Dr Cathy Banwell

Cathy Banwell completed a MA in social anthropology at Auckland University followed by a PhD in the Department of Community Medicine at Melbourne University.  She is now located at National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health (NCEPH), in the Research School of Population Health (RSPH). 

Cathy's research interests include socio-cultural contributions to public health; temporal dimensions of health; consumption and risk relating to food, alcohol, tobacco and illicit drug use; reproductive health, family and social issues of women who use illicit drugs or have HCV. Her most significant contribution to public health research has been to bring social science theories and research methods to the development of explanations for new patterns of epidemiological risks and outcomes, including the rise of obesity in Australia and Thailand. She teaches qualitative research analysis at the post-graduate level.

Over the past 5 years, Cathy has been graduate-convenor and then delegated authority in the RSPH.  Through these activities and her post-graduate teaching she has developed an abiding interest in improving the post-graduate student experience.