Contact Details
| Organization: | General Practice |
| Position: | RESEARCH FELLOW - CHRON DISEASE & INDIG HLTH |
| Email: | |
| Homepage: | http://www.gp.unimelb.edu.au/about/staff/academic_details.asp?ID=102 |
| Work: | 8344 9042 |
| Fax: | 9347 6136 |
| Room: | G10 |
| Level: | Ground |
| Building: | 200 Berkeley St. |
| Campus: | Parkville |
Biography
Dr Lau is an academic pharmacist with significant experience and skills in capacity building and health professional continuing education.
Dr Lau was a hospital clinical pharmacist until 2000 when she returned to full-time post-graduate studies and was conferred her PhD degree in 2004. She was actively involved in clinical pharmacy research including Development of Pharmacy Care Spirals; Pharmaceutical Standards in the Treatment of Hypercalcaemia; Chemotherapy and Consistency of Care; Patients’ Cost Savings Analysis of Clinical Interventions by Ward Pharmacists; Antibiotic Usage in Transplant Patients; Predictability and Preventability of Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) in Oncology Practice; and Perception of Impact of Adverse Drug Reactions on Well-being of Cancer Patients.
Dr Lau has been actively involved in primary health care research since completion of her PhD. Within a short time, she has built significant community and primary care research experience and skills, particularly in Pharmacy Practice research including Pharmacy Diabetes Care; Patient, Client and Consumer Recruitment in Community Pharmacy Practice Research; Complementary Medication Use; and Evaluation of Pharmacists Professional Continuing Education.
Whilst working in primary care research in the community, Dr Lau began to develop an interest and expertise in Indigenous health and diabetes management. She was the main driving force in obtaining a successful NHMRC Project grant awarded last year which funds a project to look at culturally appropriate diabetes care in mainstream primary care services for urban Indigenous Australians. Since then , she has focused on understanding the health care status of Indigenous Australians and the gaps between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations. Dr Lau has also been successful in obtaining other grants for Indigenous health diabetes care research from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. She is responsible for appointing the first two Aboriginal Project Research Officers to the Department of General Practice at University of Melbourne. Dr Lau actively lobbied for cultural awareness training for staff at the department, striving to create and maintain cultural awareness and competency in herself and in the department.
Her main research interests include Indigenous health; chronic disease management, particularly diabetes management; and Quality Use of Medicines (QUM), particularly medication adherence and adverse drug reactions (ADRs). She also has an interest in mentoring and supervising students and young researchers. She has experience in supervising pharmacy students, medical students, GP registrars and Master students.
Dr Lau was a hospital clinical pharmacist until 2000 when she returned to full-time post-graduate studies and was conferred her PhD degree in 2004. She was actively involved in clinical pharmacy research including Development of Pharmacy Care Spirals; Pharmaceutical Standards in the Treatment of Hypercalcaemia; Chemotherapy and Consistency of Care; Patients’ Cost Savings Analysis of Clinical Interventions by Ward Pharmacists; Antibiotic Usage in Transplant Patients; Predictability and Preventability of Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) in Oncology Practice; and Perception of Impact of Adverse Drug Reactions on Well-being of Cancer Patients.
Dr Lau has been actively involved in primary health care research since completion of her PhD. Within a short time, she has built significant community and primary care research experience and skills, particularly in Pharmacy Practice research including Pharmacy Diabetes Care; Patient, Client and Consumer Recruitment in Community Pharmacy Practice Research; Complementary Medication Use; and Evaluation of Pharmacists Professional Continuing Education.
Whilst working in primary care research in the community, Dr Lau began to develop an interest and expertise in Indigenous health and diabetes management. She was the main driving force in obtaining a successful NHMRC Project grant awarded last year which funds a project to look at culturally appropriate diabetes care in mainstream primary care services for urban Indigenous Australians. Since then , she has focused on understanding the health care status of Indigenous Australians and the gaps between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations. Dr Lau has also been successful in obtaining other grants for Indigenous health diabetes care research from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. She is responsible for appointing the first two Aboriginal Project Research Officers to the Department of General Practice at University of Melbourne. Dr Lau actively lobbied for cultural awareness training for staff at the department, striving to create and maintain cultural awareness and competency in herself and in the department.
Her main research interests include Indigenous health; chronic disease management, particularly diabetes management; and Quality Use of Medicines (QUM), particularly medication adherence and adverse drug reactions (ADRs). She also has an interest in mentoring and supervising students and young researchers. She has experience in supervising pharmacy students, medical students, GP registrars and Master students.
