Rate My Professor Vivian Isaac

Dr Vivian Isaac serves as Senior Lecturer in Interdisciplinary Health Research at Charles Sturt University in the Faculty of Science and Health. He earned a PhD in Rural Health from the University of New South Wales in 2016, an MSc in Psychiatric Epidemiology from King’s College London in 2004, an MSW and MPhil in Social Work, and additional qualifications including a BSc. With a clinical background in social work, his primary research interests center on psychosocial epidemiology, which examines the influence of social factors on cognition, behaviour and health, along with rural and regional health, healthy ageing, mental health, strength-based approaches, mixed-methods research, psychometrics, evaluation, resilience and psychological capacity.

Isaac previously held a Wellcome Trust Masters Research Fellowship and completed MSc Research Methods training at the Institute of Psychiatry. His expertise includes health service research, co-designing psychosocial interventions, and epidemiological and statistical analysis across chronic diseases, ageing, mental health and rural health services. He teaches evidence-based practice and research methods subjects while supervising Masters and PhD students in rural health research. Key contributions include publications such as a 2023 systematic review on measurement properties of psychological capacity in older adults, a 2023 qualitative study on unmet care needs of rural older adults with chronic conditions, and a 2022 study on factors associated with locus of control among Australian general practitioners. He is a member of editorial boards for Scientific Reports since 2025 and the Journal of Suicidology since 2021, and serves as a reviewer for Rural and Remote Health, JAMA Network Open and BMJ Open. His work aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals for good health and well-being and reduced inequalities.