Prior to her appointment at Flinders University, Kelly worked as a Senior Researcher on a Commonwealth 'Proof of Concept' project exploring Aboriginal pathways and over-representation in child protection. Previous academic appointments have been as a Senior Research Fellow in the School of Population and Global Health at The University of Melbourne, where she led teams working on strategies and advocacy for National Trachoma elimination and education and developing a culturally responsive Indigenous National social marketing campaign for diabetic eye disease 'Check Today, See Tomorrow' .

As as Research Fellow at the Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health (ARCPOH) and the Indigenous Oral Health Unit (IOHU) at The University of Adelaide, Kelly worked on developing, implementing and evaluating a prognostic triage algorithm for the South Australian Dental Service. This triage system was subsequently adopted for use in all SA public dental clinics, leading to a multi-million dollar reorientation of the emergency and preventive care system and a reduction in clinic waiting lists across South Australia.

Her work at IOHU explored social determinants and mediators in access to and outcomes in oral health with a focus on First Nations communities. Kellys Master of Public Health research was used by SA Health and the Health Minister as the evidence to support the introduction of smoking bans in all SA indoor dining places in South Australia in 1999. Kelly's work in mixed method health services research has won both State and National recognition and she is passionate about the research /social justice policy nexus and using evidence to shape healthy outcomes for marginalised populations.