Rate My Professor Adriana Ortega

Dr. Adriana Ortega is a Lecturer in the Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences at Monash University Malaysia. She holds a PhD in Applied Psychology from the University of Nottingham (2007), an MSc in Occupational Health Psychology from the same institution (2000), and a BA in Behavioural Science with a minor in Women’s Studies from Green Mountain College, USA. A certified trainer and ICF-trained coach, she is pursuing international certification as a health coach and in culinary medicine. With over 20 years of experience across the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, Southeast Asia, and her native Venezuela, Dr. Ortega brings a cross-cultural perspective to applied psychology and public health. Her career includes positions that have enabled her to integrate global insights into mental health equity, workplace wellbeing, and emerging adult development.

Dr. Ortega's research interests encompass occupational health psychology, mental health and wellbeing in the workplace, organizational healthiness, workplace health promotion, intervention design and evaluation, emerging adult development, health risk and behavior change, inclusive pedagogy and resilience frameworks, and cross-cultural perspectives in health and wellbeing. Her work relates to UN Sustainable Development Goals including Good Health and Well-being (SDG 3), Quality Education (SDG 4), Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10), and Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (SDG 16). She has contributed to transdisciplinary projects such as executive functioning in hybrid work environments, person-job fit among Gen Z, and healthcare utility among Indigenous communities, including the funded project 'Healthcare utility among Orang Asli: Developing an ecological healthcare rationality model' (2020-2023). Key publications include 'Prevalence of workplace bullying and risk groups: a representative population study' (2009, International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health), 'One-year prospective study on the effect of workplace bullying on long-term sickness absence' (2011, Journal of Nursing Management), 'Occupational stress, coping and personality in the police: An SEM study' (2007, International Journal of Police Science & Management), 'Youth–Adult Partnership: Exploring Contributions to Empowerment, Agency and Community Connections in Malaysian Youth Programs' (2013, Journal of Youth and Adolescence), and 'A qualitative study on the perceptions toward illness and modern health care among Indigenous people in Peninsular Malaysia' (2026, AlterNative). Dr. Ortega is Head of Lab at the Workplace Wellbeing Centre, a founding member of the Monash Women Empower Network, and has served as keynote speaker, external examiner, and reviewer for international journals. She teaches units such as Organisational Psychology and Workplace Wellbeing (PSY2112), Health Psychology (PSY3130), and EDF5546, and is accepting PhD students.