Red X iconGreen tick iconYellow tick icon
Skip to main content

Contact Details

Phone
+64 3 479 9092
Email
helen.harcombe@otago.ac.nz

University Links

Position
Associate Professor
Department
Department of Public Health (Dunedin)
Qualifications
BPhty MPH PhD
Research summary
Injury prevention, subsequent injury, musculoskeletal disorders e.g. among nurses, physical activity
Teaching
  • Undergraduate: POPH 192 Population Health
  • Programme Director, Bachelor of Health Sciences
  • Early Professional Experience (2nd year Medicine)
  • Thesis supervision: master’s and PhD research
Memberships
  • Physiotherapy New Zealand
  • Australasian Epidemiology Association
  • Australasian Injury Prevention Network
Clinical
Musculoskeletal physiotherapy

Research

Helen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Public Health (Dunedin), in the Faculty of Medicine. She is an epidemiologist with a clinical background as a physiotherapist and a PhD in Public Health. Her research focuses on enhancing and improving what happens to people following injury, in particular preventing subsequent injury. Other areas of research include musculoskeletal disorders, particularly among nurses.

She is currently leading a major trauma research grant funded by the Accident Compensation Corporation and administered by the Health Quality and Safety Commission examining major trauma and comorbidities.

Recently she led a feasibility study funded by the Health Research Council of New Zealand (HRC) focused on preventing subsequent injuries and has been Co-Investigator on two other HRC-funded projects examining outcomes of injury. She was Co-Principal Investigator on the HRC-funded Subsequent Injury Study (SInS) and has previously held a Strategy to Advance Research (STAR) PhD scholarship and a Health Research Council of New Zealand Occupational Health Career Development Award.

Publications

Derrett, S., Owen, H. E., Barson, D., Maclennan, B., Samaranayaka, A., Harcombe, H., & Wyeth, E. H. (2024). New Zealand’s Prospective Outcomes of Injury Study—10 years on (POIS-10): Descriptive outcomes to 12 years post-injury [Short report]. Injury Prevention, 30(3), 251-255. doi: 10.1136/ip-2023-045058 Journal - Research Article

Harcombe, H., Barson, D., Samaranayaka, A., Davie, G., Wyeth, E., Derrett, S., & McBride, P. (2023). Predictors of hospital readmission after trauma: A retrospective cohort study in New Zealand. Injury, 54(6), 1546-1552. doi: 10.1016/j.injury.2023.03.009 Journal - Research Article

Harcombe, H., Richardson, A. E., Wyeth, E. H., & Derrett, S. (2023). Opportunities for preventing subsequent injuries: A qualitative study exploring perspectives of people who have experienced injuries. New Zealand Medical Journal/Te ara tika o te hauora hapori, 136(1575), 10-21. Retrieved from https://journal.nzma.org.nz/ Journal - Research Article

Dixon, R., Derrett, S., Samaranayaka, A., Harcombe, H., Wyeth, E. H., Beaver, C., & Sullivan, M. (2023). Life satisfaction 18 months and 10 years following spinal cord injury: Results from a New Zealand prospective cohort study. Quality of Life Research, 32, 1015-1030. doi: 10.1007/s11136-022-03313-w Journal - Research Article

Harcombe, H., Richardson, A. E., Wyeth, E. H., & Derrett, S. (2022). Preventing subsequent injury: Healthcare providers' perspectives on untapped potential. Injury, 53, 953-958. doi: 10.1016/j.injury.2021.11.029 Journal - Research Article

Back to top