Professor Amanda Thrift
Professor Thrift is Head of the Epidemiology and Prevention Division, Stroke and Ageing Research, Southern Clinical School, Medicine, Monash University
Prof Thrift has extensive experience in conducting large scale longitudinal cohort studies with a particular expertise in the epidemiology of stroke. She is the Principal Investigator and has led and coordinated the highly successful North East Melbourne Stroke Incidence Study since its development in 1995. This study has resulted in more than 40 publications in high quality journals, and three major data pooling collaborations to date. She has published widely on the epidemiology of cerebrovascular disease and dementia and has invaluable expertise in cohort epidemiology, particularly in achieving high response in follow-up.
In addition, Prof Thrift is currently leading an innovative vascular disease research program in an impoverished rural community in southern India. Simply setting up this study was a major effort, requiring the collaboration with national and international leaders in stroke, hypertension, dementia, and rural medicine. There are many challenges in undertaking research in such a remote area, for example collecting and storing blood.
Research Grants
Continuous research funding since 1995 totalling > $12 million (more than $4.2 million as responsible investigator). These grants include NHMRC post-doc training, career and senior research fellowships, NHMRC and VicHealth project grants, and 3 National Heart Foundation grants.
Public Health Practice and Policy Initiative
Professor Thrift has provided input to health care practice and policy through:
1. Close links with the National Stroke Foundation (NSF). As a co-chair of the Australian Stroke Coalition, a joint initiative between the National Stroke Foundation and the stroke Society of Australasia, she has input to the translation of research findings.
2. As a committee member on the National Heart, Stroke, and Vascular Health Data Working Group, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare she has Contributed to reports and analyses conducted by the Cardiovascular Diseases Unit of this institute. This has resulted in specific analyses of stroke-specific national data. Many of these analyses have been included in the reports from the institute. These reports are available free of charge through the institute web site, and are therefore freely available to anyone with an interest in vascular diseases at a population level.
Memberships of Committees
National Cardiovascular Monitoring System Advisory Committee, AIHW (2003-); Australasian Epidemiological Association, Treasurer (2001-2004); Public Health Research Advisory Group (1997-1999); Stroke Society of Australasia, Council Member (1998-2000) (Secretary 2001-2004, Vice-President 2004-2007, President 2007-2010, Immediate Past President 2010-; Public Health Association of Australia, Victorian Branch Treasurer (1995-1998).
Memberships of Conference Organising Committees
Public Health Association of Australia, 29th Annual Conference, Melbourne 5-8 October, 1997; Australasian Epidemiological Association, Melbourne 5-6 October 1997; High Blood Pressure Research Council of Australia (Stroke Workshop), Melbourne, 11 December 1999; World Health Organisation and International Society of Hypertension Stroke Meeting (Secretary), Melbourne, 5-7 December, 2002; Stroke Society of Australasia (2002, 2004, 2005, 2010).
20 Most Recent Publications
1. Cadilhac, D., Carter, R., Thrift, A., Dewey, H., 2012, Organized blood pressure control programs to prevent stroke in Australia: would they be cost-effective?, Stroke [P], vol 43, issue 5, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, United States, pp. 1370-1375.
2. Thrift, A., Cadilhac, D., Eades, S., 2011, Excess risk of stroke in Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations, Stroke [P], vol 42, issue 6, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, United States, pp. 1501-1502.
3. Leach, M., Gall, S., Dewey, H., MacDonell, R., Thrift, A., 2011, Factors associated with quality of life in 7-year survivors of stroke, Journal Of Neurology Neurosurgery And Psychiatry [P], vol 82, issue 12, B M J Group, United Kingdom, pp. 1365-1371.
4. Thrift, A., Evans, R., Kalyanram, K., Kartik, K., Fitzgerald, S., Srikanth, V., 2011, Gender-specific effects of caste and salt on hypertension in poverty: A population-based study, Journal of Hypertension [P], vol 29, issue 3, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Ltd, United States, pp. 443-450.
5. Heeley, E., Wei, J., Carter, K., Islam, M., Thrift, A., Hankey, G., Cass, A., Anderson, C., 2011, Socioeconomic disparities in stroke rates and outcome: Pooled analysis of stroke incidence studies in Australia and New Zealand, Medical Journal Of Australia [P], vol 195, issue 1, Australasian Medical Publishing Company Pty. Ltd, Australia, pp. 10-14.
