Dr Erin Walsh
Areas of expertise
- Visual Arts 3606
- Neurosciences Not Elsewhere Classified 320999
- Data Visualisation And Computational (Incl. Parametric And Generative) Design 330301
- Public Health 4206
- Psychological Methodology, Design And Analysis 520105
- Psychology Of Ageing 520106
Research interests
- Visual brokerage
- Research methodology
- Healthy ageing
- Neurobiology-personality-environment interactions as determinants of wellbeing
- Data visualization
- Scientific illustration
Biography
Erin Walsh is a senior research with the Population Health Exchange (PHXchange).
Dr Erin Walsh is a research fellow at the Population Health Exchange (PHXchange), Epidemiology and Population Health (NCEPH), ANU. She completed her PhD in self-report psychological research methods in 2015, and subsequently has led projects involving both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis.
Her current focus is the use of visualisation as a tool for communicating population health information, with ongoing interests in cross-disciplinary methodological synthesis.
Alongside research, she works as a scientific illustrator, offering assistance with stimuli preparation, data visualization, and figure preparation for scholarly publication or engaging the general public with science.
Researcher's projects
- Headspace workforce survey data analysis
- Digging Deeper: Exploring the effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on social connectedness and mental health
- Our Health in Our Hands (OHIOH) Grand Challenge Project
- Young People’s Journeys around Mental Health and Medical Services Study (JAMMed)
- Young Australians’ reproductive choices in relation to Climate Change
- Physical Activity for Better Health and Drive (PhABHeaD)
- Healthy-Air: pollution advice for people with asthma
Available student projects
PERSONALITY AND PROSOCIAL BEHAVIOURS RELATING TO COVID-19
Suitable for honors
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect people's daily lives, adherence to health guidelines and prosocial behaviour continues to be important. There is a growing body of research investigating the link between demographic factors (e.g. age, sex, socioeconomic status, geographical location) and engagement in COVID-19 related prosocial behaviour. However, there has been comparatively little research attention paid to the role of individual characteristics. One likely important characteristic is personality.
This project will address two key questions:
- Are particular personality profiles reliably associated with lower engagement in prosocial COVID-19 related behaviours as the pandemic continues?
- What forms of communications, or communication strategies, are most suitable to encourage prosocial behaviour for different personality profiles?
When addressing these questions, the interested student will be supported to lead the following tasks:
- Understanding, selecting, and justifying the use of a measure of personality on the basis of psychological theory
- The operationalisation of prosocial (e.g. mask wearing) or antisocial (e.g. stockpiling) COVID-19 behaviours
- Study design. Options include quantitative surveys, qualitative interviews, or some combination of the two.
- Obtaining ethical approval
- Data collection and analysis. Analysis will be undertaken in R; no prior experience is required
- Synthesis of findings with studies from the psychology, population health, and science communication literatures
It is expected this project will lead to a scholarly publication after thesis submission. The student may chose to lead this process with the support of the supervisor, or join this publication as a later author.
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VISUALSPEAK: LITERATURE MAPPING
Suitable for internships or medical school projects
This project is well suited to students with an interest in coding and data-driven approaches to literature synthesis. Students will learn the process of conducting citation network analysis via PubMed, CitNetExplorer and R. This will focus on the visual communication of a particular population health topic of choice (current priority areas are COVID-19 vaccination, bushfire smoke, the impact of natural disasters on mental health and community resilience). At the internship level, students will be provided a topic and scope, and will conduct and interpret a citation network analysis. At the med school project level, students will be involved in the design of the concept, search strategy, and following citation network analysis and interpretation. At all levels, students may choose if they wish to join the PHXchange team in writing a publication based (in part or whole) on their work.
