Miss Alanna Sincovich
School of Public Health
College of Health
Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.
Alanna is a Senior Research Officer at the Telethon Kids Institute and an Adjunct Fellow in the School of Public Health at the University of Adelaide. Her research takes a population health approach to ensuring all children are supported to reach their developmental potential.Alanna has worked across a range of projects in Australia and internationally, spanning early childhood education, population monitoring of children’s development, child and adolescent wellbeing, stunting and school feeding interventions, early years pedagogy, school readiness assessment, parenting interventions, as well as health and development among children with a culturally and linguistically diverse background, and children experiencing disability or complex needs. Internationally, Alanna consults for the World Bank, working with global teams on the design, implementation, and impact evaluation of child health, development, and education interventions in low- and middle-income countries.Completed in 2022, Alanna’s PhD research sought to improve population measurement and monitoring of children's early development in low- and middle-income countries. Her project focused on the early Human Capability Index, capturing holistic early child development across diverse cultures. Alanna coordinated adaptation of instrumentation to local context, in country training and data collection, and analysis and reporting on data into scientific outputs and policy briefs, leading to significantly greater investments in child health and development in these countries.Alanna brings expertise in research design, program evaluation, evidence synthesis, cross-cultural research, psychometric assessment of measurement instruments, and research translation to inform policy. She sits on the Public Health Association of Australia SA Branch Executive Committee and has a strong commitment to public health advocacy. Alanna is passionate about student mentoring and is available for supervision of postgraduate students.
| Date | Position | Institution name |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 - ongoing | Adjunct Fellow | University of Adelaide |
| 2022 - ongoing | Senior Research Officer | Telethon Kids Institute |
| 2015 - ongoing | Consultant (Early Child Development) | World Bank |
| 2013 - 2022 | Research Assistant | Telethon Kids Institute |
| Date | Type | Title | Institution Name | Country | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Scholarship | Child and Youth Health Conference Scholarship | Public Health Association of Australia | Australia | - |
| 2022 | Award | Student Prize, Population Health Congress | Australasian Epidemiological Association | Australia | - |
| 2022 | Award | Stan & Jean Perron Post-PhD Career Launching Award | Telethon Kids Institute | Australia | - |
| 2022 | Award | Dean's Commendation for Doctoral Thesis Excellence | University of Adelaide | Australia | - |
| 2021 | Scholarship | Travel and Development Award | Healthy Development Adelaide | Australia | - |
| 2020 | Scholarship | Travel Award, World Congress of Epidemiology | Australian Epidemiological Association | Australia | - |
| 2019 | Award | Student Prize, 7th Conference of the International Society for Child Indicators | International Society for Child Indicators | Estonia | - |
| 2018 | Scholarship | International Health Postgraduate Student Scholarship | Public Health Association of Australia | Australia | - |
| 2017 | Scholarship | Commonwealth Scholarship Program for South Australia | Australian Federal Government | Australia | - |
| Date | Institution name | Country | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 - 2022 | University of Adelaide | Australia | PhD (Public Health) |
| 2012 - 2012 | University of Adelaide | Australia | BPsych (Hons) |
| 2009 - 2011 | University of Adelaide | Australia | BPsych |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Sincovich, A., Sechague Monroy, N., Smithers, L. G., Brushe, M., Boulton, Z., Rozario, T., & Gregory, T. (2025). Breakfast skipping and academic achievement at 8-16 years: a population study in South Australia.. Public Health Nutr, 28(1), e28. Scopus5 WoS4 Europe PMC4 |
