Lareesa Ryan

Lareesa Ryan

School of Public Health

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences


Dr Lareesa Ryan is an early career researcher in the field of public health focusing on health services research. She holds a Bachelor of Health & Medical Sciences (Public Health) with First Class Honours and recently a PhD within the School of Public Health at the University of Adelaide.

Her doctoral project titled "Addressing the Growing Burden of Concomitant Illnesses in Indonesia” focused on providing evidence on the changing trends of concomitant illnesses in pregnant women across a broad range of diseases. The growth of non-communicable diseases and persistent high rates of infectious diseases being experienced in many Low and Middle Income Countries, including Indonesia, has expanded the disease burden in pregnant women to a greater number of concomitant illnesses in addition to obstetric-related complications (such as haemorrhage). The project also focused on how the health system in Indonesia can be strengthened to provide maternal care for concomitant illnesses. It identified several areas of the health system that need to be strengthened in order to deal with this changing burden including at a system-wide level and at the tertiary level. This project used multi-methods including epidemiology, qualitative research and a medical case note review study to achieve this.

Her research interests include health systems and policy research, maternal and child health, sexual and reproductive health, and global health.

Currently, she works as a Postdoctoral Researcher in the School of Public Health & is involved in projects with a particular focus on health workforce planning in South Australia and nationally, in the areas of palliative care and junior medical officers.

  • Appointments

    Date Position Institution name
    2019 - 2022 Academic Tutor and Marker The University of Adelaide
  • Awards and Achievements

    Date Type Title Institution Name Country Amount
    2021 Scholarship Neville Derrington Hicks PhD Scholarship in Public Health Policy The University of Adelaide Australia -
    2020 Research Award Florey Postgraduate Research Conference School of Public Health Prize The University of Adelaide Australia -
    2019 Scholarship Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship The University of Adelaide Australia -
    2019 Scholarship The DR Stranks Travelling Fellowship The University of Adelaide Australia -
  • Language Competencies

    Language Competency
    English Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review
  • Education

    Date Institution name Country Title
    The University of Adelaide Australia Doctor of Philosophy in Public Health
    The University of Adelaide Australia Honours Degree in Bachelor of Health and Medical Sciences (Public Health)
    The University of Adelaide Australia Bachelor of Health Sciences (Public Health)
  • Research Interests

  • Journals

    Year Citation
    2022 Ryan, L. M., Mahmood, M. A., Mufiddah, I., Yulianti, M., & Laurence, C. O. (2022). Concomitant illnesses in pregnancy in Indonesia: A health systems analysis at a District level.. PLoS One, 17(12), e0279592.
    DOI
    2021 Ryan, L. M., Mahmood, M. A., & Laurence, C. O. (2021). Incidence of concomitant illnesses in pregnancy in Indonesia: Estimates from 1990–2019, with projections to 2030. The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific, 10, 100139.
    DOI Scopus3 WoS1 Europe PMC2

Bachelor of Medical Studies (BMD program)

2022, 2023 - Associate Lecturer - Health & Society Domain

Bachelor of Health & Medical Sciences Degree

2021 – Tutor - HLTH SC 2105: Reflect. Research. Resolve (RRR) Questions in Health

2019 – Tutor - PUB HLTH 1001: Health and Illness in Populations

2019, 2020 – Academic Marker - PUB HLTH 1004: Human Health and Environment

2020 –  Academic Marker - PUB HLTH 3008: Reawakening Health Systems: People Planning and Policy

Master of Public Health (MPH)

2023 - Academic Marker - PUB HLTH 7078: Qualitative Research Methods in Health

2021 – Academic Marker - PUB HLTH 7092: Health Systems, Systems Thinking & Advocacy for Change

2021 - Academic Marker - PUB HLTH 7079: MPH Professional Practice Placement

2021 - Academic Marker - PUB HLTH 7096: Making Healthy Public Policy

  • Committee Memberships

    Date Role Committee Institution Country
    2021 - ongoing Representative School of Public Health Research Committee The University of Adelaide Australia
  • Memberships

    Date Role Membership Country
    2018 - ongoing Member Public Health Association of Australia Australia
    2018 - ongoing Member Public Health Association of Australia International Health SIG Australia
  • Community Engagement

    Date Title Engagement Type Institution Country
    2019 - ongoing HDR Representative School of Public Health Scientific Community Engagement The University of Adelaide -

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