APrf Rhiannon Pilkington
Internally Grant-Funded Research Associate Professor
School of Public Health
College of Health
Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.
School of Public Health | BetterStart Health and Development Research Group
Rhiannon is an Associate Professor in the School of Public Health, University of Adelaide, co-Director of the BetterStart group and the BEBOLD platform, and University of Adelaide Thriving Families co-lead, alongside Professor John Lynch. She is an epidemiologist with expertise in translational research, data analytics, and linked administrative data. Her research focusses on informing how we can ensure every child, young person and family in disadvantaged circumstances receives the support they need. Research focus areas span early childhood education and care, child protection and child maltreatment, youth justice, and the use of quasi-experimental methods to investigate the longer-term impact of policies and programs on health, development and wellbeing outcomes. Rhiannon works with government and non-government organisations across Australia, using their data to bring a public health perspective to service design and delivery.
BetterStart Child Health and Development Research Group Student Projects
For information on available projects please view the following booklet: School of Public Health Student Projects
| Date | Position | Institution name |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 - ongoing | Associate Professor | The University of Adelaide |
| 2012 - 2013 | Public Health Tutor for the Bachelor of Health Sciences | The University of Adelaide |
| 2010 - 2014 | Research Associate | The University of Adelaide |
| 2009 - 2010 | Epidemiological Research Officer | SA Health |
| Date | Institution name | Country | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 - 2014 | The University of Adelaide | Australia | PhD |
| 2010 - 2012 | The University of Adelaide | Australia | Graduate Diploma in Public Health |
| 2004 - 2008 | Flinders University | Australia | Bachelor of Psychology (Hons) |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2021 | Chittleborough, C., Brown, T., Schuch, H., Kalamkarian, A., Pilkington, R., Montgomerie, A., . . . Lynch, J. (2021). Thriving in adversity: positive child development despite early disadvantage in a whole-of-population data linkage study. In INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY Vol. 50 (pp. 1 page). ELECTR NETWORK: OXFORD UNIV PRESS. DOI |
| 2021 | Chittleborough, C., Schuch, H., Pilkington, R., Montgomerie, A., Grant, J., Petersen, J., & Lynch, J. (2021). Considering child maltreatment in social inequalities of educational achievement: a whole-of-population data linkage study. In INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY Vol. 50 (pp. 48). ELECTR NETWORK: OXFORD UNIV PRESS. DOI |
| 2019 | Begum, M., Pilkington, R. M., Chittleborough, C. R., Lynch, J. W., Penno, M., & Smithers, L. G. (2019). MATERNAL SMOKING DURING PREGNANCY AND RISK OF TYPE 1 DIABETES: WHOLE-OF-POPULATION STUDY. In JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY AND COMMUNITY HEALTH Vol. 73 (pp. A36-A37). BMJ PUBLISHING GROUP. DOI |
| 2019 | Begum, M., Chittleborough, C. R., Pilkington, R. M., Mittinty, M., Lynch, J. W., Penno, M., & Smithers, L. G. (2019). EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES AMONG CHILDREN WITH TYPE 1 DIABETES: WHOLE-OF-POPULATION STUDY. In JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY AND COMMUNITY HEALTH Vol. 73 (pp. A55-A56). BMJ PUBLISHING GROUP. DOI |
| 2018 | Montgomerie, A., Pilkington, R., Chittleborough, C., Petersen, J., & Lynch, J. (2018). Young maternal age as a predictor of children’s experience of out of home care. In XXII Congress of International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN) Abstract Book (pp. 315). Prague, Czech Republic. |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2017 | Gialamas, A., Montgomerie, A., Pilkington, R., & Lynch, J. (2017). Risk Factors for Child Protection Notification Under Age One: SA Birthing Hospitals 2010-2013. |
| 2017 | Gialamas, A., Pilkington, R., & Lynch, J. (2017). CaFHS Foundation Services Priority Groups. |
| 2017 | Pilkington, R. M., & Lynch, J. (2017). Vulnerability in early life in South Australia. A research brief for the SA Child and Family Health Service.. Internal Government Report. |
| 2017 | Montgomerie, A., Pilkington, R. M., & Lynch, J. (2017). Does an extra year of preschool matter? A research brief for the SA Department of the Premier and Cabinet and the SA Department for Education and Child Development.. |
