Rate My Professor M. Clare Robertson

M. Clare Robertson is an Honorary Research Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at the Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago. She holds a PhD from the University of Melbourne, as well as BSc (Hons) and BCom degrees. Her research career at the University of Otago has centered on falls prevention in older people, with a particular emphasis on developing and evaluating effective interventions through high-quality randomized controlled trials that incorporate economic analyses. As a key investigator alongside Professor A. John Campbell, she contributed to the creation and testing of the Otago Exercise Programme (OEP), a home-based strength and balance exercise program delivered by nurses or trained instructors. Landmark studies include the 2001 BMJ randomized controlled trial demonstrating the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a nurse-delivered home exercise programme to prevent falls, which showed a 30% reduction in falls, and the 2002 Journal of the American Geriatrics Society review synthesizing evidence on preventing injuries through falls prevention strategies. She co-authored the Otago Exercise Programme Manual in 2003, which has been widely disseminated internationally.

Robertson has authored or co-authored several Cochrane systematic reviews, including 'Interventions for preventing falls in older people living in the community' (2012) and 'Interventions for preventing falls in older people in nursing care facilities and hospitals' (2012), influencing global guidelines on falls prevention. Her work highlights the value of single interventions like exercise, demonstrating cost savings and advocating for their implementation in community settings. She has collaborated with health organizations to promote the OEP and other evidence-based programs. Additional research includes economic evaluations of manual therapy and exercise for osteoarthritis, statistical methods for falls trials, and the impact of visual impairment on falls. With over 100 publications and 18,000 citations, her contributions have had substantial impact on geriatric medicine and public health strategies for reducing falls-related injuries in older adults.