Encourages students to explore new ideas.
Makes learning engaging and enjoyable.
Brings real-world relevance to learning.
Always respectful and encouraging to all.
Dr Ernesta Sofija holds a PhD and serves as Senior Lecturer in Public Health and Health Promotion within the School of Medicine and Dentistry at Griffith University, located on the Gold Coast campus. As an early career academic, her research centers on population health, emphasizing innovative health promotion strategies. She employs mixed-methods approaches to investigate lifestyle behaviors, determinants of youth mental health and wellbeing, the interplay between nature and health, vaping among young adults, eco-anxiety, and evaluation of health interventions. Dr Sofija has extensive experience in planning, managing, and executing research projects utilizing both quantitative and qualitative methodologies.
Her academic career at Griffith University has seen her contribute to high-impact research outputs, with over 45 publications cited more than 550 times. Notable publications include the 2019 Nature Communications paper "Economic value of protected areas via visitor mental health," co-authored with Ralf Buckley and Neil Harris, which pioneered methods to quantify mental health benefits from national parks. Other key works are "Does Flourishing Reduce Engagement in Unhealthy and Risky Lifestyle Behaviours in Emerging Adults?" (2020), exploring psychological flourishing and health behaviors; "How Emerging Adults Perceive Elements of Nature as Resources for Wellbeing: A Qualitative Photo-Elicitation Study" (2022, Youth); "The Vave campaign: impact evaluation of a cancer awareness raising multi-media campaign in Samoa" (2022); "Examining Intention to Quit Vaping among Australian Young Adults" (2023); "VentTok: Exploring the mental health narrative on TikTok" (2024); "Bridging Generations Through Nature: A Scoping Review" (2025); and "From Anger to Adaptation: The Process of Eco-anxiety in Young Australians" (2026). These studies have advanced knowledge in youth health promotion and environmental health impacts.
Dr Sofija is actively involved in professional activities, including membership on the South-West Pacific regional committee of the International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE). She supervises postgraduate students and teaches in public health programs, contributing to the training of future health professionals.
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