Bond University’s Professor Tammy Hoffmann has received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for her services to clinical epidemiology and occupational therapy.
Professor Hoffmann’s research helps health professionals and patients make health decisions that are informed by evidence.
“I was very surprised to receive notification from the Governor-General’s office. I’m absolutely honoured,” she said.
“We want our research to influence policy and practice around the world so clinicians and patients can consider the research evidence when making health decisions.
“For example, some of our research has shown that patients and clinicians often overestimate how much tests and treatments help, and they can underestimate the possible harms.
“Both clinicians and patients need the information readily available and understandable so that they can have a collaborative discussion about what the options are and the benefits and harms of each option.”
Professor Hoffmann’s research spans local, national and international health sectors.
“Research jargon and medical statistics can be overwhelming, even for health professionals,” she said.
“There is a tsunami of information out there, and a lot of it is poor quality.
“A lot of my work is filtering through it to find the best quality research and then making it understandable and usable for health professionals and patients.
“COVID-19 has illustrated the problem well -- there is so much misinformation out there.
“Equipping health professionals, policymakers, patients, and the public with the skills and tools to sort fact from fiction is critical.”
Professor Hoffmann holds a Senior Research Fellowship from the National Health and Medical Research Council, is a Fellow of the Occupational Therapy Australia Research Academy and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences.
The University also has a link to the Young Australian of the Year, Isobel Marshall.
Ms Marshall is the founder of TABOO, a social enterprise business that sells sanitary products, with all net profits helping to ensure women around the world have access to sustainable sanitary care and education.
She was inspired to found TABOO after attending a leadership conference at Bond University in 2016.