| 2017 | Pilkington, R. M., & Lynch, J. (2017). Children in Out of Home Care in South Australia. A research brief for the SA Department of the Premier and Cabinet. Internal government report. |
| 2017 | Pilkington, R. M., & Lynch, J. (2017). A population profile by CaFHS regions. A research brief for the SA Child and Family Health Service.. Internal government report. |
| 2016 | Pilkington, R. M., & Lynch, J. (2016). Child Protection in South Australia. A research brief for the SA Department of the Premier and Cabinet and the SA Department for Education and Child Development.. |
| 2016 | Nuske, T., Pilkington, R., Gialamas, A., Chittleborough, C., Smithers, L., & Lynch, J. (2016). The SA Early Childhood Data Project: Updated Report. Adelaide: University of Adelaide. |
| 2015 | Pilkington, R., Gialamas, A., & Lynch, J. (2015). Emotionally Vulnerable and Disadvantaged Boys. |
| 2015 | Pilkington, R., Gialamas, A., & Lynch, J. (2015). Service Contact Profiles across the South Australian Government: The Top 100 Children. |
| 2014 | Pilkington, R., Scalzi, D., Gialamas, A., Smithers, L. G., Chittleborough, C., & Lynch, J. (2014). The South Australian early childhood health and development project: initial report. Adelaide: The University of Adelaide. |
| 2012 | Bromfield, L. (2012). Child protection in Australia: Source details - Title: Child protection systems: an international comparison of "good practice examples" of five countries (Australia, Germany, Finland, Sweden, United Kingdom) with recommendations for Sweden. Switzerland: The Swiss Project Fund for Child Protection. |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Judd, J., Pilkington, R., Malvaso, C., Procter, A., Montgomerie, A., Anderson, J., . . . Chittleborough, C. (2023). Mental health-related hospitalisations among adolescents with previous child protection contact from birth to age 11. DOI |
| Yr | Type* | Role | Amount / y | Indicative Title |
| 2021 | SA Dept. Human Services | CIA | $200,000 | Demand exceeds supply: System capacity to prevent child maltreatment |
| 2021 | NSW Ministry of Health | Co-CI | $480,000 | Sustaining NSW Families Evaluation |
| 2021 | Ch 7 CRF | CID | $100,000 | Novel linkage to study childhood disability and the genetic and non-genetic causes of cerebral palsy-2 years |
| 2020 | NHMRC CTCS | CIB | $1.2M, 4y. | Transforming the health system response to child maltreatment |
| 2020 | Ch 7 CRF | CIB | $96,517 2y. | Young parents and child protection |
| 2020 | Ch 7 CRF | CIB | $95,848 2y. | Children crossing over from out-of-home care into youth justice |
| 2020 | Ch 7 CRF | CIB | $99,951 2y. | Embedding a therapeutic intervention to reduce child maltreatment into routine antenatal care |
| 2019 | SA Dept. Human Services | CIA | $36,000 6mth | Evaluation of the Child and Family Assessment and Referral Networks |
| 2019 | Vic DHHS | CIB | $1.5M, 3y. | Data analytics to improve child protection |
| 2019 | SA Dept. Child Protection | CIB | $134,415, 1y. | Developing a child protection model of care |
| 2019 | Ch 7 CRF | CIC | $72,000, 2y. | Children thriving in adversity |
| 2018 | SA CaFHS | CIB | $37,136, 1y. | Data analytics to inform the CaFHS re-design |
| 2017 | SA CaFHS | CIB | $18,568.44 1y. | Data analytics to inform the CaFHS re-design |
| 2018 | SA Education Dept. | CIB | $24,415, 6mth. | Research support to the Early Years Strategic team |
| 2016 | SA Dept. Premier & Cabinet | CIB | $998,989, 3y. | Developing the SA Early Childhood Data Project |
| 2016 | Ch 7 CRF | CIA | $69,754, 2y. | Child maltreatment and school outcomes |
Course coordinator:
· Level II Bachelor of Health and Medical Sciences, Epidemiology for Health and Medical Sciences (2018)
Practical facilitator or tutor:
· Level I Bachelor of Health and Medical Sciences, Health and Illness in Populations (2015 to 2019)
· Level II Bachelor of Health and Medical Sciences, Epidemiology for Health and Medical Sciences (2017, 2018)
Guest lecturer:
· Level I Bachelor of Health and Medical Sciences, Health and Illness in Populations (2018, 2019)
· Level II Bachelor of Health and Medical Sciences, Advanced Innovation and Entrepreneurship in health (2019)
· Level III Bachelor of Health and Medical Sciences, Big Challenges in Public Health (2018, 2019)
· Masters of Public Health, Epidemiological Research Methods (2017)
· Masters of Public Health, Introduction to Epidemiology (2019)
