Rate My Professor Louise Keogh

Professor Louise Keogh is a Professor of Health Sociology in the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health within the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences at the University of Melbourne. She holds a Bachelor of Science with Honours from the University of Western Australia, a Master of Arts in Sociology from Monash University, and a PhD from La Trobe University. Keogh commenced her academic career in the Chemistry Department at the University of Western Australia. She joined the University of Melbourne and in 2009 took up a continuing teaching and research position. Her research focuses on sociological, ethical, and legal analyses of controversial contemporary medical technologies, including abortion, voluntary assisted dying, and genetics. She is recognized as an expert in qualitative research methodology and the translation of evidence to clinical practice. Keogh chairs the Hallmark Research Initiative in Reproductive Justice and advocates for equity in healthcare access and delivery.

In academic leadership, she serves as Deputy Vice-President of the Academic Board, co-chairs the Academic Programs Committee, and holds the position of Academic Director (Research Capability) in Chancellery Research and Enterprise. As a committed educator, she initiated the Honours program in Population and Global Health and contributes to teaching across undergraduate and postgraduate programs in public health. Key publications include 'The maternal health outcomes of paid maternity leave: a systematic review' (2015), 'Strategies to advocate for access to abortion: a qualitative study on the perspectives of experts in Victoria, Australia' (2024), '"I haven\'t had to bare my soul but now I kind of have to": describing how voluntary assisted dying conscientious objectors anticipated approaching conversations with patients in Victoria, Australia' (2023), 'Heterogeneity in how women value risk-stratified breast screening' (2021), and 'General practitioner knowledge and practice in relation to abortion in Victoria, Australia' (2019). Her contributions extend to academic governance, curriculum development, and public health research impacting policy and practice in reproductive justice and health equity.