Dr Melanie Andersen

Dr Melanie Andersen is an Honorary Fellow at the George Institute for Global Health, Adjunct Lecturer at UNSW, and Senior Analyst at the NSW Ministry of Health. Melanie has expertise in the social and environmental determinants of health across the life course. She uses qualitative and quantitative research methods to answer policy-relevant questions. Her focus is on collaborative, interdisciplinary work grounded in public health and epidemiology but informed by fields including sociology, urban planning and cultural studies. Much of Melanie’s research involves working in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and organisations to address community priorities. Her research builds on her clinical experience as an Occupational Therapist in hospital and community health settings.

Melanie brings a unique combination of sound epidemiological skills, clinical experience, understanding of health systems and a strong track record building community-led programs of research. Current research projects include an Aboriginal community-led child injury prevention project in remote NSW, a community-initiated partnership project to co-design a housing screening tool and integrated care pathway for agencies providing housing, health and social services to Aboriginal children and families in Sydney, and a Technical Report on Falls Prevention commissioned by the World Health Organisation, building on  previous work on hip fracture care in low and middle-income countries.