Day 1

This morning I met with :
Dr. Adrian Bauman, PhD FAFPHM
Sesquicentenary Professor of Public Health
(Behavioural Epidemiology and Health Promotion)
Director, Centre for Physical Activity and Health
Co-Director, NSW Centre for Overweight and Obesity
Co-Director, Australian Centre for Health Promotion

All that, and he wants to be called Adrian!
I have my very own cubicle (desk 14, pronounced 4-deen), phone (9036 3296), email twashing@health.usyd.edu.au wow (or in the name of James...HOLLY COW), I feel so grown up! There's one cartoon posted at my desk; it reads like this there's a man sitting at a desk wit h a sign posted "Hospital Information" and he is responding to an overweight man saying"Obesity department?...ninth floor...No elevator!
Adrian and I had a quick chat about his schedule a quick hello and he'll be off (for 2 weeks) in Europe and then presenting at the Active Living Research conference in San Diego.
We had a great discussion about the different roles I can take during my time with CPAH. There are two particular projects that came to mind for Adrian after discussing my interests during my last visit in October. The first idea is to pick up on research that was started by, Margaret Thomas, a former PhD student who went on to work at NSW administration of health. The project includes Neville Owen as a co-author. Margaret had begun looking at aggregated census data (at postal code level ), specifically the question, "How did you get to work?"
Potential answers are:

1. Foot
2. Car
3. Public Transport (Bus and/or Train)
   
4. Other

Adrian would like to look at 5 major cities in Australia (Canberra, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, Brisbane) between the years of 1976- 2001and possibly 2006 (if the data is available). The first three cities are known for their cycling friendliness and the later two are known for walking. He is interested in how people may have changed their transport behavior over the years as well as looking at the ecological data, the SES of certain neighborhoods and how they may influence transport behavior.
The second project is working with the General Social Survey (GSS). He described the data as having interests in social capital and quality of life. The survey asks some transport questions and is known as a health survey. I'm to begin looking into the GSS and report to him everything the GSS has to offer PA researchers!
Stay tuned next time where I will offer you more information about CPAH!