Emma Thomas

Dr Emma Thomas is a Senior Research Fellow and NHMRC Emerging Leader Fellow in the Centre for Community Health and Wellbeing at The University of Queensland. Her research focuses on helping people with cardiovascular disease and other chronic health conditions live well over the long term.

Emma has particular expertise in the design, implementation, and evaluation of complex health interventions, including community-based cardiovascular prevention and rehabilitation, and uses telehealth and other innovative models of care to support care access and equity.

A central theme of her work is understanding how effective interventions can be translated from research into real-world practice at scale. Drawing on implementation science, health services research, and systems approaches, she examines how interventions can be delivered with quality, sustainability, and equity across diverse populations and settings.

The Centre for Community Health and Wellbeing is uniquely embedded within the city of Springfield, Australia's largest master-planned community. Through a place-based “Living Lab” approach, the team works with healthcare providers, community organisations, consumers, government, and industry partners to co-design, test, and scale innovative solutions to complex health challenges.

Emma's vision is to create healthier and more connected communities by developing evidence-based models that harness the strengths of people, places, and local systems to improve health outcomes and reduce inequities in care.