Getting to know... Angela Rintoul
Angela Rintoul
Name: Angela Rintoul
Title: PhD Candidate
Faculty/Division: Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
Dept: Department of Epidemiology and Preventative Medicine
Campus: The Alfred Hospital
How long have you worked at Monash?
I enrolled in my PhD mid-2009 as part of the Victorian Public Health Training Scheme and came to work on gambling research at Monash in mid-2011. I recently started a new job with the Australian Institute of Family Studies in the Australian Gambling Research Centre (AGRC). I’m hoping to continue collaborating with my colleagues at Monash as an adjunct.
Where did you work prior to starting at the University?
I was based in Vientiane, Lao PDR, working for CARE Australia on HIV prevention and avian and human influenza programs.
What do you like best about your role?
The opportunity to work with intelligent people to generate evidence that can influence public debate and policy. It’s great to see your findings used to shape discussion and sometimes even feeding into reform. I also enjoy opportunities to collaborate with counterparts in other countries to get an international perspective. Learning about how similar challenges play out in different contexts, and how people respond to these is a great way of putting problems in perspective and considering new solutions.
Why did you choose your current career path?
It seems like a good way to contribute constructively to issues in the public interest.
First job?
During high school I worked in the local bookstore in Sale, Gippsland, where I grew up.
Worst job?
For a few days upon returning from overseas travel I temped on the reception desk at a famous elevator company. I didn’t realise when I was sent to the job that my direct line was also the number to call when stuck. Needless to say, I was given no prior instruction with where to field these calls. Think distressed pregnant woman stuck in a lift…
What research/projects are you currently working on and what does it involve?
I am currently contributing to the development of a research plan for the newly established AGRC, finishing my thesis and conducting some analysis of health impacts of EGM gambling.
What is your favourite place in the world and why?
New York City – so much energy and so many characters. And Mallacoota because it’s almost everything NYC is not (although there are still quite a few characters).
What is your favourite place to eat and why?
Perhaps Chin Chin – great food and overpriced Beer Lao.
What is the best piece of advice you have received?
Stay calm and muddle through, thoughtfully.
Tell us something about yourself that your colleagues wouldn’t know?
I was winner of the inaugural 2013 Mallacoota Fun Run 10km event, in the category of Female, 18-39 years old. There were not many entrants!