Laura Alston

Dr. Laura Alston is a Senior Research Fellow at Deakin University's Faculty of Health, School of Medicine, and serves as the Director of Research at Colac Area Health. Her work bridges academic research with practical healthcare applications in rural settings, focusing on health disparities and dietary interventions.

Her educational background includes:

• Doctor of Philosophy from Deakin University
• Bachelor of Nutrition & Dietetics from Deakin University
• Masters of Business Administration from Kaplan Business School, Australia (2020-2024)
• Graduate Certificate of Diabetes Education from Mayfield Education, Australia (2012-2013)

Dr. Alston's research centers on investigating rural health disparities in Australia and globally, with particular emphasis on the role of dietary intake in these differences. Her work employs systems thinking approaches to understand complex health issues in rural communities, addressing cardiovascular diseases, food environments, and prevention strategies. She has developed expertise in co-design methodologies, working closely with rural communities to create effective health interventions that address local needs and contexts.

Analysis of Dr. Alston's extensive publication record reveals a strong focus on rural health challenges, particularly in food environments, dietary interventions, and healthcare access. Her recent work demonstrates a consistent application of co-design and systems thinking methodologies to address complex health issues in rural communities. The publications span multiple disciplines including public health, nutrition science, implementation science, and health services research, with particular emphasis on practical solutions for improving health outcomes in underserved rural populations.

Dr. Alston has received numerous prestigious awards and fellowships, including:

• National Heart Foundation Post-Doctoral Fellowship (2020)
• World Heart Federation Emerging Leader (2019)
• Western Alliance Associate Research Fellowship (2019-2021)
• Graduate Women's Victoria Research award (2018)
• National Heart Foundation Collaboration and Exchange Award (2021)

As an active mentor and supervisor, Dr. Alston currently oversees four doctoral students working on projects related to emergency department visits, systems thinking in health services, health geography tools, and dysphagia quality of life. Her research program is supported by substantial funding, with involvement in over $14 million in research grants, including major projects funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF), and National Heart Foundation. She serves as a mentor for various programs including the Dietitians Australia mentor program for provisional Accredited Practising Dietitians and the Department of Health and Human Services Allied Health Research Framework scheme.

Dr. Alston leads the Colac Area Health Research Unit, establishing research infrastructure in this medium-sized rural town. She also contributes to the Global Obesity Centre and Deakin Rural Health initiatives, creating networks that connect academic research with rural healthcare delivery. Her work demonstrates how research can be embedded within smaller rural hospitals to build sustainable research capacity and directly benefit rural health services, with her paper on establishing the Colac research unit providing guidance for similar initiatives nationwide.