Kristen Pickles

Dr. Kristen Pickles is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the School of Public Health at The University of Sydney, affiliated with the Wiser Healthcare collaboration and the Sydney Health Literacy Lab. Her research focuses on reducing overdiagnosis and environmental impacts of healthcare, with expertise in qualitative methods and behavioral interventions. She holds a PhD from the University of Sydney, investigating prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing perspectives among Australian and UK GPs.

Research Themes: Cancer screening, healthcare sustainability, and overdiagnosis. Key topics include clinician decision-making, patient-clinician communication, and reducing healthcare emissions.

Recent Work: Her articles address reducing greenhouse gas emissions in healthcare, optimizing telehealth during pandemics, and analyzing vaccine hesitancy in diverse communities. She co-leads projects on sustainable healthcare practices and co-designing interventions with clinicians and patients.

• Grants: Leads projects including NHMRC-funded work on inhaler sustainability and Sydney Environment Institute grants on low-carbon maternity care alternatives.
• Labs/Teams: Member of Sydney Environment Institute, Wiser Healthcare, and Sydney Health Literacy Lab.