Associate Professor Elisabeth Northam

Ph.D. (University of Melbourne - thesis nominated for the Chancellor’s Prize), M.A. (University of Melbourne), B.A. (University of Tasmania)

Associate Professor

Contact details:

Department of Psychology
Mental Health Service
Royal Children’s Hospital
Flemington Rd
Parkville, Vic., 3052

Current appointments include Associate Professor and Convener of the doctoral programme in clinical psychology (Child specialization), Department of Psychology, University of Melbourne; Co-ordinator, Academic & Research Programme, Psychology Department, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne; and Senior Research Fellow, Australian Centre for Child Neuropsychological Studies, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute. Paediatric type 1 diabetes has been a major research interest for the past 15 years and has generated research grants totally $1,500,000, including a current grant from the Junior Diabetes Research Foundation International 2003-2006 and numerous peer-refereed journal articles. Associate Professor Northam is also a co-author of a textbook on paediatric neuropsychology, commissioned by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates

Professional Associations, Memberships & Awards:

• 1. Member, Australian Psychological Society
  2. Member, College of Clinical Neuropsychologists
  3. Member, Australian Society for the Study of Brain Impairment
  4. Member, Royal Children’s Hospital Research Association
  5. Member, International Society for Research in Child and Adolescent Psychopathology
  6. Invited member of the American Diabetes Association, Professional section
  7. Reviewer, research grants, including NHMRC and journal articles (Diabetes Care, Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, Child Neuropsychology)
  8. Senior Associate,  School of Behavioural Sciences, Faculty of Health Science, LaTrobe University –clinical placement supervisor and occasional lecturer to doctoral students in the clinical psychology and clinical neuropsychology programmes.
  9. Senior Associate, Department of Psychology, Monash University - clinical placement supervisor and occasional lecturer to doctoral students in the clinical psychology and clinical neuropsychology programmes.
  10. Specialist registration in Clinical Neuropsychology and Clinical Psychology, Psychologists Registration Board of Victoria

Recent Funded Research:

Selected Publications:

Northam, E., Rankins, D., & Cameron, F. (2006) Therapy Insight: the impact of type 1 diabetes on brain development and function. Nature Clinical Practice - Neurology, 2, 78.86.

Northam EA, Todd S and Cameron FJ. Interventions to promote optimal health outcomes in children with Type 1 diabetes - are they effective? Diabetic Medicine 23: 113-121 (2006)

Cordy, N., Anderson, P., Maller, J., & Northam, E. Attention and executive functioning in school-aged children with obstructive and communicating hydrocephalus. Submitted to Child Neuropsychology.

Julka, S., Bhatia, U., Northam E., Dabadghao, P., Wakhlu, A. & Warne, G. Quality of life, gender role and timing of surgery in disorders of sexual differentiation in India In press

Rankins, D., Wellard, M., Cameron, F., McDonnell,C.,  & Northam, E. (2005). The Impact of acute hypoglycaemia on neuropsychological and neurometabolite profiles in children with type 1 diabetes. Diabetic Care, 28, 2771-2773

Cameron, F.J. & Northam E.A. (2005). Childhood precursors of adolescent outcomes in Type 1 diabetes.  Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology & Metabolism, 18, 223-234.

Warne G., Grover, S., Hutson, J., Sinclair, A., Northam, E., & Freeman J. Long-term outcome study of intersex conditions. (2005). Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology & Metabolism, 18, 555-567.

Northam, E.A., Matthews, L.K., Anderson, P.J., Cameron, F.J., & Werther, G.A. (2005) Psychiatric morbidity and health outcome in type 1 diabetes – Perspectives from a prospective longitudinal study.  Diabetic Medicine, 22, 152-157

Rankins D, Wellard M, Werther G, Northam E (2004) Neuropsychological and brain metabolite profiles of children with Type 1 diabetes 12 years after disease onset. Diabetologia 47: A362.

Northam, E.A. (2004) Neuropsychological and psychosocial correlates of endocrine and metabolic disorders – A review. Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology & Metabolism, 17, 5-15

Cameron, F.J, Smidts, D., Hesketh, K., Wake, M., & Northam, E.A. (2003)Early detection of emotional and behavioural problems in children with diabetes: The validity of the Child Health Questionnaire as a screening instrument. Diabetic Medicine, 20, 646-650.

Anderson, V.A., Anderson, P., Northam, E., Jacobs, R., & Mikiewicz, O. (2002).Relationships between cognitive and behavioral measures of executive function in children with brain disease. Child Neuropsychology, 8, 231-240

Northam, E. (2002) Diabetes and learning.  Medicine Today, 3, 8

Northam, E., Anderson, P., Werther, G., Adler, R., & Warne, G. (2002). Psychosocial and family functioning in children with insulin dependent diabetes. In Understanding Children and Families. Brisbane: Australian Academic Press

Anderson, P., Anderson, V., Northam, E., & Taylor, H.G. Standardisation of the Contingency Naming Test (CNT) for school-aged children: a measure of reactive flexibility. Clinical Neurological Assessment 4, 247-272.  

Anderson, V.A., Anderson, P., Northam, E., Jacobs, R., & Catroppa, C. Development of executive functions through late childhood and adolescence: An Australian sample. Developmental Neuropsychology, 20, 3865-406 

Jacobs, R., Northam, E., & Anderson, V. (2001) Cognitive outcome in children with myelomeningocele and perinatal hydrocephalus: A longitudinal perspective. Journal of Physical and Developmental Disabilities, 13, 389-405

Northam, E, Anderson, P., Jacobs, R., Hughes, M., Warne, G. & Werther, G. Neuropsychological profiles in children with type 1 diabetes 6 years after disease onset. (2001) Diabetes Care, 24