Catherine Austin

Catherine Austin is a Senior Research Fellow and Associate Professor in Maternal & Child Health Research at the Faculty of Health, Federation University Australia, affiliated with the Molly Wardaguga Research Centre. Her work focuses on optimizing health outcomes for Indigenous Australian communities through innovative care models.

• PhD in Indigenous Health (Federation University Australia, 2022)
• Master of Public Health - Indigenous Health Specialisation (UNSW Medicine and Health, 2015)
• Master of Health Management (UNSW Medicine and Health, 2015)
• Bachelor of Child and Family Health Nursing (RMIT University, 1993)
• Certified Midwifery and General Nursing

Research interests center on Maternal and Child Health equity, particularly through the First 2000 Days framework and Birthing on Country models. Her work aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 3) and emphasizes social determinants of health, cultural competency, and policy reform in Australian Indigenous communities.

Recent publications analyze family violence risk identification, social determinants affecting healthcare access, and novel models for Aboriginal family engagement. Text-mined topics from her 4 research outputs include Health Services Research, Indigenous Health Equity, Maternal-Child Health Systems, Cultural Competency, Australian Public Health, and Qualitative Nursing Studies.

External roles include serving as a Board Director for the Maternal Child and Family Health Nurses Australia (MCaFHNA) since 2023. Her research collaborations span Australia, with 5 similar profiles identified in social determinants of health and maternal welfare domains.