About
Biography
Dr Rachel Cole is a Lecturer in Public Health in the School of Health with experience and a passion for working with industry to create active and healthy community environments using upstream systems-based approaches to integrate health and well-being across sectors. Dr Cole currently holds a joint industry position with the local Primary Health Network, and prior to her appointment at UniSC in 2012, also held various public sector industry positions at state policy, regional and local levels in health promotion and epidemiology for 15 years.
Research
Dr Cole’s research involves collaborating with leading researchers from various disciplines on understanding environmental attributes of active and healthy living to inform urban planning policy and practice. Her research spans innovative analyses of large datasets to understand associations between environmental determinants and healthy and active living, to understanding, developing and evaluating health-related policies and programs.
Key publications
- Sugiyama, T., Cole, R., Hadgraft, N., Owen, N., Thompson, R.G., Chandrabase, M. Area-level associations of travel behaviour metrics with waist circumference: Findings from linkage of travel and health surveys. Scientific Reports, 13, 2023. doi:10.1038/s41598-023-35335-w
- Cole, R., Sugiyama, M., Owen, N., Sugiyama, T. Variations between major and regional Australian cities in physically active and sedentary travel behaviors. Cities, 114: 1-7 2021. doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2021.103200
- Sugiyama, T., Kubota, A., Sugiyama, M., Cole, R., Owen, N. Distances walked to and from local destinations: Age-related variations and implications for determining buffer sizes. Journal of Transport and health, 15, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2019.100621
- Cole, R., Turrell, G., Koohsari M.J., Owen, N., Sugiyama, T. Prevalence and correlates of walkable short car trips: A cross-sectional multilevel analysis. Journal of Transport and Health, 4: 73-80, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2016.11.007
- Sugiyama, T., Cole, R., Koohsari, M.J., Kynn, M., Sallis, J.F., Owen, N. Associations of local-area walkability with disparities in residents’ walking and car use. Preventive Medicine, 120: 126-130, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2019.01.017
- Koohsari, M.J., Cole, R., Oka, K., Shibata, A., Hanibuchi, T., Owen, N., Sugiyama, T. Associations of built environment attributes with bicycle use for transport. Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science, 47(9): 1745-1757, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1177/2399808319845006
- Sugiyama, T., Cole, R., Thompson, R., Sahlqvist, S., Herick de Sa, T., Carver, A., Astell-Burt, T. Area-level socio-economic disparities in active and sedentary transport: Investigating the role of population density in Australia. Journal of Transport and health, 6: 282-288, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2017.04.009
- Loh, V., Sahlqvist, S., Veitch, J., Carver, A., Ayala, A.M.C., Cole, R., Timperio, A. Substituting passive for active travel: What is the potential among adolescents? International Journal of Sustainable Transportation, 16(1): 84-93, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1080/15568318.2021.1979137
Engagement
In her industry and engagement roles, Dr Cole uses data and evaluation to inform evidence-based activities, population planning including co-design and participatory partnerships and community assessment, and re-orienting health sectors toward systems thinking and health promotion approaches to creating healthy and active communities.
Key publications:
- Cole, R., Kynn, M., Carberry, A., Jones, R., Parekh, S., Whitehead, E., Taylor, J., Merollini, K. Examining service utilisation and impact among consumers of a national mental health stepped care programme in Australia: A protocol using linked administrative data. BMJ Open, 13(7): 1-10, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-072404
- Colley, J., Parekh, S., Whitehead, E., Cole, R. Building a strong foundation: Overcoming obstacles in applied health systems research through a collaborative approach from funders. Health Services Insights, 15: 1-2, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1177/11786329221146386
- Taylor, J., Cole, R., Kynn, M., Lowe, J. Home away from home: Health and wellbeing benefits of men's sheds. Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 29(3): 236-42, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1002/hpja.15
Teaching and learning
During her time at UniSC, Dr Cole has taught courses in public health, health promotion, research and epidemiology at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Her teaching uses real-world case studies to engage and inform students, and blended and flipped pedagogical approaches including pre-recorded content videos, face-to-face and real-time online workshops, interactive online platforms and platforms that provide immediate feedback to check understanding.
Key publications
- Donnison, S., Dunn P.K., Cole, R., Bulmer, M., Roiko, A., and Muller, F. Enhancing curriculum in epidemiology and biostatistics through simulation-based learning. International Research in Education, 4(1): 11-26, 2016. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.5296/ire.v4i1.8064
- Taylor, J., Cole, R., Foster, J.A., Lilly, K., Tretheway, R., Kynn, M. Evaluating flipping in public health courses: Development and pilot of the Flipped Classroom Student Engagement Questionnaire (FCSEQ). Council of Academic Public Health Institutions Australia (CAPHIA) Teaching and Learning Forum, 2014 (Perth, Australia, 18-Sep-2014 - 19-Sep-2014)