Researcher profile

Associate Professor Jessica Heerde

I am an NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow and Principal Research Fellow, Department of Paediatrics in the Melbourne Medical School (MMS) at the University of Melbourne. I am an inaugural MDHS Momentum Research Fellow (2021-2023) and I hold a MMS Outstanding Women's Grant (2021-2023). I am an Honorary Senior Fellow in the Department of Social Work (Melbourne School of Health Sciences) and an Honorary Research Fellow at the Centre for Adolescent Health (Population Health Studies of Adolescents, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute). I am a member of the MDHS Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee (DIAC). I have established and lead a program of research that highlights both drivers of homelessness and the health consequences of homelessness in the young. My research aims to identify points of intervention to help those most vulnerable. I also investigate predictors of youth homelessness and associated problems, to inform on feasible targets for prevention, economic investment and policy reform. I have a strong passion for, and commitment to, leadership through my research and to improving the lives of young Australians and their families. I have a particular interest in the use of therapeutic dogs working in research with homeless young people. I am extremely committed to ensuring that my research is relevant to homeless youth and the social services sector. I ensure that my research findings are successfully disseminated and translated into practice and policy to benefit others.