Dr Vivian Isaac, Research Lead, Rural and Remote Health
Briefly describe your current role. I’m the College’s Research Lead for Rural and Remote Health. I’m a senior lecturer and Portfolio Advisor for Advanced Studies, and I contribute to the rural community-engaged medical education and research program of Rural and Remote Health in South Australia.
In this role I work towards raising the profile of rural and remote health research in the College, facilitate collaboration with health services and local communities and build research partnerships to support our students and researchers. I’m keen to strengthen the health research capacity in our regions and encourage and support local clinicians and researchers by developing research communities of practise. Ultimately, I aim to promote a high-quality research culture that translates to improved health outcomes for our rural and remote communities.
What do you value most about working at Flinders? I truly value the social accountability and commitment of Flinders to the vulnerable section of our community. I’ve always been particularly fascinated and inspired by the commitment of our rural and remote colleagues on the shared vision to make a difference to the communities in which we live and work. I hope our research and efforts make a meaningful difference to vulnerable people locally and internationally.
What’s one thing you couldn’t live without? If I say, “It’s my wife and kids”, my wife would correct me to say “it’s your phone”! But of course, it would be my family.
What is your proudest achievement to date at Flinders? We have built a good research culture in our sites across our Flinders footprint with our colleagues in SA and the NT. We have progressed our research and successfully completed several projects despite significant changes. We have strengthened our partnerships with our local health services and significantly increased the number of local projects and audits for our student to engage and develop. The proudest I feel, is when one of our rural student’s paper is published.
Tell us something about yourself others may not know.
I was born in Chennai (formerly known as Madras), South India; I started my career as a social worker and then travelled, studied, and worked in the UK, Singapore and Sydney before moving to Renmark. I enjoy my work, but most weekends also like to unwind with relaxing music on a long drive. I play tennis to keep fit, enjoy strumming my guitar, and love cooking for family and friends.