Professor Anne Kavanagh is a social epidemiologist who is well-known for her work on health inequalities. She is the inaugural Chair of Disability and Health and Head of the Disability and Health Unit in the Centre for Health Equity, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health.
She is also the Academic Director of the Melbourne Disability Institute, and the Director and Lead Investigator on the Centre of Research Excellence in Disability and Health (credh.org.au).
Her major research focus is on the health of people with disability. She focuses on how social determinants such as employment, housing, poverty and education influence the health of disability. Her work identifies potential policy solutions to reduce disability-related socio-economic and health disadvantage.
Professor Kavanagh's work also concentrates on the intersections between gender and other socio-economic determinants and health outcomes.
All of her research applies high-level quantitative methods to investigate complex social and health problems.
Professor Kavanagh contributes to public debate, advocacy and policy development through online media, membership of key committees and advice to government and other stakeholders.
Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences,
2015
Melbourne School of Population Health Knowledge Transfer Award,
2007
Public Health Award for Research Innovation - This was awarded for the Victorian Lifestyle and Neighbourhood Environments Study (VicLANES), Department of Human Services Victoria,
2006
Young Tall Poppy Award, Australian Institute of Political Science,
2002
Fellow of the Australian Faculty of Public Health Medicine,
1995
Accounts of abnormal Pap smears, Australian National University,
1990
Brighton and Sussex Medico-Chirurgical Society,
1989
Supervision
Available for supervision
Y
Supervision Statement
I supervise higher degree students with an interest in social epidemiology. Students focus on a range of social determinants such as gender, disability, housing, built environment and employment and their intersections.
In particular, I am building research capacity in the field of disability and health. My research on disability focusses on the relationships between disability, gender and socio-economic disadvantage (e.g. housing, employment, poverty) as they relate to health. Our group analyses large cross-sectional and longitudinal databases. I lead a major research centre on disability and health (credh.org.au) as well as being Academic Director of the Melbourne Disability Institute (disability.unimelb.edu.au)
Students would be part of a team of researchers at the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health working in this area.