Researcher Profile: Professor Jane Fisher
Fire to Flourish's research team brings together diverse disciplines to help build an evidence base that supports community-led action and influences change in disaster management systems.
Each month we'll be sharing a new Researcher Profile. We want to shine a light on our talented researchers: their backgrounds and areas of interest, as well as the focus and impact of their work at Fire to Flourish. This month is Professor Jane Fisher, Research Lead in our Health & Wellbeing team.
Academic background
Jane Fisher is Finkel Professor of Global Health, Co-Director of the Planetary Health Division and Director of Global and Women’s Health at Monash University’s School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine. An academic Clinical and Health Psychologist, she has led major epidemiological studies in Australia, Vietnam, and Nepal, conducted nationally and internationally funded intervention trials, and supervised over 50 postgraduate and research candidates to successful completion. Jane has provided technical advice to global agencies including WHO, UNICEF, and UNFPA.
Area of interest and why
Jane Fisher’s research centres on understanding and addressing the social determinants, including gender-based risks, of health inequalities, with a particular interest in mental health. As an example, she has applied this in developing, with local partners, a multicomponent community-based intervention to address women’s health and the early development of their children in Vietnam. It was successful in improving all domains of children’s development and the health of women in this resource-constrained setting and was cost-effective. It is now being taken to scale by the national government.
Research focus at Fire to Flourish
At Fire to Flourish, Jane is leading research to understand the health and wellbeing of people living in the four local government areas five years after the 2019 - 2020 bushfires through a population wide survey. The survey has been co-developed with Indigenous researchers and community representatives to address needs for information about experiences of the fires, losses of livelihoods, property and places of cultural significance, access to health, financial and recovery services, and changes in relationships and work and how these are influencing health, wellbeing and social participation.
The impact of Jane’s work at Fire to Flourish
Jane’s work is helping to build a detailed, evidence-based understanding of the experiences and needs of people living in disaster-affected communities. The data will provide communities with robust evidence about population health and met and unmet needs for services. The insights will inform local, state and national planning, advocacy for targeted services, and support community organisations in prioritising resources. By highlighting where support is most needed and what strategies are most effective, her research will empower communities to drive meaningful, locally informed change.