Stuart Ekberg

I am descended from the Arrernte people of Central Australia and migrants from Sweden, Germany, and Britain. Born and raised in Port Augusta, I completed university training in Adelaide before working at universities in the United Kingdom (2010-2013) and Queensland (2013-2024).

I specialise in understanding social aspects of healthcare, which I apply across teaching, research, and community work.

My teaching focuses on supporting students to learn research methods suitable for studying health and healthcare, communication skills for clinicians, and social and psychological aspects of health and wellbeing. I enjoy facilitating opportunities for students to apply knowledge to authentic situations, to understand the relevance and usefulness of that knowledge to the world outside university.

My research explores communication between healthcare users and providers, often within a field of conversation analysis. Key areas of investigation include palliative care for children and adults, mental health care, and healthcare for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. I regularly partner with key stakeholders (e.g., industry organisations, clinicians, consumers), which is critical to ensure my research delivers robust and practical knowledge. My research work includes supervising higher degree by research (e.g., PhD) students conducting their own research in areas related to my own research.

My community work applies my teaching and research scholarship to support positive change. Through partnerships with key organisations I have helped create resources for healthcare users, training for clinicians, awareness-raising campaigns, and action plans for service improvement.