Flinders University public health researcher Dr Evie Leslie has been named one of the 12 most influential Australian researchers in the Thomson Reuters Australia Citation and Innovation Awards.

At a ceremony today at the National Press Club in Canberra, 12 individual Australian-affiliated recipients and seven innovative organisations received commemorative Thomson Reuters awards.

The awards recognise Australia’s continuing influence on international scientific research and innovation.

Recipients were selected based on citation impact and patent analysis by Thomson Reuters, the world’s largest international multimedia news agency.

Dr Leslie was recognised for her influential research in the field of public, environmental and occupational health.

Dr Leslie’s research focuses on understanding the determinants of physical activity and other health behaviours. She is conducting a number of studies related to measuring and assessing the impacts of social and physical environments on physical activity behaviours and on mental health outcomes in general populations.

She has recently been involved in evaluating the Obesity Prevention and Lifestyle (OPAL) project, which has been adopted by numerous local government councils across South Australia. The project aims to improve eating and activity patterns of children from families and communities in participating regions, thereby increasing the proportion of children in the healthy weight range.