Professor Billie Giles-Corti

Fulbright Senior Scholar Award

Media Profile

“Australia and the U.S. share many common preventable public health concerns, including an ageing population, rising levels of obesity in adults and children and high levels of inactivity and sedentariness. There is also shared recognition that a major factor influencing many of these problems is a toxic built environment that decreases physical activity and increases a sedentary lifestyle.”

Professor Billie Giles-Corti from the School of Population Health at The University of Western Australia is one of two Australians to be recognised as a Fulbright Senior Scholar in 2007. Through her Fulbright she will spend six months at Stanford University establishing a collaborative research program on Active Living for older adults.

“Understanding the impact of urban design on health and health behaviour is an emerging field of research internationally,” explains Billie. “The United States is currently unmatched in research activity in this area, following the establishment of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s active living research (US$12m) and intervention (US$30m) program in 2003.

“There is growing recognition of the link between the built environment and health, and the nexus between health and sustainability agendas. There also is an urgent need to consider the housing and urban design needs of older adults given the ageing population and the importance of active living to protect and enhance health.”

During her visit Professor Giles-Corti will learn from the experiences of leading U.S. research groups undertaking research on active living and sustainability and will also explore the potential to establish a university-wide, multi-disciplinary centre focused on research and education on sustainable development, based on a similar centre at Stanford University.

“My current goal is to establish the world’s first multi-disciplinary centre for research into the built environment and health to undertake cutting-edge research that can be translated into policy and practice to create a more sustainable future.”

Professor Giles-Corti has a Bachelors and Masters of Applied Science from Curtin University of Technology with a focus on Consumer Studies and Health Science. During her studies at Curtin University she was recognised with an Alumni Medal for academic excellence and involvement in community affairs and a Public Health Association Prize for outstanding postgraduate studies. She then completed a PhD in Public Health with distinction from The University of Western Australia.

Currently on an NHMRC / NHF Career Development Award, she has been recognised with a President’s Award for her work with the National Heart Foundation and through her work as Foundation Director of its UWA Albany Centre, the University has been recognised with a national University Teaching Award and nominated for a Premier’s Award for its services to Remote and Rural Communities. She established the first Australian research program examining the relationship between urban design and health.