About us

Addressing behavioural and social determinants of health is one of the greatest challenges in public health. Numerous large research studies have shown these non-medical factors to account for over half of health outcomes.

The Behavioural and Social Epidemiology Research Group brings together leading researchers and educators with a passion for advancing behavioural science and social epidemiology to improve  public health over the  life course. We’re heavily focussed on building the public health workforce of tomorrow, and much of our research activity is performed via student supervision.

Our key objectives are:

1. Understand the social and behavioural determinants of health across diverse populations.
2. Develop innovative, interdisciplinary approaches to address health inequities and improve public health.
3. Collaborate with communities, policymakers, and stakeholders to translate research into actionable interventions and policies.
4. Train the next generation of researchers and professionals to tackle complex public health challenges.

Research team

PhD students

Honours students

Alexander Capuano
The association between protein intake and muscle strength in Australian older adults

Desmond Hoetomo
The association between physical activity and micro-vascular complications in people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes

Dr Md Ashraful Kabir
Primary healthcare system readiness for preventing and managing non-communicable diseases in Bangladesh

Levin Wang
Association of edentulism and self-reported oral health with disability-free survival in older adults

Masters students

Sana Bader
Cigarette smoking as a risk factor for diabetic nephropathy

Fan Yang
The association of sleep duration and physical activity with cardiovascular disease in middle aged and older adults