6. Cumming, T., Thrift, A., Collier, J., Churilov, L., Dewey, H., Donnan, G., Bernhardt, J., 2011, Very early mobilization after stroke fast-tracks return to walking Further results from the phase II AVERT randomized controlled trial, Stroke [P], vol 42, issue 1, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, United States, pp. 153-158.
7. Thrift, A., 2010, Case-control studies: The importance of design and conduct, Neuroepidemiology [P], vol 34, issue 4, S. Karger AG, Switzerland, pp. 264-266.
8. Thrift, A., 2010, Design and methods of population surveys, Neuroepidemiology [P], vol 34, issue 4, S. Karger AG, Switzerland, pp. 267-269.
9. Azarpazhood, M., Etermadi, M., Donnan, G., Mokhber, N., Majdi, M., Ghayour-Morbarhan, M., Ghandehary, K., Farzadfard, M., Kiani, R., Panahandeh, M., Thrift, A., 2010, Excessive incidence of stroke in iran: Evidence from the mashhad stroke incidence study (MSIS), a population-based study of stroke in the middle east, Stroke [P], vol 41, issue 1, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, USA, pp. e3-e10.
10. Thrift, A., Srikanth, V., Evans, R., 2010, How generalisable is INTERSTROKE?, Lancet [P], vol 376, issue 9752, The Lancet Publishing Group, United Kingdom, pp. 1538-1539.
11. Thrift, A., Kim, J., 2010, Missed opportunities to prevent stroke recurrence, Clinical And Experimental Pharmacology And Physiology [P], vol 37, issue 8, Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Asia, Australia, pp. 773-774.
12. Thrift, A.G., Srikanth, V., Fitzgerald, S.M., Kalyanram, K., Kartik, K., Hoppe, C.C., Walker, K.Z., Evans, R.G., 2010, Potential roles of high salt intake and maternal malnutrition in the development of hypertension in disadvantaged populations, Clinical And Experimental Pharmacology And Physio..., vol 37, Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Asia, Australia, pp. 78-90.
13. Cadilhac, D.A., Lannin, N., Anderson, C., Levi, C., Faux, S., Price, C., Middleton, S., Lim, J., Thrift, A., Donnan, G., 2010, Protocol and pilot data for establishing the Australian Stroke Clinical Registry, International Journal Of Stroke [P], vol 5, issue 3, Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Asia, Australia, pp. 217-226.
14. Gall, S., Donnan, G., Dewey, H., Thrift, A., 2010, Re: Sex differences in presentation, severity, and management of stroke in a population-based study, Neurology [P], vol 75, issue 7, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, United States, p. 671.
15. Gall, S., Donnan, G., Dewey, H., Macdonell, R., Sturm, J., Gilligan, A.K., Srikanth, V., Thrift, A., 2010, Sex differences in presentation, severity, and management of stroke in a population-based study, Neurology [P], vol 74, issue 12, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, United States, pp. 975-981.
16. Thrift, A., 2010, Systematic review of observational studies, Neuroepidemiology [P], vol 34, issue 4, S. Karger AG, Switzerland, pp. 262-263.
17. Cadilhac, D., Dewey, H., Voss, T., Carter, R., Thrift, A., 2010, The health loss from ischemic stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage: Evidence from the North East Melbourne Stroke Incidence Study (NEMESIS), Health and Quality of Life Outcomes [P], vol 8, issue Art No: 49, BioMed Central Ltd, United Kingdom, pp. 1-8.
18. Thrift, A., Gall, S., Brown, A., 2010, Burden of cardiovascular diseases among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples: mortality, hospitalization and risk factors, in Handbook of Disease Burdens and Quality of Life Measures, eds Victor R. Preedy and Ronald R. Watson, Springer, New York United States, pp. 919-931.
19. Thrift, A., Srikanth, V., 2010, Stroke: epidemiology and pathology, in Brocklehurst's Textbook of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology, eds Howard M Fillit, Kenneth Rockwood and Kenneth Woodhouse, Elsevier Inc, United States, pp. 1-7.
20. Cadilhac, D., Carter, R., Thrift, A., Dewey, H., 2009, Estimating the long-term costs of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke for Australia: new evidence derived from the North East Melbourne Stroke Incidence Study (NEMESIS), Stroke [P], vol 40, issue 3, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, United States, pp. 915-921.
