BetterStart

Child Health and Development Research Group

Research conducted by the BetterStart group aims to understand how to ensure infants and children have the best start to life. Our studies focus on ways to enhance health and development throughout their life course.

The BetterStart group is led by Professor John Lynch who is an internationally recognised scholar in epidemiology and public health.  In 2005 he was awarded a Canada Research Chair in Population Health. In 2007 his work in social epidemiology and public health was recognised with an Honorary Doctoral Degree in Medical Science from the University of Copenhagen. In 2009 he was awarded a prestigious NHMRC Australia Fellowship. In 2015 he was elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences. He has over 300 publications, and each year since 2014 he has received Thomson Reuters' "Highly Cited Researcher" status that places him in the top 1% of cited scientists internationally in his field.

This interdisciplinary group consists of researchers with common interests in early childhood health and development. The group has backgrounds in epidemiology, public health, nutrition, paediatrics, biostatistics and psychology. Collectively, the BetterStart group have expertise in observational studies, randomised controlled trials, pragmatic trials, data linkage and translational research activities in South Australia, nationally and internationally.