Meredith Temple-Smith

Professor Meredith Temple-Smith is a Professor, Deputy Head of Department, and Director of Research Training in the Department of General Practice and Primary Care, Melbourne Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne. Her academic qualifications include a BSc, Diploma in Applied Child Psychology, Master of Public Health, Doctor of Health Science from Deakin University, and Diploma in the History of Medicine from the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries, awarded in 2024 with the Osler Medal for her lecture and the Maccabean Medal for her dissertation. Earlier in her career, she served as Deputy Head and Director of Research Training in the Department of General Practice from 2003 to 2006 and conducted research on sexual health and hepatitis C at the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University, from 1993 to 1999. She was a Visiting Scholar at the Department of Family Practice, University of British Columbia. In her current role, Temple-Smith oversees all research higher degree students, supervises PhD, Masters, and Honours candidates, and is responsible for designing and delivering primary care research skills training programs. She has shared insights from her supervision practices through departmental seminars and has utilized award funding to support her students' publication costs and conference attendance.

A mixed-methods researcher specializing in qualitative approaches, Professor Temple-Smith's research focuses on sexual and reproductive health, health services research, and primary care-based research networks. Her current supervisions include studies on sexual and reproductive health among refugees, psychosocial support at miscarriage, men's experiences of childbirth, sexual health for older Australians, and adolescent sexual health issues. She has authored or co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications, two books, and edited three books used in teaching. Key publications include 'Sexting: Young women's and men's views on its nature and origins' (Journal of Adolescent Health, 2013), 'The burden of bacterial vaginosis: women’s experience of the physical, emotional, sexual and social impact of living with recurrent bacterial vaginosis' (PLoS One, 2013), 'Urinary tract infections in children: an overview of diagnosis and management' (BMJ Paediatrics Open, 2019), and ''It’s just one of those things people don’t seem to talk about...' women’s experiences of social support following miscarriage: a qualitative study' (BMC Women's Health, 2018). Her work has garnered over 6,500 citations on Google Scholar. Among her honors are the 2021 University of Melbourne Excellence Award for Outstanding Graduate Researcher Supervision and the 2020 Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences award for the same.

Professional Email: m.temple-smith@unimelb.edu.au