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VISUALSPEAK: SHORT PROJECTS
Suitable for internships or medical school projects
This project is well suited to students with an interest in the visual communication of science and health facts. They will learn about this, and the process of designing and conducting self-report research. No prior experience in any of these domains is required. The student will be involved in running a small study which compares people's engagement, recall, and learning from health messages presented in a variety of forms, including infographics and text. Depending on their preference they can learn the appropriate analyses, or have them provided. The student will work with the researcher to interpret the findings, and if they choose can join the PHXchange team in writing a publication based (in part or whole) on their project.
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VISUALSPEAK: COMBINED PROJECT
Suitable for honours or masters
This extended project is a combination of rapid review and short project, where a student will select a population health topic in consultation with the PHXchange team and complete (a) a rapid review and/or citation network analysis of the state of the art of how it is communicated, with an emphasis on visuals, and (b) design and implement a study which compares people's engagement, recall, and learning regarding the population health topic on the basis of knowledge gained from (a). It is expected that this project will result in a standalone
scholarly publication, a process which the student can chose to either lead, or join the PHXchange team in writing as a junior author.
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QUESTACON ENGAGEMENT EVALUATION
Suitable for internship, medical school projects, honours, or Masters
This project is well suited to students with an interest in novel methods of engaging community with population health concepts, including topics such as misinformation and contact tracing. At the internship and medical school project level, students will be provided with data surrounding already designed communications (e.g. exhibit, event or other outreach) to explore, analyse and interpret. At the honours and Masters level, students will additionally be expected to develop and design further study on the basis of what this data shows, either by experimentally altering the communication or implementing new methods to evaluate the communication. At all levels, if the student chooses they can join the PHXchange team in writing a scholarly publication based (in part or whole) on their work.
Publications
- Ambikairajah, A, Walsh, E & Cherbuin, N 2022, 'A review of menopause nomenclature', Reproductive Health, vol. 19, no. 29, pp. 1-15.
- Walsh, E, Sargent, G & Grant, W 2021, 'Not just a pretty picture: Scientific fact visualisation styles, preferences, confidence and recall', Information Visualization, vol. 20, no. 2-3, pp. 138-150.
- Fraser, M, Walsh, E, Shaw, M et al. 2021, 'Longitudinal effects of physical activity change on hippocampal volumes over up to 12 years in middle and older age community-dwelling individuals', Cerebral Cortex, vol. 2021, no. 00, pp. 1-12.
- Walsh, E, Smith, E, Northey, J et al. 2020, 'Towards an understanding of the physical activity-BDNF-cognition triumvirate: A review of associations and dosage', Ageing Research Reviews, vol. 60, pp. -.
- Walsh, E, Chung, Y, Cherbuin, N et al. 2020, 'Experts' perceptions on the use of visual analytics for complex mental healthcare planning: an exploratory study', BMC Medical Research Methodology, vol. 20, no. 110.
- Ambikairajah, A, Tabatabaei Jafari, H, Walsh, E et al. 2020, 'Longitudinal Changes in Fat Mass and the Hippocampus', Obesity, vol. 28, no. 7, pp. 1263-1269.
- Fraser, M, Walsh, E, Shaw, M et al. 2020, 'Longitudinal trajectories of hippocampal volume in middle to older age community dwelling individuals', Neurobiology of Aging, vol. 97, pp. 97-105.
- Peters, R, Yasar, S, Anderson, C et al. 2020, 'Investigation of antihypertensive class, dementia, and cognitive decline: A meta-analysis', Neurology, vol. 94, no. 3, pp. E267-E281.
- Walsh, E, Jacka, F, Butterworth, P et al. 2020, 'Midlife susceptibility to the effects of poor diet on diabetes risk', European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol. 75, pp. 85-90.
- Walsh, E 2020, Bringing out the best in scientific visualisation for reach and impact: Visual brokerage, pp. 14-19.
- Walsh, E, Shaw, M, Sachdev, P et al 2019, 'The impact of type 2 diabetes and body mass index on cerebral structure is modulated by brain reserve', European Journal of Neurology, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 121-127.
