Cath Chamberlain

Professor Cath Chamberlain, a Trawlwoolway Palawa woman, is a registered midwife and Professor of Indigenous Health in the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences at the University of Melbourne. She heads the Indigenous Health Equity Unit at Onemda Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Wellbeing. With over 25 years of experience in reproductive and child health, Chamberlain holds a PhD from Monash University (2015), an MPH, MSc in Public Health Practice from La Trobe University, a Postgraduate Certificate from the University of Melbourne, a Bachelor of Applied Science, and is a Registered Midwife. Her career includes previous appointments at the Judith Lumley Centre, La Trobe University, Murdoch University, and the Victorian Government.

Chamberlain's academic interests center on perinatal opportunities to enhance health equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, with specializations in maternal and child health, Birthing on Country initiatives, trauma-informed continuity of care, and the first 2000 days of life. She leads NHMRC-funded projects including 'Replanting the Birthing Trees,' which seeks to shift intergenerational trauma to cycles of nurturing and recovery via the Medical Research Future Fund, and 'Healing the Past by Nurturing the Future,' co-designing perinatal assessment and support for parents experiencing complex trauma. As an NHMRC Career Development Fellow, she holds NHMRC Early Career Fellowship (2014, APP1088813), and fellowships in 2019 and 2023. Her contributions are recognized in NHMRC '10 of the Best' editions, including 2026 for Indigenous maternal health research. She serves as Editor-in-Chief of First Nations Health and Wellbeing: The Lowitja Journal. Key publications encompass 'Interventions for promoting smoking cessation during pregnancy' (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2009; cited over 1,500 times), 'Healing the Past by Nurturing the Future: Aboriginal parents' views of what helps support recovery from complex trauma' (Primary Health Care Research & Development, 2021), and 'Replanting the Birthing Trees: A Call to Transform Intergenerational Trauma into Cycles of Healing and Nurturing' (Challenges, 2025). Her community-partnered research influences health policy and practice.

Professional Email: cacham@unimelb.edu.au