| 2025 | Burnell, S., Brushe, M. E., Sechague Monroy, N., Gregory, T., & Sincovich, A. (2025). The Association Between Breakfast Skipping and Positive and Negative Emotional Wellbeing Outcomes for Children and Adolescents in South Australia. Nutrients, 17(8), 16 pages. Scopus1 WoS1 Europe PMC1 |
| 2025 | Gavin, A., Brushe, M., & Sincovich, A. (2025). Children arriving hungry in the first year of school: population trends in Australia from 2009 to 2021. Public Health Research and Practice, 35(2), 3 pages. |
| 2025 | Munro, E., Fletcher, T., Brushe, M., Sincovich, A., Ismail, Z., Mandzufas, J., & Lombardi, K. (2025). #Parentingtips: A Descriptive Study of Information for Parents on TikTok. Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 36(4), 6 pages. |
| 2024 | Sechague Monroy, N., Brushe, M., Sincovich, A., Boulton, Z., & Gregory, T. (2024). Associations between mental health profiles and later school outcomes. Australian Journal of Education, 68(3), 199-223. Scopus2 WoS2 |
| 2024 | Gregory, T., Monroy, N. S., Grace, B., Finlay-Jones, A., Brushe, M., Sincovich, A., . . . Brinkman, S. A. (2024). Mental health profiles and academic achievement in Australian school students. Journal of School Psychology, 103, 101291-1-101291-15. Scopus10 WoS8 Europe PMC7 |
| 2023 | Sincovich, A., Lam, B., Gregory, T., Rodilosso, N., & Brinkman, S. (2023). Early childhood education quality and child development in lao pdr. Population Medicine, 5(Supplement), 344. |
| 2023 | Mandzufas, J., Ayalde, J., Ta, D., Munro, E., Paciente, R., Pranoto, E. P., . . . Lombardi, K. (2023). The Investigation of Health-Related Topics on TikTok: A Descriptive Study Protocol. Digital, 3(1), 97-108. Scopus16 |
| 2023 | Sincovich, A., & Lassi, Z. S. (2023). Putting a price on nurturing care.. Lancet Glob Health, 11(8), e1154-e1155. |
| 2022 | Brushe, M. E., Islam, T., Monroy, N. S., Sincovich, A., Gregory, T., Finlay-Jones, A., & Brinkman, S. A. (2022). Prevalence of electronic device use before bed among Australian children and adolescents: a cross-sectional population level study. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 46(3), 286-291. Scopus8 WoS7 Europe PMC4 |
| 2022 | Sincovich, A., Moller, H., Smithers, L., Brushe, M., Lassi, Z. S., Brinkman, S. A., & Gregory, T. (2022). Prevalence of breakfast skipping among children and adolescents: a cross-sectional population level study.. BMC Pediatrics, 22(1), 220-1-220-10. Scopus39 WoS37 Europe PMC31 |
| 2021 | Sincovich, A., & Brinkman, S. (2021). 800A census approach to monitoring child development - informing policy and practice beyond survey samples. International Journal of Epidemiology, 50(Supplement_1). |
| 2021 | Moller, H., Sincovich, A., Gregory, T., & Smithers, L. (2021). Breakfast skipping and cognitive and emotional engagement at school: A cross-sectional population level study.. Public Health Nutr, 25(12), 1-10. Scopus16 WoS15 Europe PMC11 |
| 2021 | Gregory, T., Sincovich, A., Brushe, M., Finlay-Jones, A., Collier, L. R., Grace, B., . . . Brinkman, S. A. (2021). Basic epidemiology of wellbeing among children and adolescents: a cross-sectional population level study. SSM Popul Health, 15, 100907. Scopus9 WoS10 Europe PMC6 |
| 2020 | Sincovich, A., Gregory, T., Harman Smith, Y., & Brinkman, S. A. (2020). Exploring associations between playgroup attendance and early childhood development at school entry in Australia: a cross-sectional population-level study. American Educational Research Journal, 57(2), 475-503. Scopus11 WoS11 |
| 2020 | Rao, N., Mirpuri, S., Sincovich, A., & Brinkman, S. A. (2020). Overcoming challenges in measuring early childhood development across cultures.. The Lancet. Child & adolescent health, 4(5), 352-354. Scopus13 WoS11 Europe PMC6 |
| 2020 | Sincovich, A., Gregory, T., Zanon, C., Santos, D. D., Lynch, J., & Brinkman, S. A. (2020). Measuring early child development in low and middle income countries: Investigating the validity of the early Human Capability Index. SSM - Population Health, 11(100613), 1-12. Scopus11 WoS11 Europe PMC5 |