- Walsh, E & Cherbuin, N 2019, 'Mapping the literature on nutritional interventions in cognitive health: A data-driven approach', Nutrients, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 1-9.
- Tabatabaei Jafari, H, Shaw, M, Walsh, E et al. 2019, 'Cognitive/Functional Measures Predict Alzheimer's Disease, Dependent on Hippocampal Volume', Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, vol. Online, pp. 1-10pp.
- Chung, Y, Bagheri, N, Salinas-Perez, J et al. 2019, 'Role of visual analytics in supporting mental healthcare systems research and policy: A systematic scoping review', International Journal of Information Management, vol. 50, no. 2020, pp. 17-27.
- Ambikairajah, A, Walsh, E, Tabatabaei Jafari, H et al. 2019, 'Fat mass changes during menopause: a metaanalysis', American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, vol. 221, no. 5, pp. 393-409.
- Cherbuin, N & Walsh, E 2019, 'Sugar in mind: Untangling a sweet and sour relationship beyond type 2 diabetes', Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology, vol. 54, no. 2.
- Walsh, E, Shaw, M, Espinoza Oyarce, D et al. 2019, 'Assumption-Free Assessment of Corpus Callosum Shape: Benchmarking and Application', Concepts in Magnetic Resonance Part A, pp. 1-10.
- Cherbuin, N, Walsh, E & Prina, A 2019, 'Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Risk of Dementia and Mortality in Lower to Middle Income Countries', Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, vol. 70, pp. S63-S73.
- Walsh, E, Zhang, T & Cherbuin, N 2019, 'Of fractal and Fourier: A measure for local shape complexity for neurological applications', Journal of Neuroscience Methods, vol. 323, pp. 61-67.
- Tabatabaei Jafari, H, Shaw, M, Walsh, E et al. 2019, 'Regional brain atrophy predicts time to conversion to Alzheimer's disease, dependent on baseline volume', Neurobiology of Aging, vol. 83, pp. 86-94.
- Cherbuin, N, Walsh, E, Baune, B et al 2019, 'Oxidative stress, inflammation and risk of neurodegeneration in a population sample', European Journal of Neurology, vol. 26, no. 11, pp. 1347-1354.
- Beanland, V, Walsh, E & Pammer, K 2019, 'Undergraduate Students' Perceptions of and Engagement in Research Participation to Fulfill an Introductory Psychology Course Requirement', Teaching of Psychology, vol. 47, no. 1, pp. 74-83.
- Walsh, E & Busby Grant, J 2018, 'Detecting temporal cognition in text: Comparison of judgements by self, expert and machine', Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 9, pp. 1-6.
- Walsh, E, Shaw, J & Cherbuin, N 2018, 'Trajectories of BMI change impact glucose and insulin metabolism', Nutrition Metabolim and Cardiovascular Diseases, vol. 28, no. 3, pp. 243-251pp.
- Zhang, T, Shaw, M, Walsh, E et al 2018, 'Higher fasting plasma glucose is associated with smaller striatal volume and poorer fine motor skills in a longitudinal cohort', Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, vol. 278, pp. 1-6pp.
- Tabatabaei Jafari, H, Walsh, E, Shaw, M et al. 2018, 'A simple and clinically relevant combination of neuroimaging and functional indexes for the identification of those at highest risk of Alzheimer's disease', Neurobiology of Aging, vol. 69, pp. 102-110.
- Walsh, E, Burns, R, Abhayaratna, W et al 2018, 'Physical Activity and Blood Glucose Effects on Weight Gain Over 12 Years in Middle-Aged Adults', Journal of Obesity and Chronic Diseases, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 20-25.
- Walsh, E, Shou, Y, Han, J et al 2018, 'Development and Validation of a Chinese Language Version of the Ruminative Thought Styles Questionnaire', Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, vol. 36, no. 6, pp. 604-615pp.
