Dr Janette Young

Hello!

I teach in the area of health promotion, and health as a political and politicised field. For me 'health promotion' offers creative edges on thinking about health; beyond merely aiming to increase length of life to how we think of health as justice, creativity and thriving. I have a particular interest in mental health and wellbeing and the human:animal intersection. I term my focus 'salutogenic' (what creates a good life/flourishing?) as versus pathogenic (how do we prevent disease/injury).

In my past life I was a social worker working in aged care, and worked on a range of projects in state government on issues such as domestic violence (including aboriginal family violence), homelessness (women, families and violence related), prisoner health, primary health care, education pathways, community capacity, and a range of other topics. This breadth of experiences shapes my interests in health as a complex outcome of individual and societal factors.

It was very early on in my social work career that I learnt that caring about people might mean caring about the animals that they share their lives with. This interest in the way humans and animals live their lives together has become the core focus of my research. I have been exploring the relationships between pets and (human) mental health, pets and older people (including suicide protection), and most recently the intersection of pets, disability, and assistance animals. My  aim is to identify how we can better integrate pets into Australian society as a means of promoting wellbeing for  those people for whom this is health promoting, keeping in mind the needs and rights of these animals. I have been writing and presenting in the field of animals, leisure and critical thinking (do/should animals such as those in captivity have leisure?) and often I use history and historical changes to reflect on this intersection. Who could believe nowadays that animal welfare trumped child welfare in the not so distant past? And what might this reality offer in terms of predicting and maybe even guiding future changes - in particular re the position of animals in human societies. It is an exciting space to be exploring at this time both academically but also practically as the way we think of animals seems to be shifting yet again. 

Australian Health Promotion Association (SA Branch) - President  2014 to 2016; Committee member 2009 to present

Qualifications

• Doctor of Philosophy University of South Australia

• Master of Public Management Flinders University

• Graduate Diploma in Public Policy and Management Flinders University

• Bachelor of Social Work South Australian Institute of Technology