Rate My Professor Jacquie Cotton

Dr Jacquie Cotton is a Senior Lecturer in Rural Health at Deakin University School of Medicine within the Faculty of Health. She holds a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Animal Science (2000-2004) and a Doctor of Philosophy in Agriculture (2005-2009), both from La Trobe University, along with a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment (2009) and a Graduate Certificate of Higher Education (2013 onwards). Her career includes roles as a teaching and research team member in the Department of Agricultural Sciences at La Trobe University and as a course developer and trainer at Rural Industries Skill Training in Hamilton prior to 2012. Since 2012, she has served as a lecturer and researcher in Rural Health at Deakin University School of Medicine and the National Centre for Farmer Health, advancing to Senior Lecturer. Cotton lectures and chairs key units including HMF701 Agricultural Health and Medicine and HMF702 Healthy and Sustainable Agricultural Communities, contributing to postgraduate education in agricultural health.

Cotton’s research specializations encompass rural health, occupational health and safety in agriculture, agrichemical exposure, and farmer wellbeing. Her work addresses pesticide-related health risks through cholinesterase monitoring, mental health impacts from occupational exposures, child farm-related injuries, safety technologies in farm machinery, and health outcomes from regenerative agriculture practices. She has published extensively, with over 290 citations on Google Scholar. Key publications include 'Point-of-care cholinesterase measurement in an Australian agricultural community' (2018), 'A pest to mental health? Exploring the link between exposure to agrichemicals in farmers and mental health' (2019), 'Child farm-related injury in Australia: A review of the literature' (2021), 'Modelling the risk of Japanese encephalitis virus in Victoria, Australia, using an expert-systems approach' (2024), and 'Understanding the phases and tensions of regenerative agriculture for better health outcomes for farmers' (2025). Through translational research, Cotton promotes behavior change, safety interventions, and education for farming communities and rural professionals, enhancing health outcomes in agriculture.