Associate Professor Leigh Tooth is:
- Not available for supervision
Supervision history
Current supervision
-
Doctor Philosophy
Reproductive events and workforce participation across the life course
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Michael Waller
-
Doctor Philosophy
Infertility/subfertility and health in later life
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Gita Mishra
-
Doctor Philosophy
Rheumatoid Arthritis in Australian Women
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Ahmed Mehdi, Professor Gita Mishra, Professor Ranjeny Thomas
Completed supervision
-
2019
Doctor Philosophy
The influence of pre-pregnancy weight and weight changes on pregnancy complications and child growth and development
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Gita Mishra
-
2015
Doctor Philosophy
Perceived neighbourhood cohesion and health among mid-aged Australian women
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Annette Dobson
-
2022
Doctor Philosophy
Postpartum depression in Australia: an exploration of profiles and characteristics
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Gita Mishra
-
2016
Doctor Philosophy
Social inequalities in body weight trajectory among young women: The role of reproductive events
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Gita Mishra
-
2012
Doctor Philosophy
Dynamic Splinting the Stiff Hand: Improving Evidence to Optimize Clinical Outcomes
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Jennifer Fleming
-
2010
Doctor Philosophy
The 'golden hour': an examination of mortality from major trauma in an informal, decentralised state-wide emergency medical system
Associate Advisor
-
2003
Master Occupational Therapy
THE SUITABILITY AND COMPREHENSIBILITY OF WRITTEN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY EDUCATION MATERIAL FOR ELDERLY PEOPLE
Associate Advisor
Media
Enquiries
Contact Associate Professor Leigh Tooth directly for media enquiries about:
- carers, caregivers, caring, women`s physical/mental health, health inequalities, multi-morbidit
Need help?
For help with finding experts, story ideas and media enquiries, contact our Media team: