Dr Janette Young

I am currently Program Director for the Bachelor of Health Sciences. This program is a great program for anyone with a general interest in health, particularly health as a societal issue - why are some groups of people more likely to become ill or undertake health risking behaviour? And how might we go about creating a healthy society for all? Graduates can progress to a number of pathways including Health Promotion, Research, Health Administration, and post graduate health professions (study). The program is only a few years old however, so who knows what creative and engaged graduates might pursue! I teach in the area of "health is more than bodies" - health promotion and health as a political and politicised field. While these areas may sound as exciting as watching grass grow (!) in fact ideas and the way we think about things are incredibly powerful. 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 have two areas of interest that have begun to develop. One is the relationship between pets and mental health with my aim being to identify how/if we can better integrate pets into Australian society as a means of promoting mental health for those people for whom this is health promoting. The other is around the how religious (christian) communities impact on peoples lives. Such communities are core to civil society, and religiosity is recognised as a protective factor for mental wellbeing. However my own experiences of ebb and flow in these communities raises questions such as who stays within such communities over extended periods of time, what keeps these people engaged over time, especially when there is major unrest in the community the are part of. A more nuanced understanding of such experiences will deepen out understanding of this aspect of civic society. In my past life I have been a social worker working in aged care, and a Senior Project Officer for the state government working on issues such as domestic violence, homelessness, prisoner health, primary health care, education pathways, community capacity, and whatever else came my way.

Australian Health Promotion AssociationPresident (SA Branch) 2014 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

Excludes commercial-in-confidence projects.

Research since 2008 is shown below. To see earlier years visit ResearcherID or Scopus

Journal Articles

Human : Animal intersection,-Pets and Mental Health,-Pets and older people,Critical systems and complexity thinking,Civic society as a resource,Leisure : non-leisure intersection

Organisation	Country
University of South Australia	AUSTRALIA

Other

Australian Health Promotion AssociationPresident (SA Branch) 2014 to present

Courses I teach and/or co-ordinate

If you are a current student, please direct any initial program enquiries to Campus Central. 1300 301 703campuscentralceenquiries@unisa.edu.au,If you are a prospective student, please direct your enquiry to Future Student Enquiries.1300 UNINOW (864 669)study@unisa.edu.au