Rate My Professor Ashleigh Guillaumier

Dr Ashleigh Guillaumier is an Honorary Lecturer at the University of Newcastle's School of Medicine and Public Health, affiliated with the Centre for Translational Neuroscience and Mental Health in the College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy and a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) from the University of Newcastle, where she graduated with First Class Honours and was awarded the Faculty Medal from the Faculty of Science and Information Technology. Guillaumier is dedicated to translating research on health behaviours into practical outcomes that improve wellbeing, prioritising prevention over cure.

Her PhD, supervised by Professor Billie Bonevski, examined socioeconomically disadvantaged smokers' responses to key tobacco control strategies—including mass media campaigns, plain cigarette packaging, and price increases—yielding six peer-reviewed publications. This work represented the first Australian study exploring low socioeconomic status smokers' reactions to these measures. She subsequently led a cluster-randomised controlled trial across 32 drug and alcohol treatment services in four Australian states and territories, aimed at enhancing the delivery of smoking cessation care. In late 2016, Guillaumier was granted a Postdoctoral Fellowship by the National Heart Foundation of Australia, enabling her transition to stroke research. She developed the 'Prevent 2nd Stroke' online intervention to address modifiable behavioural risk factors such as physical activity and diet in stroke survivors, achieving a 90% completion rate in pilot studies. Additionally, she received the CAPHIA Award for PhD Excellence in Public Health.

Guillaumier's influential publications include "Evaluation of an online intervention for improving stroke survivors' health-related quality of life: A randomised controlled trial" (PLOS Medicine, 2022), "Effect of increasing the delivery of smoking cessation care in alcohol and other drug treatment centres: a cluster-randomized controlled trial" (Addiction, 2020), "Tobacco health warning messages on plain cigarette packs and in television campaigns: a qualitative study with Australian socioeconomically disadvantaged smokers" (Health Education Research, 2015), "Paying the price: A cross-sectional survey of Australian socioeconomically disadvantaged smokers' responses to hypothetical cigarette price rises" (Drug and Alcohol Review, 2014), and "Socioeconomically disadvantaged smokers' ratings of plain and branded cigarette packaging: an experimental study" (BMJ Open, 2014). Her research has advanced tobacco control, health promotion, and interventions for vulnerable populations, including those with mental health conditions, in rural areas, and culturally diverse communities, contributing significantly to public health strategies.