Rate My Professor Richard Franklin

Professor Richard Franklin, PhD (University of Sydney), MSocSc (Health), BSc (University of Queensland), GCertAustRurLeadership, GradCertEd, FACTM, FPHAA, FARL, is Head of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in the College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences at James Cook University. His career in public health, focused on injury prevention and safety promotion, began in 1996. Prior roles include service with the Queensland Ambulance Service, the Australian Centre for Agricultural Health and Safety at the University of Sydney, and as the inaugural National Manager for Research and Health Promotion at the Royal Life Saving Society - Australia, where he established drowning prevention research in Australia and internationally, developing programs such as Grey Medallion for older Australians and home pool inspector training. He continues as volunteer Senior Research Fellow and Board Member. Franklin chairs workshops nationally and internationally, led the Townsville Water Safety Plan, and chaired the World Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion Conference (Safety 2022). His research involves epidemiological, translational, program evaluation, surveillance, and studies in drowning prevention, farm safety, road safety, quad bike safety, trauma, CPR, alcohol and chemical safety, child safety, falls, resilience, and safety for rural populations, agriculture workers, older people, travel, and disasters, including collaborations like the Global Drowning Prevention Leadership Institute with Johns Hopkins University.

Key publications encompass contributions to Global Burden of Disease studies, including 'Global, regional, and national burden of injuries, and burden attributable to injuries risk factors, 1990 to 2019: results from the Global Burden of Disease study 2019' (2024), 'Ambulance Attendance in the State of Queensland, Australia: Exploring the Impacts of Heatwaves Using a Retrospective Population-Based Study' (2025), 'Drowning prevention strategies for migrant adults in Australia: a qualitative multiple case study' (2025), and 'Burden of unintentional drowning in China from 1990 to 2019 and exposure to water: Findings from the Global Burden of Disease 2019 study' (2025). Awards include the ACTM Medal for Outstanding Service to the College (2021), 2019 SP2 Dean’s Learning and Teaching Awards for Subject Excellence and Teaching Excellence (2020), WSO J. Peter Cunliffe Transportation Award (2019), Overall College Winner for Research Excellence (2018), The Royal Life Saving Society Diploma (2018), ISASH Research Achievement Award (2024), and Peter Leggat Education Award (2024). He serves on editorial boards of the International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education, Journal of Agromedicine, and Safety, and holds positions as President of the Australasian College of Tropical Medicine and Kidsafe Australia, co-convenor of the Injury Prevention Special Interest Group of the Public Health Association of Australia, and board member of Farmsafe Australia and Auschem Training.