Including the Voice of Boys and Young Men in their Wellbeing Education

Associate Professor Garth Stahl is based in the School of Education at The University of Queensland. His research explores the relationship between education and society, with a focus on student identities, equity, social change, youth, gender, and educational reform.

He holds a PhD in Education from the University of Cambridge, a Master's degree in International Education from New York University, and a Bachelor's degree in Secondary Education and English from Indiana University. He is a member and former Special Interest Group (SIG) convener for the Australian Association of Researchers in Education (AARE) and the American Educational Research Association (AERA).

Dr Yang Zhao is a social anthropologist at The University of Queensland whose work sits at the intersection of masculinity, health, and digital media. Since 2015 he has conducted long-term ethnography in Central Asia and, since 2024, comparative fieldwork in East Africa. He examines how gendered inequalities shape care, risk, help-seeking, and interactions with health systems, on- and offline. His current projects engage men and boys in coproducing practical approaches to well-being and mental health and trace how online cultures of masculinity influence everyday health behaviors, including during outbreaks.

Dr Rohann Irving is a Research Fellow in Young Men’s Digital Health at Flinders University. He received his PhD from The University of Queensland, where his research examined the normalization of sports betting in young men’s domestic spaces and relationships. Before entering academia, Rohann was a Senior Research Officer at the Australian Gambling Research Centre within the Australian Institute of Family Studies. His research explores the intersections of masculinities, sport, gambling, and digital technologies, with a focus on how they shape young men’s everyday lives and leisure practices.

Associate Professor Elizabeth Edwards works in the School of Education at The University of Queensland, where she is Director of Research. A registered Teacher and Psychologist, her research spans education and psychology, with national and international collaborations focused on student wellbeing. Edwards has an international reputation for research exploring the relationship between anxiety, attention, and memory. Her work highlights the role of information processing and concentration in the development and maintenance of emotional disorders.

Professor James Smith is a Matthew Flinders Professor (Health and Social Equity) and co-director of the FHMRI Health Equity Impact Program at Flinders University. An applied social health researcher with 20+ years’ experience, he specialises in rural and remote health, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and education outcomes, men’s health, and health promotion. He previously held professorial roles at Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University. Smith is recognised nationally and globally for his expertise and holds leadership roles with the International Union for Health Promotion and Education and the Australian Health Promotion Association.

Professor Murray Drummond is a Research Professor in Sport, Health and Physical Activity at Flinders University and leader of the SHAPE Research program. His research focuses on qualitative sport and health research, with particular interests in gender, women and sport, masculinities, and body image. He has published widely on masculinities and health, gay men’s bodies, and prostate cancer among gay and culturally diverse men. Drummond regularly presents nationally and internationally and is a member of the South Australian Government’s Women in Sport Taskforce. His current research explores girls, women, LGBTIQ+ communities, and boys’ masculinities in sport and health.

Dr Mair Underwood is an anthropologist in the School of Social Science at The University of Queensland, specialising in bodies and body modification. Her research explores how practices such as tattooing, bodybuilding, and the use of image- and performance-enhancing drugs shape social boundaries, including gender and class. She also researches assessment practices, with a focus on approaches that enhance student engagement and academic integrity. She developed the UQ Assessment Ideas Factory, a searchable database of assessment strategies for educators.

Dr Mel Opozda is a Health Psychologist and Research Fellow in Men’s Mental Health within the College of Medicine and Public Health at Flinders University, located on Kaurna land in Tarntanya/Adelaide. Her research focuses on the mental health, wellbeing, and health behaviours of boys, young men, and men, including areas such as health care access, substance use, and gambling. She works on developing and evaluating models of care, support, and health promotion that align with the preferences, priorities, and circumstances of boys, young men, and men, with a particular focus on digital health spaces.