[3] Clapham's father was the source of her drive and passion for education, and inspired her to work in academia.
She is the primary investigator of an ARC research project, which has the goal of creating a 'place based' model for solutions to complex health and social issues, that are community led.
She has developed strong partnerships with Aboriginal community organizations, particularly in southeastern New South Wales.
She has worked on projects to prevent injury of Aboriginal children, based on community-led solutions.
[9] She has delivered many place-based solutions, which is a strength of local communities.“These local communities have got good linkages and good communication between each other, and so are able to operate in a different way than government and non-Aboriginal organisations,”[10]Clapham has over 1300 citations and an H-index of 20, according to Google Scholar, as of July 2024[update][3]