Curtin University has appointed leading epidemiologist Professor Rosa Alati as the new Head of the School of Public Health.
Following an extensive national and international search and a rigorous selection process, Professor Alati will join Curtin later this year from her role as Group Leader and Professor of life course epidemiology at the Institute for Social Science Research at the University of Queensland.
Curtin University Faculty of Health Sciences Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Archie Clements said he was delighted to announce Professor Alati’s new appointment.
“Professor Alati’s research has been instrumental in identifying key risk factors for substance use and mental health disorders. Her national leadership in this area makes her an ideal candidate to take up the position as the new Head of the School of Public Health at Curtin University,” Professor Clements said.
“I look forward to seeing how Professor Alati’s experience and expertise enrich the education of students and guide academic staff at a time when public health education and research has arguably never been more important, given the many health challenges society is currently facing.”
Professor Alati said she was excited to start the new role and help guide the future direction of the School of Public Health at Curtin.
“I look forward to working collegially at Curtin to promote the School’s excellence in teaching, research and engagement in Australia and internationally,” Professor Alati said.
Professor Alati is an international leader in the field of life course epidemiology of health. After obtaining her PhD from the University of Queensland in 2004, she has been on a fast-paced trajectory for research, supported by a competitive funding base to the value of $16 million.
Professor Alati was promoted to full professor in 2014, ten years after the award of her PhD. During this time, she became lead investigator on large birth cohort studies in Australia and overseas; won awards for research excellence, secured three consecutive NHMRC fellowships and national and international grants to support her research. She has been visiting professor at Oxford, Bristol and Bologna Universities.
Professor Alati has more than 170 publications, most of which are in high impact journals, such as JAMA Psychiatry and the British Journal of Psychiatry among others.
In recent years, Professor Alati has worked towards linking familial administrative data in a longitudinal way to develop large datasets of mothers and their children to investigate causal pathways to health and diseases.
