Rona Macniven

Dr. Rona Macniven is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Population Health at UNSW Sydney, specializing in physical activity, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, and public health research. She holds a Heart Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship (2021-2023) and has led numerous grants focusing on Indigenous health equity, falls prevention, and chronic disease management.

Education: PhD in Public Health (University of Sydney), MSc in Physical Activity and Health (Loughborough University, UK), BSc (Hons) in Physical Education (Loughborough University, UK).

Research Interests: Her work focuses on improving health outcomes through culturally grounded interventions, including studies on physical activity’s impact on cardiovascular health, dementia prevention, and the social determinants of Indigenous wellbeing. She emphasizes community partnerships in co-designing programs.

Grants & Awards: Over $3M in grants from bodies like NHMRC and the Heart Foundation. Notable projects include the Next Generation Aboriginal Youth Cohort Study and Ironbark fall prevention program.

Teaching: Course convenor for Introduction to Public Health and Applied Research Methods for Public Health. Supervises students across ILP, Honors, Masters, and PhD levels.