Dr Samantha Battams

Samantha is Senior Research Fellow and also has academic status as Associate Professor at the Southgate Institute, Flinders University and works as a public and global health academic and consultant. She has a degree with majors in psychology and sociology, an Honours degree in sociology and PhD in Public Health wich applied critical policy theories to policy processes on housing for people with a psychiatric disability across a period of mental health reform. Her experience includes curriculum development, teaching, research, policy analysis and consultancy work. She was previously Director (Research & Evaluation) at Health Outcomes International (2016-2019) and Associate Professor and Public Health Program Director at Torrens University (2014-2016).

Prior to this she was based in Geneva, Switzerland (2011-2013) where she worked as a Visiting/Research Fellow, Global Health Programme, The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies - on the Global Health Europe initiative. She was also Course Director, Global Health: An Interdisciplinary Overview, University of Geneva (2013). She also previously worked in the Department/Discipline of Public Health at Flinders University (2003-2009) in project management, teaching and research and at the National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction and the Southgate Institute (2010) as a researcher. She was recently Associate Editor for the journal BMC International Health and Human Rights.

Prior to entering academia, she worked in the health and community services sectors for 10 years, in policy development, community development, programme management and strategic planning, with NGOs and local government. She has also served on a number of government boards (governor appointed) and panels, including the District Court of South Australia (2005-2010).

Consultancy work has included work on primary health care models, health governance and policy, mental health policy and service reviews, program reivews and evaluation, health promotion for people with disabilities, workforce development and capacity building, systematic reviews and carer policy.

Samantha has a particular interest in health policy, politics and governance, global health, mental health & AOD policy, human rights and health, social determinants of health, housing, cross-sectoral policy and processes, health service integration, community participation and primary health care. Samantha is interested in research collaboration, consultancies and student supervision.

• Policy theory, particularly critical approaches
• Governance, including Global Health Governance
• The European Union's Role in Global Health & Global Health Research
• Service user/carer and NGO involvement in policy and services
• Inter-sectoral policy and collaboration
• Health service integration
• Mental health and housing policies
• Human rights and health
• Mental health promotion
• Disability and carer issues
• Alcohol and Other Drugs
• Child and Parent Sensitive Policy and Practice in the AOD sector
• Justice, crime prevention and mental health