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Program | Degree Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Principal Supervisor | Using linked administrative data and cross-country comparisons to investigate the applications of overseas models in South Australian community services: A homelessness example | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | Jessica Ann Dobrovic |
| 2023 | Principal Supervisor | Using linked administrative data and cross-country comparisons to investigate the applications of overseas models in South Australian community services: A homelessness example | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Jessica Ann Dobrovic |
| 2022 | Principal Supervisor | Investigating the intersection of parental substance misuse and child protection contact using whole of population linked data enriched with service system perspectives | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | Miss Kimberly Klassman |
| 2022 | Co-Supervisor | Moving towards a fairer Australia: disentangling multidimensional disadvantage and child protection contact | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Anna Anne Kalamkarian |
| 2022 | Co-Supervisor | Moving towards a fairer Australia: disentangling multidimensional disadvantage and child protection contact | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Anna Anne Kalamkarian |
| 2022 | Principal Supervisor | Investigating the intersection of parental substance misuse and child protection contact using whole of population linked data enriched with service system perspectives | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Kimberly Klassman |
| 2018 | Co-Supervisor | Child Maltreatment in Children of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Background | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | Dr Razlyn Abdul Rahim |
| 2018 | Co-Supervisor | Child Maltreatment in Children of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Background | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Dr Razlyn Abdul Rahim |
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Program | Degree Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 - 2025 | Co-Supervisor | Investigating out-of-home care contact and mental health sequelae | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | Miss Jessica Renee Judd |
| 2016 - 2020 | Co-Supervisor | The incidence, risk factors and implications of type 1 diabetes: whole-of-population linked-data study of children in South Australia born from 1999-2013 | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Dr Mumtaz Begum |
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Location | Program | Supervision Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 - ongoing | Principal Supervisor | Child protection outcomes among children notified before birth | The University of Adelaide | Master of Counselling and Psychotherapy | Master | Part Time | Laura Gough |
| 2017 - 2017 | Co-Supervisor | Potentially preventable hospitalisations: Considering injuries as part of a child focussed- definition | University of Adelaide | Bachelor of Health Sciences (Hons) | Honours | Full Time | Alexandra Procter |
| Date | Role | Committee | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 - ongoing | Member | First 1000 Days Working Group, SA Health Women’s and Children’s Health Network. | Women's and Children's Health Network, SA Health | Australia |
| 2018 - 2018 | Co-Chair | Expert Reference Group for Research, the National Collaboration for Child Health Informatics | The Australian Digital Health Agency, The Australian Government | Australia |
| 2017 - 2017 | Member | The Foundation Services Working Group | The South Australian Child and Family Health Service | Australia |
| 2015 - ongoing | Member | Early Career Researcher Committee | School of Public Helath, The University of Adelaide | Australia |
| 2015 - ongoing | Member | School of Public Health Marketing Working Group | The University of Adelaide | Australia |
| 2012 - 2017 | Member | Early-Career Researcher Committee | School of Public Health, The University of Adelaide | - |
| Date | Institution | Department | Organisation Type | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 - 2017 | South Australian Child and Family Health Service | - | Health services and related | Australia |
| 2015 - ongoing | The University of Adelaide | The Freemasons Foundation Men's Centre for Health | - | Australia |
| 2015 - ongoing | The University of Adelaide | The Freemasons Foundation Men's Centre for Health | - | Australia |