| 2020 | Rao, N., Richards, B., Lau, C., Weber, A. M., Sun, J., Darmstadt, G. L., . . . Ip, P. (2020). Associations Among Early Stimulation, Stunting, and Child Development in Four Countries in the East Asia–Pacific. International Journal of Early Childhood, 52(2), 175-193. Scopus15 WoS16 |
| 2019 | Sincovich, A., Gregory, T., Zanon, C., Santos, D. D., Lynch, J., & Brinkman, S. A. (2019). Measuring early childhood development in multiple contexts: the internal factor structure and reliability of the early Human Capability Index in seven low and middle income countries. BMC Pediatrics, 19(1), 471-1-471-14. Scopus16 WoS13 Europe PMC8 |
| 2019 | Rao, N., Sun, J., Richards, B., Weber, A. M., Sincovich, A., Darmstadt, G., & Ip, P. (2019). Assessing Diversity in Early Childhood Development in the East Asia-Pacific. Child Indicators Research, 12(1), 235-254. Scopus31 WoS27 |
| 2019 | Rao, N., Richards, B., Sun, J., Weber, A., & Sincovich, A. (2019). Early childhood education and child development in four countries in East Asia and the Pacific. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 47, 169-181. Scopus65 WoS58 |
| 2018 | Sincovich, A., Gregory, T., Wilson, A., & Brinkman, S. (2018). The social impacts of mining on local communities in Australia. Rural Society, 27(1), 18-34. Scopus42 WoS35 |
| 2018 | Sun, J., Lau, C., Sincovich, A., & Rao, N. (2018). Socioeconomic status and early child development in East Asia and the Pacific: The protective role of parental engagement in learning activities. Children and Youth Services Review, 93, 321-330. Scopus43 WoS40 |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2021 | Sincovich, A., & Brinkman, S. (2021). A census approach to monitoring child development informing policy and practice beyond survey samples. In INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY Vol. 50 (pp. 1 page). OXFORD UNIV PRESS. |
| 2021 | Sincovich, A., Gregory, T., Lynch, J., & Brinkman, S. (2021). EARLY CHILD DEVELOPMENT AT 2-5 YEARS PREDICTS COGNITIVE OUTCOMES AT 6-9 YEARS IN LAO PDR: A CASE FOR POPULATION MONITORING USING THE EARLY HUMAN CAPABILITY INDEX IN LOW AND MIDDLE INCOME COUNTRIES. In JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY AND COMMUNITY HEALTH Vol. 75 (pp. A6-A7). BMJ PUBLISHING GROUP. DOI |
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Location | Program | Supervision Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 - 2022 | Principal Supervisor | Effect of breakfast skipping on child and adolescent wellbeing and academic outcomes | Princeton University | Global Health Internship | Other | - | Tia Rozario |
| 2022 - 2022 | Principal Supervisor | Children’s home learning environments across low- and middle-income countries | Princeton University | Global Health Internship | Other | - | Emily Trieu |
| 2021 - 2021 | Co-Supervisor | Early childhood education quality and children’s development in Lao PDR | Princeton University | Global Health Internship | Other | - | Nathalie Rodilosso |
| 2021 - ongoing | Co-Supervisor | The home learning environment and early child development in low and middle income countries | The University of Adelaide | Master of Public Health | Master | - | Yihua Su |
| 2020 - 2020 | Co-Supervisor | Breakfast skipping and school engagement | The University of Adelaide | Master of Public Health | Master | - | Hero Moller |
| Date | Role | Committee | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 - ongoing | Member | Early-Mid Career Researcher Council | Telethon Kids Institute | Australia |
| 2020 - ongoing | Member | South Australian Branch Executive Committee | Public Health Association of Australia | Australia |
| 2019 - ongoing | Member | Playgroup Australia National Advisory Group | Playgroup Australia | Australia |
| Date | Role | Membership | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 - ongoing | Member | Society for Research in Child Development | United States |
| 2022 - ongoing | Member | Australian Graduate Women | Australia |
