Seth Westhead
Research Fellow & Community Partnerships Lead
BHSc Nutrition/Physiology, MPH
seth.westhead@thekids.org.au
+61 63756133
Seth Westhead (BHSc Nutrition/Physiology, MPH) is a dedicated and proud Father, Husband and Research Fellow with family connections to the Awabakal and Wiradjuri nations of NSW.
Through his research work, Seth strives to better understand how social and cultural determinants drive health and social inequities within society, particularly as it relates to Indigenous peoples. He seeks to better equip communities and young people with tools and evidence for public health advocacy and enable communities to translate health research into meaningful action. Specifically, Seth has expertise in the: 1) understanding and developing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social determinants and well-being frameworks and tools, 2) designing, building and sustaining community and youth-led governance and advisory structures 2), and 3) designing, building, managing and implementing innovative multi-stage advocacy and stakeholder focused research projects.
Prior to his research work, Seth gained 10+ years’ experience as a youth mentor across various government and non-government organisations and programs, focusing on the cultural development and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people.
Published research
Generating evidence to inform responsive and effective actions for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adolescent health and well-being: a mix method protocol for evidence integration 'the Roadmap Project'
Australia does not have a national strategy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adolescent health and as a result, policy and programming actions are fragmented and may not be responsive to needs. Efforts to date have also rarely engaged Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in co-designing solutions. The Roadmap Project aims to work in partnership with young people to define priority areas of health and well-being need and establish the corresponding developmentally appropriate, evidence-based actions.
Education and Qualifications
- Master of Public Health, University of Adelaide, South Australia
- Bachelor of Health Sciences Majoring in Nutrition/Physiology, University of Adelaide, South Australia
Awards/Honours
- 2018 - Queen Elizabeth Scholarship, University of Manitoba, Canada
- 2017 - Finalist: CSIRO Indigenous STEM Early Career awards
- 2017 - Aboriginal Health scholarship, SA Health
Active Collaborations
- Research Associate (Affiliate), Global Adolescent health research group, Burnet Institute, Melbourne