Dr Candice Oster

Research Biography

Dr Candice Oster (BA(Hons), PhD) is a Senior Research Fellow at Open Door Initiative, College of Humans Sciences and Culture at Flinders University and Military and Emergences Services Health Australia. 

Candice has a psychology and behavioural health background and has undertaken research across the spectrum of behavioural health, from theories and models of health behaviour and individual-level interventions through to community, organisational, and policy/structural contexts. With diverse research interests from understanding consumer and provider experiences of health and healthcare through to contextual factors such as social determinants of health and organisational and system change, Candice has expertise in qualitative research methodologies, mixed methods research, digital health, and implementation science.

Her current research projects include developing sustainable models and mechanisms of social prescribing to address social determinants of health and the use of Artificial Intelligence, particularly Large Language Models, for health care, social support, and education applications.

Candice is a member of the expert panel of the Australian Social Prescribing Institute of Research and Education (ASPIRE) and an affiliate of the Centre for Social Impact.

RESEARCH IMPACT

Chronic Conditions: In her previous role, Dr Oster led the development of the Chronic Conditions Research Program in the Caring Futures Institute, which focuses on person-centred, holistic approaches that support people to live well with long-term conditions. Grounded in equity and focussed on the social determinants of health, the program recognises and strengthens the agency of people living with chronic conditions in shaping their own care and wellbeing. 

Social Prescribing: Dr Oster is a leader in social prescribing in Australia, with a program of work to co-design, implement, and evaluate social prescribing for various populations and communities. By convening and running a ‘Think Tank on the Future of Social Prescribing in South Australia’, this enables her to bring together industry decision-makers to advance action on social prescribing.

Digital Technology: Candice leads a multidisciplinary, cross-college research team – FlourishAI Collective - focusing on opportunities and risks of Artificial Intelligence for human flourishing. Dr Oster and her team were the 2024 winners of the Priority Digital Health Challenge (AWS, Cogniss, Validitron) for their Journey to Recovery app for stroke survivors.

Research Interests and Expertise

• Social prescribing
• Chronic condition prevention and management
• Motivational Interviewing
• Digital health
• Implementation science
• Photovoice
• Co-design