- Tabatabaei Jafari, H, Walsh, E, Shaw, M et al. 2017, 'The cerebellum shrinks faster than normal ageing in Alzheimer's disease but not in mild cognitive impairment', Human Brain Mapping, vol. 38, no. 6, pp. 3141-3150.
- Walsh, E, Jacka, F, Butterworth, P et al 2017, 'The association between Western and Prudent dietary patterns and fasting blood glucose levels in type 2 diabetes and normal glucose metabolism in older Australian adults', Heliyon, vol. 3, no. 6, pp. 1-17pp.
- Walsh, E, Jacka, F, Butterworth, P et al 2017, 'The association between Western and Prudent dietary patterns and fasting blood glucose levels in type 2 diabetes and normal glucose metabolism in older Australian adults', Heliyon, vol. 3, no. 6, pp. 1-17pp.
- Walsh, E, Shaw, M, Sachdev, P et al 2017, 'Brain atrophy in ageing: Estimating effects of blood glucose levels vs. other type 2 diabetes effects', Diabetes and Metabolism, vol. -, no. -, pp. 1-4pp.
- Cherbuin, N, Shaw, M, Walsh, E et al 2017, 'Validated Alzheimer's Disease Risk Index (ANU-ADRI) is associated with smaller volumes in the default mode network in the early 60s', Brain Imaging and Behavior, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 65-74.
- Walsh, E & Brinker, J 2016, 'Short and Sweet? Length and Informative Content of Open-Ended Responses Using SMS as a Research Mode', Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 87-100.
- Walsh, E & Brinker, J 2016, 'Should participants be given a mobile phone, or use their own? Effects of novelty vs utility', Telematics and Informatics, vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 25-33.
- Walsh, E & Brinker, J 2016, 'Short and Sweet? Length and Informative Content of Open-Ended Responses Using SMS as a Research Mode', Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 87-100.
- Busby Grant, J & Walsh, E 2016, 'Exploring the Use of Experience Sampling to Assess Episodic Thought', Applied Cognitive Psychology, vol. 30, no. 3, pp. 472-478.
- Walsh, E & Brinker, J 2016, 'Is SMS APPropriate? Comparative properties of SMS and apps for repeated measures data collection', European Journal of Psychological Assessment, vol. 35, no. 1, pp. 1-7.
- Walsh, E & Brinker, J 2015, 'Delay between recruitment and participation impacts on preinclusion attrition', Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, vol. 68, no. 4, pp. 635-640.
- Walsh, E & Brinker, J 2015, 'Temporal considerations for self-report research using Short Message Service', Journal of media psychology, vol. Online, pp. (7 pp).
- Grant, W & Walsh, E 2015, 'Social evidence of a changing climate:Google Ngram data points to early climate change impact on human society', Weather, vol. 70, no. 7, pp. 195-197.
- Longden, E, Davis, P, Billington, J et al 2015, 'Shared reading: Assessing the intrinsic value of a literature-based health intervention', Medical Humanities, vol. 41, no. 2, pp. 113-120.
- Walsh, E, Arundell, M & Brinker, J 2014, 'SMS4Deaf - SMS as a mode for psychology research with the Deaf', Journal of Communication Disorders, Deaf Studies & Hearing Aids, vol. 2, no. 3, p. 1000115.
- Walsh, E & Brinker, J 2014, 'Assumptions of age and mobile handset type', Gerontechnology, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 169-173.
- Walsh, E & Brinker, J 2012, 'Evaluation of a short message service diary methodology in a nonclinical, naturalistic setting', Cyberpsychology Behavior and Social Networking, vol. 15, no. 11, pp. 615-618.
Projects and Grants
Grants information is drawn from ARIES. To add or update Projects or Grants information please contact your College Research Office.
- Headspace workforce survey data analysis (Secondary Investigator)
- Digging Deeper: Exploring the effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on social connectedness and mental health (Secondary Investigator)
