Faculty of Health, Medicine, Nursing and Behavioural Sciences
Deakin University
This research cluster brings together over 40 academic staff, situated mainly in the School of Health and Social Development, but with members also from the Faculty of Arts and School of Psychology. The group’s vision is working collaboratively with communities, organisations and governments to enhance the health and wellbeing of those individuals and groups who are socially excluded, marginalised or disadvantaged, thereby tackling health and welfare inequalities and contributing to the public health agenda facing societies throughout the world.
There are six major developed programs of research within the group. These are listed below together with the main people involved. Work in these programme areas is necessarily interconnected. Underlying the group’s work in all these areas is an active concern with: the development of mixed methodologies; the application of systems thinking; multidisciplinary approaches; systematic approaches to reviewing and synthesising the research literature, and with issues of knowledge transfer and practice development. The disciplines represented within the group include: public health, health promotion, health sciences, social work, occupational science and therapy, sociology, anthropology and disability studies.
Speciality Areas:
The cluster carries out research of local, national and international importance with a shared aim to develop understanding and theory, and to stimulate development and evaluation of practice, to address inequity in health and social policy sectors.
Our research is framed by an understanding of the determinants of socio-economic health inequalities, and social determinants of health and wellbeing. We utilise a variety of different research paradigms and actively work to ensure that knowledge-based practice draws on the full range of qualitative and quantitative research approaches. Much of the work of the cluster is carried out in partnership with communities and organisations in the health and social policy sectors, particularly through Deakin’s two formal partnerships with the DHS regions of Barwon-South Western and the Eastern Metropolitan Region.
We advocate systemic and sustainable change, intersectoral collaboration, strengthening communities and living conditions to improve health and wellbeing, and engaging the health care system, to promote social justice and equity.
The Professoriate
Professors Ann Taket (Cluster Director), Bob Pease, Bob Cummins, Evelyne de Leeuw, John Toumbourou, Sing Kai Lo, Associate Professors Beth Crisp
Karen Stagnitti, Lynne Adamson, Mardie Townsend
