Kym McCormick
Postdoctorate Researcher
Adelaide Dental School
Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
With a foundational background in behavior modeling and eyewitness identification, my research bridges psychological modeling techniques and public health. Initially trained in developing mathematical models for eyewitness identification decisions, I transitioned to oral health research to address pressing gaps in understanding and diagnosing periodontitis. My work focuses on applying advanced modeling techniques to track disease progression at a granular, tooth-specific level. By leveraging predictive machine learning and spatial network models, I aim to improve the precision of periodontitis diagnostics and risk prediction, moving toward a more individualized approach to oral health.
My experience in behavior modeling informs my approach to understanding complex disease patterns, particularly where patient behavior, health outcomes, and environmental factors intersect. This interdisciplinary perspective supports my goal of refining diagnostic tools within oral health and developing more representative population health models. My research aligns with my commitment to applying robust, data-driven methods to solve real-world health issues and improve outcomes across patient demographics.
Research Interests
My research focuses on advancing the understanding and classification of periodontitis through innovative modeling techniques, with an emphasis on tooth-level analysis for more accurate measurement of disease progression. I aim to address critical gaps in diagnostic standardization within oral health. Currently, I am developing predictive models for tooth loss and periodontitis spread using machine learning, with a particular focus on spatial models and network analysis to inform individualized care strategies.
Future Directions
Ongoing projects are directed toward enhancing risk estimation in periodontitis, integrating diverse oral health data sources, and advancing personalized oral health strategies. My collaborative interests include applying machine learning within epidemiological studies to drive precision in public health applications and to ultimately improve patient outcomes in the field of oral health.
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Appointments
Date Position Institution name 2023 - ongoing Postdoctorate Research Associate University of Adelaide 2022 - 2022 Research Associate University of Adelaide 2012 - 2014 Senior Consultant (Management) KPMG Australia -
Awards and Achievements
Date Type Title Institution Name Country Amount 2022 Award The Frank Dalziel Prize The University of Adelaide Australia - 2022 Award Dean's Commendation for Doctoral Thesis Excellence The University of Adelaide Australia - -
Education
Date Institution name Country Title 2018 - 2022 University of Adelaide Australia PhD in Medicine (Psychology) 2017 - 2017 University of Adelaide Australia Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours) 2009 - 2011 University of Adelaide Australia Bachelor of Commerce (Management) -
Research Interests
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Journals
Year Citation 2024 McCormick, K. M., Ribeiro Santiago, P. H., & Jamieson, L. (2024). The impact of COVID-19 on the oral health self-care practices of Australian adults. Journal of Public Health (Germany), 10 pages.
2023 McCormick, K. M., Sethi, S., Haag, D., Macedo, D., Hedges, J., Quintero, A., . . . Santiago, P. H. R. (2023). Development and validation of the COVID-19 Impact Scale in Australia (07 sept, 10.1080/03007995.2023.2247323, 2023). CURRENT MEDICAL RESEARCH AND OPINION, 39(10), I.
2023 Santiago, P. H. R., Soares, G. H., McCormick, K. M., Gregory, T., Sawyer, A., Smithers, L. G., & Jamieson, L. (2023). The longitudinal network structure of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: insights from a national Australian study.
2023 McCormick, K. M., & Semmler, C. (2023). Letting go of the Grail: Falsifying the theory of ‘true’ eyewitness identifications.
2023 McCormick, K. M., Sethi, S., Haag, D., Macedo, D. M., Hedges, J., Quintero, A., . . . Ribeiro Santiago, P. H. (2023). Development and validation of the COVID-19 Impact Scale in Australia. Current Medical Research and Opinion, 39(10), 1341-1354.
2022 McCormick, K. M. (2022). Comments on the use of mathematical models in eyewitness identification research.
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Conference Items
Year Citation 2024 McCormick, K., Ribeiro Santiago, P. H., & Jamieson, L. (2024). COVID-19 pandemic impacts on the oral health self-care practices of Australian adults. Poster session presented at the meeting of International Association of Dental Research. New Oreleans. 2020 McCormick, K. M., Semmler, C., & Dunn, J. (2020). Is eyewitness memory continuous or ‘all-or-none’?. Poster session presented at the meeting of OSF Meetings: SARMAC 2019. Cape Cod, MA: OSF. 2019 McCormick, K., Semmler, C., & Dunn, J. C. (2019). Using the rank order task to estimate discriminability in eyewitness identification. Poster session presented at the meeting of Australasian Mathematical Psychology Conference. Melbourne, Australia. 2018 McCormick, K., Semmler, C., & Dunn, J. C. (2018). How model testing can facilitate improvements to the performance of diagnostic procedures. Poster session presented at the meeting of Florey Postgraduate Research Conference. National Wine Centre of Australia. 2018 McCormick, K., Semmler, C., & Dunn, J. (2018). Eyewitness Identification: a test of continous and discrete state accounts. Poster session presented at the meeting of Psychonomics International, Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Abstract book. Amsterdam, Netherlands. -
Theses
Year Citation 2022 McCormick, K. (2022). Developing a Strong(er) Theory of Eyewitness Memory: The Selection, Verification, and Application of Mathematical Models of Identification Decisions. (PhD Thesis, University of Adelaide). -
Preprint
Year Citation 2024 Santiago, P. H. R., Smithers, L. G., Townsend, M., Quintero, A., Sawyer, A., Soares, G. H., . . . Jamieson, L. (2024). The longitudinal network of peer problems and emotional symptoms among Australian adolescents: Bayesian structure learning of directed acyclic graphs.
DOI2023 McCormick, K. M., Sethi, S., Haag, D. G., Macedo, D. M., Hedges, J., Quintero, A., . . . Santiago, P. H. R. (2023). Development and validation of the COVID-19 Impact Scale in Australia.
DOI2023 McCormick, K. M., Santiago, P. H. R., Sethi, S., Zimet, G., Jamieson, L., & Hedges, J. (2023). Network psychometric properties of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Australians: a hierarchical Exploratory Graph Analysis.
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Memberships
Date Role Membership Country 2023 - ongoing Member International Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research Australia 2019 - ongoing Member Society for Mathematical Psychology Australia 2019 - ongoing Member Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition Australia
Connect With Me
External Profiles