Health Promotion Unit

• 
  Director
  Associate Professor Michelle Jongenelis

  michelle.jongenelis@unimelb.edu.au

  View researcher's webpage

Research Overview

The Health Promotion Unit engages in research, education, and advocacy to drive evidence-based policy and practice initiatives. We work across multiple and diverse health-related areas, including alcohol and tobacco control, nutrition, physical activity, and sun protection. To ensure our research reaches key stakeholders, we communicate our work via peer-reviewed journal articles, submissions to government consultations, media releases, podcasts, and commentary and blog pieces.

Our research has been instrumental in developing the evidence base needed to optimise health promotion in Australia, generating knowledge that (i) allowed national and international organisations to make evidence-based public health decisions; (ii) informed the development and/or redesign of multiple health programs and policies; and (iii) allowed people to make informed decisions about their health.

Staff

• 
  Dr Mary-Ellen Brierley, Postdoctoral research fellow
• 
  Dr Rebekah Anderson, Postdoctoral research fellow
• 
  Abby Robinson, Research assistant
• 
  Runze Li, Research assistant
• 
  Dr Ashlee Thomas, Coordinator

Collaborators

We partner with experts across various fields to explore the determinants of health behaviour, aiming to uncover sustainable mechanisms for improvement. We also engage with non-government organisations to ensure research findings are translated into policy and practice.

Some existing collaborations include:

• The George Institute for Global Health
• Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer, Cancer Council Victoria
• Cancer Council WA
• Lung Foundation Australia
• Minderoo Foundation
• Australian Council on Smoking and Health
• Public Health Association of Australia

Funding

Our Director, Associate Professor Michelle Jongenelis, is supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council Investigator Grant.

Research Publications

For a full list of relevant publications, please see Associate Professor Michelle Jongenelis' Google Scholar page.