Research Expertise and International Linkages
Research Expertise
| Research Interest | Key Words | Country of Expertise |
|---|---|---|
| primary health care | chronic diseases | Australia |
| electronic data linkage | Australia | |
| medication adherence | diabetes | Australia |
| indigenous health | cultural appropriateness | Australia |
Languages
Languages
| Language | Proficiency |
|---|---|
| Cantonese | Speak, Read & Write |
| English | Speak, Read & Write |
| Mandarin | Read and Write |
Qualifications, Honours, Fellowships and Other Awards
Qualifications
| Title | Institution | Date Awarded | Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|---|
| PhD in Pharmacy Practice | Monash University | 09-Dec-2004 | |
| Bachelor in Pharmaceutical Science (Honours) | Monash University | 30-Nov-1998 | |
| Graduate Diploma in Drug Evaluation and Pharmaceutical Sciences | University of Melbourne | 30-Nov-1996 | |
| Bachelor in Pharmacy | Victorian College of Pharmacology | 30-Nov-1985 |
Government Research Classifications
Research Fields, Courses and Discipline Classifications
- Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacy (PHARMACOLOGY AND PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES) (320501)
- Cardiology (incl. Cardiovascular Diseases) (CLINICAL SCIENCES) (321003)
- Endocrinology (CLINICAL SCIENCES) (321004)
- Oncology and Carcinogenesis (CLINICAL SCIENCES) (321015)
- Clinical Sciences not elsewhere classified (CLINICAL SCIENCES) (321099)
- Epidemiology (PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTH SERVICES) (321202)
- Health Information Systems (incl. Surveillance) (PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTH SERVICES) (321203)
- Preventive Medicine (PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTH SERVICES) (321206)
- Indigenous Health (PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTH SERVICES) (321207)
- Primary Health Care (PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTH SERVICES) (321208)
- Health and Community Services (PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTH SERVICES) (321214)
- Health Care Administration (PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTH SERVICES) (321215)
- Health Counselling (PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTH SERVICES) (321217)
- Public Health and Health Services not elsewhere classified (PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTH SERVICES) (321299)
- Oriental Medicine and Treatments (COMPLEMENTARY/ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE) (321301)
Socio-Economic Objective Classifications
- Economic issues not elsewhere classified (OTHER ECONOMIC ISSUES) (729999)
- Endocrine organs and diseases (incl. Diabetes) (CLINICAL; ORGANS, DISEASES AND ABNORMAL CONDITIONS) (730105)
- Cardiovascular system and diseases (CLINICAL; ORGANS, DISEASES AND ABNORMAL CONDITIONS) (730106)
- Cancer and related disorders (CLINICAL; ORGANS, DISEASES AND ABNORMAL CONDITIONS) (730108)
- Health related to ageing (PUBLIC HEALTH) (730203)
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health (PUBLIC HEALTH) (730206)
- Health related to specific ethnic groups (PUBLIC HEALTH) (730207)
- Preventive medicine (PUBLIC HEALTH) (730213)
- Health status (e.g. indicators of well-being) (PUBLIC HEALTH) (730217)
- Behaviour and health (PUBLIC HEALTH) (730219)
- Public health not elsewhere classified (PUBLIC HEALTH) (730299)
- Evaluation of health outcomes (HEALTH AND SUPPORT SERVICES) (730306)
- Health and support services not elsewhere classified (HEALTH AND SUPPORT SERVICES) (730399)
Grants and Contracts
Research Grants, Contracts and Consultancies awarded to the University of Melbourne as the administering institution (since 2003) as recorded in Themis Agreements.
Grants
| Title | Role | Funding Source | Scheme | Award Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LITERATURE REVIEW OF CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE DIABETES CARE IN MAINSTREAM GENERAL PRACTICE FOR URBAN ABORIGINAL & TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLE | Chief Investigator | RACGP | Cardiovascular Research Grant in General Practice | 27/07/2007 |
| ACCESS TO MEDICARE ITEMS FOR CHRONIC DISEASE MANAGEMENT AND PREVENTATIVE HEALTH CARE BY GENERAL PRACTITIONERS IN INDIGENOUS HEALTH SERVICES | Chief Investigator | RACGP | APHCRI Indigenous Health Award | 13/10/2007 |
| Culturally appropriate general practice services for Aboriginal Australians | Chief Investigator | NHMRC | Project Grants | 01/01/2008 |
Publications
Publications produced at the University of Melbourne and reported in the Annual Publications Collection and 'Research Report' since 2001. The Themis Publications module, released in November 2006, allows additional publications from previous institutions and publications from past years to be entered.