Rate My Professor Jane Rich

Dr. Jane Rich serves as Senior Research Manager in the School of Medicine and Public Health within the College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing at the University of Newcastle. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Newcastle, along with a Bachelor of Environmental Science (Honours) and a major in Environmental Sustainability from the same institution. Beginning her career at the University as a Research Associate in 2004, she has advanced to her current role, supervising PhD, Masters, and Honours students across various disciplines. She has taught in foundation studies programs, environmental sciences, humanities, and the medical program. Grounded in human geography, her work centers on public health research examining psycho-social and environmental factors influencing health and wellbeing.

Rich's research specializations include mental health, drug and alcohol addictions, workplace interventions, rural and environmental health, and gender studies. She applies qualitative methods such as content, thematic, narrative, and longitudinal analyses, alongside mixed methods and population health data approaches. She has attracted over $750,000 in research income through 19 grants totaling more than $2.8 million, including the NHMRC Project NEAT on e-cigarettes for smoking cessation after withdrawal services discharge, mental health programs for veterans, obesity interventions in coal mining, and drought impacts on rural wellbeing. With over 40 peer-reviewed publications and a book chapter, key works include "Drought-related stress among farmers: findings from the Australian Rural Mental Health Study" (2018, Medical Journal of Australia), "Quality, rigour and usefulness of free-text comments collected by a large population based longitudinal study-ALSWH" (2013, PLoS One), "The challenges of predicting suicidal thoughts and behaviours in a sample of rural Australians with depression" (2018, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health), "Concerns about climate change among rural residents in Australia" (2020, Journal of Rural Studies), and "Nicotine e-cigarettes for smoking cessation following discharge from smoke-free inpatient alcohol and other drug withdrawal services" (2025, The Lancet Public Health). Her contributions have advanced understanding of rural mental health, climate-related stressors, and occupational wellbeing. Awards include the University of Newcastle Service Award (2022) and Vice-Chancellor's Award for Early Career Research Excellence (2016).