Rachel Tham

Research Fellow

1.   Oral health
2.   Health service models
3.   Health inequalities
4.   Environmental Health
5.   International health

Rachel joined the School of Rural Health in April 2007 as a Research Fellow after completing the two-year Victorian Public Health Training Scheme (Department of Human Services and La Trobe University).

She has 20 years clinical and research experience as a dentist within the private and public health sectors in metropolitan and rural areas of Australia, New Zealand and England. Her particular clinical interests lie with providing oral health care to people living with special needs: frail aged, people living with blood-borne viruses, homeless people, people with psychiatric disability and people with alcohol and drug dependency.
 
Rachel completed the Master of Public Health in 2003 and Master of Health Sciences in Public Health Practice in May 2007 which provided her with the opportunity to develop her research skills and expand her clinical and research interests into broader public health areas.

Rachel’s research interests include oral health, health workforce, health inequalities, the impact of ecosystem change on public health, environmental health, ethics and human rights, building effective collaborations, and international health.

Rachel is bringing together her clinical, academic and research experiences with those of the staff at the School of Rural Health to assist with the development of dynamic research that will aim to improve quality of life of people living in regional and rural areas.

Tham R., Humphreys J., Kinsman L., Buykx P., Asaid A., and Tuohey K. (2011) Study protocol: Evaluating the impact of a rural primary health care service on rural health, BMC Health Services Research, 11: 52.

Tham R., Humphreys J., Kinsman L., Buykx P., Asaid A., Tuohey K., and Riley K. (2010) Evaluating the impact of sustainable comprehensive primary health care on rural health, Australian Journal of Rural Health, 18: 166-172.

Tham R., Erbas B., Akram M., Dennekamp M., & Abramson, M.J. (2009). The impact of smoke on respiratory hospital outcomes during the 2002-2003 bushfire season, Victoria, Australia, Respirology, 14(1): 69-75.

Tham R.C.A., Cassell E. & Calache H. (2009). Traumatic orodental injuries and the development of an orodental injury surveillance system: a pilot study in Victoria, Australia, Dental Traumatology, 25(1): 103-109.

Palmer R., Lemoh C., Tham R.C., Hakim S., Biggs B. (2009) Sudanese women living in Victoria, Australia: health information seeking behaviours and the availaibility, effectiveness and appropriateness of HIV/AIDS information, Diversity in Health and Care, 6(2):109-120

'Strengthening the Bite – Improving oral health care for people living in aged care facilities in Hepburn Shire, Victoria.'
This rural region is experiencing increasing ageing populations who are retaining their teeth and increasing demands for oral health services within an environment of limited funding and workforce shortages. This presents complex challenges for health services to plan appropriate, effective and sustainable oral health care that maximises general health and quality of life for older dependent people. This project aims to identify oral health needs, address barriers to oral health care experienced by people living in aged care facilities, and build oral health care capacity in dental and aged care staff.

'Developing oral health teams in rural Victorian residential aged care facilities.'
Oral health in rural areas, especially among the older people, is currently a major health problem in Victoria. Aged care staff are the first-line managers of oral health problems experienced by residents in aged care facilities. However these staff report minimal training in the provision of oral care, limited ability to identify significant oral conditions and lack confidence. This research project will evaluate and document an intervention designed to build capacity within aged care staff to provide efficient high-quality oral hygiene care that will form the basis for a training resource that can be used in other aged care facilities.

'Making a Difference – The impact of an innovative primary health service on a rural community.'  This project aims to undertake a comprehensive evaluation of the role and impact of the Elmore Primary Health Service on the health status of its catchment community in terms of quality of care, service sustainability, impact on health service use, health behaviours and community viability. Knowledge of these key issues provides a platform of evidence on which other small rural and remote communities can model their own health services as a means of maximising access to vital comprehensive primary health care and thereby bringing about improved health outcomes through health promotion, prevention of ill-health and early intervention.

'Oral health status, treatment needs and psycho-social determinants among older adults living in a regional centre of Victoria.'
This study aims to address the limited understanding of oral health in older rural populations by obtaining unique and comprehensive information on oral health status and diseases, oral health knowledge, attitudes and practices, quality of life, and the patterns of use and barriers to use of oral health care services.   Information from this project will inform targeted public oral health goals, assist the enhancement of oral health programs, services and policies for rural communities, particularly for older people. It is anticipated that the study findings will also suggest new directions for research in this area.