Cathy Banwell

Professor Cathy Banwell is an Associate Professor at the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health (NCEPH), part of the Research School of Population Health at Australian National University (ANU). She holds a PhD in Community Medicine and a MA in Social Anthropology. Her research focuses on socio-cultural determinants of public health, including obesity dynamics in Thailand and Australia, substance use patterns, and reproductive health among marginalized groups. She is a Principal Investigator on projects addressing health-risk transitions and sociocultural methodologies in population health.

Key affiliations include the Centre of Epidemiology for Policy and Practice and the Humanitarian Health Research Initiative. Her work spans global health challenges, such as PFAS exposure studies in Australia and interventions targeting maternal and child health in Bangladesh. Recent studies explore acculturation effects on immigrant children’s health and workplace health promotion strategies in Singapore. She has authored over 50 peer-reviewed articles, contributing to journals like Lancet and BMJ Open.

Her research bridges social sciences and epidemiology, addressing how cultural practices and policy shape health outcomes. Notable contributions include analyzing Thailand’s food retail transition and its impact on obesity, as well as studying migrant sex workers’ health risks in Chiang Mai. She also leads investigations into climate change health implications and pandemic-era vulnerabilities.