Maria Harries

Maria Harries is an Associate Professor and Adjunct Professor at the School of Population and Global Health, University of Western Australia, within the Population and Public Health department. She also holds a Senior Honorary Research Fellow position. Her expertise spans Child and Family Welfare, Mental Health, Ethics in Healthcare, and Governance in Non-Profit Sectors. She has contributed to over 50 research outputs and led 14 grants, focusing on systemic child protection, healthcare workforce training, and community disadvantage.

Education: BA (Tasmania), Diploma in Social Work (Western Australia), MSocAdmin, PhD (Murdoch University). Her research aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals targeting poverty reduction and health equity. Key projects include evaluating school chaplaincy programs, analyzing perinatal child protection processes, and investigating hardship in Perth.

Grants and Projects: She has led initiatives such as the 'Caring Well - Protecting Well' project (2004) and 'Communicare Communities for Children' (2005–2009), focusing on child welfare and systemic responses. Recent work includes exploring Muslim patients' experiences (2010) and parental perspectives on child care (2007).