| 2021 - ongoing | Member | Women in Global Health Australia | Australia |
| 2020 - ongoing | Member | International Society of Global Health | United Kingdom |
| 2018 - ongoing | Member | Healthy Development Adelaide | Australia |
| 2018 - ongoing | Member | Public Health Association of Australia | Australia |
| 2018 - ongoing | Member | International Society for Child Indicators | Australia |
| 2018 - ongoing | Member | Asia-Pacific Regional Network for Early Childhood Development | Singapore |
| 2018 - ongoing | Member | Australasian Epidemiological Association | Australia |
| Date | Topic | Presented at | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 - 2022 | Breakfast skipping in South Australian schools | South Australian Healthy Lifestyle State Research Forum | University of South Australia | - |
| 2022 - 2022 | Breakfast skipping in South Australian schools: prevalence, school engagement, and next steps | Population Health Congress 2022 | Public Health Association of Australia | - |
| 2021 - 2021 | Stronger Starts Brighter Futures: Exploring trends in the early development of children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in Australia. | 2021 Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) National Conference | Australian Government Department of Education | - |
| 2021 - 2021 | A census approach to monitoring child development: informing policy and practice beyond survey samples | International Epidemiological Association’s World Congress of Epidemiology | International Epidemiological Association | - |
| 2021 - 2021 | Early child development at 2–5 years predicts cognitive outcomes at 6–9 years in Lao PDR: A case for population monitoring using the early Human Capability Index in low and middle income countries | Social Science and Medicine Annual Scientific Meeting | Society for Social Medicine and Population Health | - |
| 2021 - 2021 | Does provision of meals in early childhood education contribute to catch-up growth among stunted children in Lao PDR? | 16th Congress of Asian Society for Pediatric Research | Asian Society for Pediatric Research | - |
| 2020 - 2020 | Measuring early child development across contexts: the early Human Capability Index. . | Symposium on Quality of Early Childhood Education, Child Development and Interventions | China Institute of Educational Finance Research, Peking University | China |
| 2019 - ongoing | The challenges of evaluating interventions in low and middle income countries | Guest lecture in Global Public Health, Masters of Public Health | The University of Adelaide | Australia |
| 2019 - ongoing | Tracking progress against SDG 4.2: capturing culturally-relevant early childhood development | 7th Conference of the International Society for Child Indicators | International Society for Child Indicators | Estonia |
| 2019 - ongoing | The Sustainable Development Goals | Guest lecture in Global Public Health, Masters of Public Health | The University of Adelaide | Australia |
| 2019 - ongoing | Measuring early childhood development across contexts: The factor structure of the early Human Capability Index (eHCI) across seven low and middle income countries | 7th Conference of the International Society for Child Indicators | International Society for Child Indicators | Estonia |
| 2018 - ongoing | The influence of playgroup attendance on early childhood development in Australia | 2018 National Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) Conference | Australian Government Department of Education | Australia |
| 2018 - ongoing | Validating a population measure of early childhood development in low and middle income countries: The early Human Capability Index | School of Public Health Seminar | The University of Adelaide | Australia |
| 2018 - ongoing | The social impacts of mining on local communities in Australia | University of New South Wales Arts and Social Sciences Global Development Week | University of New South Wales | Australia |
| 2016 - ongoing | Inequality in child development across China | Fifth International Conference on Poverty Reduction and Child Development | China Development Research Foundation | China |