New Fellows of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia for 2023
Two Monash Medicine Nursing and Health Sciences researchers have been elected as new Fellows of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, an independent, interdisciplinary body of elected Fellows across fields such as sociology, economics, law, psychology and social medicine.
Professor Helen Skouteris from the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine and Professor Philip Mendes from the School of Primary and Allied Health Care were among 21 researchers inducted as new Fellows yesterday, in recognition of their distinguished contribution to their fields of social science research and practice in Australia.
Professor Skouteris is the Monash Warwick Alliance Joint Professor of Health and Social Care Improvement and Implementation Science, Head of the Health and Social Care Unit, and Co-Lead of the Division of Evidence Synthesis, Qualitative and Implementation Methods at the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine. She is also the Director of the National Health and Medical Research Council-funded Centre of Research Excellence in Health in Preconception and Pregnancy (CRE HiPP).
Trained as a developmental psychologist, Professor Skouteris has a strong track record in longitudinal multi-factorial research, randomised controlled trials, implementation research and higher degree research supervision. Her research since 2010 has been predominantly focused on promoting health and wellbeing across preconception, pregnancy, preschool, and childhood, including adolescence, to create the best start in life for all children. Her work is cross-sectoral, with extensive partnerships across health, social care (community and social services), and education.
Under Professor Skouteris’ leadership, the Health and Social Care Unit has driven the boundaries of health and social care, drawing on theories, extensive evidence synthesis, randomised controlled trials and practice-based knowledge from real-world pragmatic implementation research. She has also led the successful development of the SEED Program and Healing Matters.
Professor Philip Mendes is a nationally and internationally recognised researcher in several social policy areas. He is the Director of the Social Inclusion and Social Policy Research Unit in the Department of Social Work in the School of Primary and Allied Health Care. His key research areas include young people transitioning from out-of-home care, income support including compulsory income management, social workers and policy practice, illicit drugs policy, Indigenous social policy, and Jewish community responses to institutional child sexual abuse.
Professor Mendes is a member of the Transitions to Adulthood for Young People Leaving Public Care International Research Group and has completed several major funded leaving care studies on youth justice, disability, Indigenous care leavers, and mentoring and employment programs. He is recognised as the leading Australian researcher in this area, and his research has had a significant impact on contemporary social policy debates and outcomes by providing an evidence base for informing change.
Professor Mendes is the author or editor of 12 books, and the author of more than 150 peer-reviewed academic journal articles and book chapters. His latest books include the 3rd edition of the popular textbook, Australia's Welfare Wars, published by UNSW Press in 2017 and Empowerment and Control in the Australian Welfare State (Routledge, 2019).
We extend our congratulations and best wishes to both Professor Skouteris and Professor Mendes on their election as new Fellows.
Read Professor Skouteris’ and Professor Mendes’ thought leadership on Monash Lens.
About Monash University
Monash University is Australia’s largest university with more than 80,000 students. In the 60 years since its foundation, it has developed a reputation for world-leading high-impact research, quality teaching, and inspiring innovation.
With four campuses in Australia and a presence in Malaysia, China, India, Indonesia and Italy, it is one of the most internationalised Australian universities.
As a leading international medical research university with the largest medical faculty in Australia and integration with leading Australian teaching hospitals, we consistently rank in the top 50 universities worldwide for clinical, pre-clinical and health sciences.
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