Rate My Professor Deb Loxton

Professor Deb Loxton serves as Director of the Centre for Women's Health Research and the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health at the University of Newcastle in the College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing. She earned her PhD from the University of New England in 2003, along with a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) from the same university and a Diploma of Management. Her career at the University of Newcastle began in 2003 as Senior Research Officer in the Research Centre for Generational Health and Ageing, followed by Research Manager from 2004 to 2005, Deputy Director of the Priority Research Centre for Gender, Health and Ageing from 2011, and Director of the Hunter Medical Research Institute Women’s Health Research Program. Loxton's research specializations include the impact of violence on women’s health and wellbeing—encompassing emotional, financial, physical, sexual abuse, and harassment—maternal health and wellbeing, reproductive health, social and economic wellbeing and health, health service use, mental health, trauma-informed care, gender bias in healthcare, and healthy ageing. She led the ALSWH team in recruiting over 17,000 women born between 1989 and 1995 during 2012-2013 and has engaged in over 120 collaborations across Australia and internationally, including with the USA Academy of Violence and Abuse and the Korean Women’s Development Institute.

With over 260 peer-reviewed articles and 41 government reports to her name, Professor Loxton has secured more than $50 million in grant funding. Notable publications include 'Conducting Longitudinal Research' (2007) with Byles, Dobson, and Brown; 'Barriers to Service Delivery for Young Pregnant Women and Mothers: Report to the National Youth Affairs Research Scheme' (2007) with Stewart Williams and Adamson; 'The role of premenstrual symptoms in the relationship between perceived social support and postnatal depression' (2024) with Hunt and Bracken; 'Fertility and age at childbirth in polycystic ovary syndrome: results from a longitudinal population-based cohort study' (2024) with Forslund et al.; 'Does gender equality and availability of contraception influence maternal and child mortality? A systematic review' (2021) with Bagade et al.; and 'Women at work: Health impacts on current, paid workforce participation' (2025) with Mishra et al. Her contributions have shaped key policies such as Australia’s National Women’s Health Strategy (2020-2030) and National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children (2022-2030), and informed the World Health Organization’s elder abuse screening tool. As a member of the National Women’s Health Advisory Council, she has delivered keynote speeches, including 'Motherhood, health and the impact of psychosocial factors' (2012) and 'Maternal health and wellbeing: Findings from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health' (2011). Awards include the Excellence and Innovation in Public Health Team Research Award from the Council of Academic Public Health Institutions Australia (2015), Faculty Research Award from the University of Newcastle (2008), Keith and Dorothy McKay Travelling Scholarship (2001), and APA PhD Scholarship (1999).