Summer May Finlay

Dr. Summer May Finlay is a Yorta Yorta woman and Senior Lecturer in Aboriginal Health at the University of Wollongong's School of Health and Society, part of the Faculty of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities. She holds an Honorary Senior Lecturer position at the University of Newcastle and serves as Co-Chair of the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council of NSW Ethics Committee. Her expertise spans Indigenous public health, cultural determinants of health, and health service delivery.

Education: BSc (Macquarie 2007), MPH (UOW 2015), PhD (UniSA 2020), and a Graduate Certificate in Higher Education (Curtin 2023).

Research focuses on overcoming Indigenous health disparities through community-led initiatives, policy reform, and culturally-safe healthcare. Key areas include women’s health, disaster resilience, and youth wellbeing. She has led over 49 research outputs and secured $2.1M+ in grants, including MRFF and NHMRC funding.

Awards include 3 Public Health Association of Australia honors and the 2024 UOW Open Access Indigenous Award. She co-leads teaching/learning programs, coordinates courses like Global Indigenous Health, and advises on suicide prevention (Thirrili Deputy Chair).

Media engagements include ABC News discussions on allyship and Indigenous health equity. Her work emphasizes decolonizing public health practices and Indigenous self-determination.