Rate My Professor Suzanne Hodgkin

Professor Suzanne Hodgkin is an Adjunct Professor at Australian Catholic University in the Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Allied Health, with the title awarded until 30 October 2027 in recognition of excellence in Social Work research in the areas of ageing and homelessness. Previously at ACU Brisbane, she served as Professor and Head of Social Work and Deputy Head of School of Allied Health. Possessing over forty years of social work experience in management, supervision, research, teaching, and practice, she earned her PhD from La Trobe University in 2005, along with Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in social work. Her professional career includes a role as Regional Manager for Child Protection, Juvenile Justice, and Out of Home Care at the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services. In 2019, she appeared as an expert academic witness before the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety to address issues faced by carers of older people. She has held academic positions at La Trobe University, including Head of Campus Albury-Wodonga, Deputy Director of the John Richards Centre for Rural Ageing Research, and Associate Head of La Trobe Rural Health School. She now holds the position of Professor of Social Work at Charles Sturt University.

An expert in mixed-methods methodology, Professor Hodgkin’s principal research interests focus on real-world challenges within the care economy, such as precarity and capacity in Australia’s aged care workforce, provision of services and supports to older people in rural communities, and the interplay between formal and informal care. Notable publications include “Telling it all: A story of women's social capital using a mixed methods approach” (2008), “Workforce crisis in residential aged care: insights from rural, older workers” (2017), “Reimagining the relationship between social work and information communication technology in the network society” (2014), “Preparedness for caregiving: A phenomenological study of the experiences of rural Australian family palliative carers” (2019), and “Australian rural community aged care services: Precarity and capacity” (2021). She has led significant projects, including the evaluation of the Queensland Intermediary Scheme (2023), and contributed reports on topics like housing affordability, homelessness, and age-friendly rural health. Professor Hodgkin acts as an editorial consultant for journals such as Health and Social Care in the Community, Ageing & Society, International Journal of Care & Caring, Australian Social Work, and Journal of Rural Studies. Her research informs policy and practice in aged care and rural social services.