The Southgate Institute for Health, Society and Equity:

A national centre for research into the social determinants of health and wellbeing

The Southgate Institute for Health, Society and Equity (the Southgate Institute) has been established through the successful Australian Research Council Federation Fellowship of Professor Fran Baum at Flinders University. The Federation Fellowship is also supported by the SA Department of Health, the SA Social Inclusion Unit and the Premier's Science and Research Fund.

The Southgate Institute is named after the late Associate Professor Deane O. Southgate AM FRACGP, FACOM. A/Prof Southgate was Head of then Department of Primary Care and Community Medicine in the School of Medicine, Flinders University at the time of his death in 1991.

The Institute aims to build on the international, national and local reputation of Flinders University for conducting policy and practice relevant research on the social and economic determinants of health and health equity in particular. The research focus will be on what can be done about the underlying factors that determine the distribution of health and well-being outcomes, with a particular emphasis on labour market, social exclusion, housing, structure of suburban environments; economic, social and structural determinants of risky and unhealthy behaviours (including drug and alcohol and other addictions, interpersonal violence, injuries, low physical activity levels and nutrition); and social, cultural and economic barriers to health and other related service use.