Megan Freund

Dr. Megan Freund is a Research Academic with the Health Behaviour Research Collaborative at the School of Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle. With over 20 years of experience in health behaviour research, Dr. Freund completed her PhD at the University of Newcastle in 2008 and has held significant research fellowships including the HMRI and Newcastle Institute of Public Health Post-Doctoral Research Fellowships (2007-2013) and the NHMRC Translation Research into Practice (TRIP) Fellowship (2018-2019).

Dr. Freund's research focuses on translational health behaviour interventions, particularly examining the adoption of efficacious health behaviour interventions into routine practice by service delivery organizations. Her work spans several critical areas including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, dementia care, gambling behaviors, and health service delivery for vulnerable populations. She has published 78 peer-reviewed papers and secured over $1 million in nationally competitive grant funding from NHMRC and ARC schemes.

Her recent research demonstrates a strong focus on Indigenous health, with multiple studies examining mental health and substance use co-occurrence, diabetes management technologies, and dementia care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. She also conducts significant research on social determinants of health, particularly examining health outcomes for people residing in social housing and older adults living in manufactured home villages.

• NHMRC Translation Research into Practice (TRIP) Fellowship (2018-2019)
• HMRI Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship (2007-2013)
• Newcastle Institute of Public Health Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship (2007-2013)

Dr. Freund currently supervises one PhD student and has successfully guided six PhD, two master's, and four honors students to completion. She serves as a grant reviewer for multiple national and international funding bodies including NHMRC, ARC, and NIH. Her collaborative work extends to partnerships with Hunter New England Health Service, Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer Victoria, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, and Home in Place social housing provider.