About our team

The Vape-Free Future initiative is led by a dynamic group of academic researchers and educators, health service leaders, and strategic project experts committed to addressing the harms of vaping in young people. Our team draws on higher education experience in public health, clinical practice, and healthcare strategy to drive impactful change across Monash campuses and beyond.

The Vape-Free Project team has recently been recognised with the 2025 Vice-Chancellor’s Excellence Award for Health, Safety and Wellbeing, for their outstanding contribution to the Monash University community.

About our partners

The Amplifying UNCLOUD at Monash University 2.0 campaign is powered by strong partnerships with public health organisations and Monash University stakeholders. These relationships were first forged during Collective Impact 1.0 and continue to grow through coordinated action, co-design, and student-centred engagement.

External Partners

VicHealth

VicHealth is the principal funder and strategic partner of the Amplifying UNCLOUD at Monash University 2.0 campaign. Their Collective Impact framework shapes the project’s commitment to collaboration, evidence-based messaging, and community-led change. VicHealth is actively involved in co-design phases to ensure relevance and impact for priority student populations.

UNCLOUD is a digital platform which provides peer-reviewed and scientifically backed information about vaping and allows young people to share their stories with each other. UNCLOUD is proudly supported by VicHealth.

South East Public Health Unit (SEPHU)

SEPHU is a valued project partner, contributing strategic insight and supporting student-led initiatives across our work. Their collaboration includes, ongoing input into planning and evaluation, and working alongside students. Through this partnership, Monash strengthens its regional public health impact while fostering student research and leadership.

Quit Victoria

Quit Victoria provides health promotion and clinical expertise to guide implementation across Monash University. Their support includes:

• Training clinic staff in vaping cessation strategies
• Providing vaping cessation resources to be distributed at campus events and at the UHS.
• Identifying Honours scholarship vaping prevention priority projects

Internal partners

from the Inside Out

Internal partnerships across key student-facing areas of Monash University have been vital in embedding UNCLOUD’s harm-reduction strategies into everyday campus life. By integrating health promotion into sport, residential settings, and student engagement spaces, these collaborations help foster vape-free lifestyles where students live, play, and connect. To guide this work, a Community and Stakeholder Advisory Group brings together representatives from diverse student support and engagement teams, ensuring UNCLOUD initiatives reflect real student experiences and drive meaningful, inclusive change.

Opportunities to collaborate

Interested in partnering with us?

Looking to co-design resources, support priority populations, or join a university-wide health initiative? We'd love to collaborate.

Fill out the partnership expression of interest form

Got questions or ideas?

Feel free to contact:

• A/Prof Chris Barton, Lead Investigator: chris.barton@monash.edu
• Ms Susan Kotwas, Strategic Projects and Operations Manager, Monash University Health Services (UHS): susan.kotwas@monash.edu
• Ms Isabella Papadopoulos, Project Manager: isabella.papadopoulos@monash.edu

We’re excited to connect, collaborate, and amplify action across Monash.

Our work so far

In 2023, research led by A/Prof Chris Barton at Monash University revealed that 26.9 per cent of Monash University students had used e-cigarettes, with 7.7 per cent reporting daily use. Recognising a widespread gap in knowledge and a student demand for better resources, Monash launched its first comprehensive vaping prevention initiative. Supported by VicHealth, this multi-pronged, student-led campaign was designed to build capability and deliver lasting impact across the university.

At the heart of this initiative was collaboration. We partnered with the South Eastern Public Health Unit (SEPHU) to connect with broader regional efforts in health promotion and public health to address vaping in young adults. Embracing VicHealth’s collective impact approach, we developed diverse strategic partnerships that strengthened our efforts, expanded outreach, and created meaningful learning opportunities for students.

One of the most visible moments was the three-day “Clear the Air: Vaping Awareness Week” pop-up booth, co-hosted with SEPHU and QUIT Victoria. It directly engaged students in vaping education and sparked conversations across campus. Internally, Monash Sport and Monash Residential Services became powerful allies in creating spaces where students could get involved – even offering a 12-month sport membership as part of an awareness competition. Monash students were also supported to compete in a design competition involving students from Melbourne, Deakin, and Swinburne universities to create an innovative slogan or resource to amplify youth voices concerned about the harms of vaping in young people.

Listening to student voices became a guiding principle. We embedded undergraduate and postgraduate students in every layer of the campaign – from design and messaging to evaluation and delivery. Ten Monash Vape Free Champions, recruited from a variety of disciplines, led over 1,300 meaningful conversations at events and peer outreach initiatives. They promoted the UNCLOUD campaign materials, distributed on behalf of VicHealth and the Minderoo Foundation, and connected students interested in vaping cessation with the Monash University Health Service and QUIT.

Through innovative placement models, students gained hands-on experience in advocacy and public health. They attended stakeholder meetings, hosted focus groups, and developed messaging strategies based on lived student experiences. With mentoring from a professional videographer, they created a suite of vaping prevention resources that are now being rolled out across Monash campuses, Australia wide.

This initiative has not only shaped campus culture – it’s cultivated leadership, collaboration, and equity. Further funding support from VicHealth was secured in 2025 that will allow us to expand the initiative, deepen partnerships, and reinforce our position as a driving force in vaping harm prevention.

Research findings

Our team at Monash University is actively engaged in research to better understand vaping behaviours and inform harm reduction strategies among young people. Access the latest reports and peer review publications from our research program below.

Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to build the evidence base.