EM/ProfDebra Anderson

Professor Anderson has forged innovative solutions to promote the health of women and girls, partnering with them to manage symptoms of health-related conditions and improving their quality of life across the lifespan. Her research focuses on understanding the basis and effects of risk behaviours in women and the interventions to change them; focusing on wellness and healthy behaviours. Her research aims to promote healthy behaviour change in women with and without chronic disease, including midlife women, women with Diabetes type 2 and women cancer survivors, including physical activity, dietary intake, stress management, and smoking cessation; and to develop and test interventions that promote these behaviours. Over the last 15 years she has secured over $9 million dollars in funding from peak bodies such as the National Health and Medical Research Council, The Australian Research Council, Diabetes Queensland and Cancer Council Queensland. She has managed multisite projects in women’s health across countries and within Australia.

Current Studies:

The Kowhai Study, which is testing a culturally-adapted (Maori and NZ European) version of the Younger Women’s Wellness after Cancer Program. This is funded by the New Zealand Health Research Council.

Catalyst Program, which is a NZ Royal Society-funded project which looks at harmonising measures used by the WWACPs in Australia, Hong Kong, and New Zealand

ACUMEN, which is an exercise and behavioural intervention designed to maximise wellness after reproductive cancer treatment. This is funded by the Medical Research Futures Fund in Australia.

Fit for Treatment, which examines intra-chemotherapy exercise to reduce symptom burden during treatment for a range of cancers.

My Health for Life Evaluation, A large-scale, multi-component behavioural intervention targeting chronic disease in Queensland, Australia.

Grants awarded:

2021 Strengthening Health Workforce Education in Papua New Guinea. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade ($2,050,000)

2021-2024 Implementing a cancer recovery program for women across One Mater. Mater Foundation ($203,768)

2021-2025 Mothers' and their Children's Healthcare Experience Study (MatCHES). NHMRC MRFF Maternal Health and First 2000 Days, Early Childhood, and Exercise and Nutrition 2020 ($659,449)

2021 Cultural adaptation of the Younger Women's Wellness after Cancer Programme (YWWACP) for younger Chinese women with breast cancer: A pilot randomized controlled trial. Association of Hong Kong Nursing Staff (AHKNS) Professional Development Fund (HK $30,000)

2020 EnhANcing treatment oUtcoMes after gynEcological cancer (ACUMEN): using exercise to promote health after cancer therapy. NHMRC 2019 MRFF RCRDUN Reproductive Cancers funding commencing 2020 ($2,200,000)

2020 EMERALD Study: younger woMen's wELLness after cAncer feasibiLity stuDy. Wesley Medical Research 2020 Clinical Research Grant Round ($79,635)

2019 Women’s Wellness Program: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (WWPIBS). FRDF New Staff Grant University of Auckland (Project No: 3719323) ($30,000)

2019 HRC Feasibility Grant APP 19/622. Younger women’s wellness after cancer program: feasibility study. ($250,000)

2019 PBRF Fund. Women’s Wellness after Stroke Program ($25,000)

2018 NHMRC CRE in Health Services Research Funding. Centre of Research Excellence on Women and Non-Communicable Disease (CRE WaND): Prevention and Detection ($2,495,848)

2018 Chinese University of Hong Kong, Nethersole School of Nursing Seed Grant Scheme. Culturally-Adapted Women’s Wellness after Cancer Program for gynaecological cancer survivors in Hong Kong: Pilot study ($20,339)

2018 MHIQ. Analysis of primary data from the International Women’s Wellness with Diabetes study ($25,861)

2018 Western Queensland PHN. WQPHN Diabetes Type 2 Secondary Prevention Project ($44,000)

2018 Stroke Foundation Queensland. Evaluation of the Follow Up program ($101,152)

2018 Griffith University. Griffith University and Peking University Collaborative Travel Grant ($8,000)

2018/19 Cancer Australia. Technical services to support development of a national approach to influence systematic supportive care needs assessment for women with gynaecological cancer across the care continuum ($190,793)

2017 MHIQ. The InterLACE Study: The International Collaboration of a Life Course Approach to Reproductive health and Chronic Disease Events (InterLACE) ($42,000)

2017 Catalyst Grant (New Zealand). Harmonising principles, processes and outcome measures to enable culturally-specific health promotion after breast cancer. ($78,000)

2017 Diabetes Queensland. Evaluation of My Health for Life program ($1,185,496)

2017 Nursing and Midwifery Research Fellowship: Research Implementation Fellowship. An evidence-based intervention (“Fit for Treatment”) to prevent taxane-induced neurotoxicity in breast cancer patients: An effectiveness-implementation hybrid study ($120,000)

2016 auDA Foundation. The Pasifika Diabetes Wellness e-learning Program ($24,832)

2016 Diabetes Queensland Research Fund (47517). The Women's Wellness with Diabetes Program: A Feasibility Study ($49,964)

2014/15 RBWH foundation grant and PA Foundation Grant. The Younger Women’s Wellness after Cancer Program (A pilot study) ($147,000)