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Team Member Profile - Serina Wong
Serina Wong

Serina Wong

Consultant
Serina is passionate about equity, diversity and inclusion and seeks to apply an intersectional lens throughout all aspects of her work. She has a keen interest in the intersection between public health and social justice, using her research skills to contribute to evaluation consultancies that advocate for better service delivery and policy change.
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Background
Expertise
Projects
Qualifications

Professional Background

Serina works across a range of content areas at FPC, with particular interest in public health and social justice projects. She enjoys working with diverse stakeholders including people with disability, older adults, refugee and migrant communities, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Her approach combines rigorous public health methodology with practical application to complex social policy areas, ensuring that evaluations are both methodologically sound and contribute meaningfully to advocacy for better service delivery and policy change.

Public Health and Social Determinants Focus

Serina has qualifications and experience in public health, with a particular interest in the social determinants of health. Her academic background in neuroscience and public health provides her with a unique perspective on how biological, social, and environmental factors interact to influence health outcomes. This interdisciplinary understanding enables her to bring depth and nuance to evaluation work, particularly when working with marginalised communities.

Intersectional Approach to Evaluation

Serina is passionate about equity, diversity and inclusion and therefore seeks to apply an intersectional lens throughout all aspects of her work. She understands that people's experiences are shaped by multiple, intersecting identities and circumstances, and she brings this understanding to her evaluation practice. This approach ensures that evaluations capture the complexity of participants' experiences and that findings are relevant and useful for diverse communities.

Sensitive and Empathetic Research Skills

Through her work evaluating services such as mental health support and disability programs, Serina has developed exceptional skills in conducting sensitive interviews with vulnerable populations. Her work requires sensitivity, care, and an empathetic approach, particularly when interviewing people who have accessed mental health services or experienced challenging circumstances. These skills enable her to gather meaningful data while ensuring participants feel respected and valued.

Award-Winning Academic Excellence

Serina is a recipient of the Global Scholars Award from the University of Melbourne (2022), recognising her academic excellence and contribution to research. This award reflects her commitment to high-quality research and her ability to contribute meaningfully to academic and applied research contexts. Her recent completion of a Master of Public Health demonstrates her continued commitment to professional development and staying current with best practices in public health research.

Advocacy Through Research

Through her studies and work, Serina has consistently promoted the importance of research and evaluation to advocate for better service delivery and policy change. She understands that evaluation is not just about measuring outcomes, but about creating evidence that can be used to improve services and policies for the communities that need them most. This advocacy orientation drives her commitment to producing high-quality, actionable research that makes a real difference in people's lives.

Areas of Expertise

Serina's expertise spans public health evaluation and social justice research, with particular strength in intersectional analysis, working with diverse communities, and applying social determinants of health frameworks. Her interdisciplinary approach combines neuroscience knowledge with public health methodology.

Public Health
Social Determinants
Intersectional Analysis
Diverse Communities
Disability Evaluation
Mental Health Research
Quantitative Analysis
Literature Reviews
Stakeholder Engagement
Violence Prevention
Cultural Competence
Digital Health

Public Health and Social Determinants

  • Social Determinants of Health: Deep understanding of how social, economic, and environmental factors influence health outcomes and wellbeing
  • Population Health: Experience in evaluating population-level interventions and understanding health equity considerations
  • Mental Health: Specialised experience in evaluating mental health programs and conducting sensitive interviews with mental health service users
  • Violence Prevention: Expertise in primary prevention of violence against women frameworks and evaluation approaches

Intersectional and Culturally Responsive Evaluation

  • Intersectional Analysis: Ability to apply intersectional frameworks to understand how multiple identities and experiences shape outcomes
  • Cultural Competence: Experience working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, refugee and migrant communities, and other culturally diverse groups
  • Inclusive Evaluation: Skilled in tailoring data collection tools and approaches for diverse communities and ensuring accessibility
  • Power-Sensitive Research: Understanding of power dynamics and ability to conduct interviews with stakeholders at different levels of influence

Research Methods and Data Analysis

  • Quantitative Data Analysis: Advanced skills in quantitative analysis methods and statistical interpretation
  • Literature Reviews: Expertise in conducting comprehensive literature reviews across Australian and international contexts
  • Mixed Methods: Experience in designing and implementing mixed-methods evaluations combining quantitative and qualitative approaches
  • Sensitive Data Collection: Specialised skills in interviewing vulnerable populations and collecting sensitive data with care and empathy

Specialised Knowledge Areas

  • Disability Services: Experience in evaluating disability justice strategies and programs for people with disability
  • Digital Health: Knowledge of digital health interventions and their evaluation, including parenting programs and mental health apps
  • Community Health: Understanding of community-based health interventions and their evaluation in diverse settings
  • Policy Evaluation: Experience in evaluating policy implementation and outcomes, particularly in justice and health sectors

Communication and Knowledge Translation

  • Accessible Reporting: Skilled in creating accessible reports and information sharing methods for diverse audiences
  • Stakeholder Engagement: Experience in meaningful engagement with diverse stakeholders including service users, practitioners, and policy makers
  • Knowledge Translation: Ability to translate research findings into practical recommendations for service improvement and policy change
  • Advocacy Through Research: Commitment to using research and evaluation to advocate for better service delivery and policy change

Selected Projects

Serina has contributed to diverse public health and social justice evaluation projects spanning mental health, disability services, violence prevention, and community development. Her work demonstrates expertise in intersectional analysis, sensitive data collection, and working with diverse communities to produce meaningful research that advocates for better service delivery and policy change.

Evaluation of the Disability Justice Strategy and First Action Plan

Community Services Directorate (ACT) • 2023

Actively involved in undertaking stakeholder interviews with individuals with varying levels of power and influence, from people with lived experience of disability to Executive Directors. Gained holistic insight into Strategy implementation and impacts for intended beneficiaries.

Evaluation of Family Man

Movember • 2021-2022

Evaluated online digital intervention for fathers, involving data collection, analysis, and reporting. Provided insights related to gendered nature of parenting and masculinity, contributing to understanding of digital health interventions for men.

Evaluation of Coronavirus Mental Wellbeing Support Service

Beyond Blue • 2021-2022

Part of team evaluating free six-session mental health service, with primary role conducting interviews with service users. Required sensitivity, care, and empathetic approach. Work demonstrated service value and supported service expansion.

Banking is for Everyone Project Evaluation

Settlement Council of Australia • 2023-2024

Evaluated program developed with Commonwealth Bank to improve banking experience for migrant and refugee communities. Conducted interviews and surveys with stakeholders to evaluate training delivery and multi-media campaign impacts.

COVID-19 Vaccine Health Project Impact Evaluation

Settlement Council of Australia • 2022

Conducted impact evaluation of health information activities for migrant and refugee communities. Methodology included document review, survey analysis, and interviews with member representatives and staff, demonstrating program effectiveness and sector model utility.

Ahead of the Game - Kangaroo Island Evaluation

Movember • 2021

Evaluated mental health resilience program for young people on Kangaroo Island focusing on mental health literacy and resilience building skills. Worked with delivery partners to capture survey data and conducted follow-up interviews with sporting club representatives in challenging post-bushfire context.

Distinguished Gentlemen's Ride Social Connections Challenge

Movember • 2023-2024

Contributed to evaluation of multi-stage grant program funding innovations for men in motorcycling communities. Projects across Australia, New Zealand, UK, and Canada used 'working on bikes' metaphor to underpin mental wellbeing initiatives.

Digital Social Connections Challenge Evaluation

Movember • 2023-2026

Working with five successful projects across UK, Australia and Ireland to undertake in-depth evaluation of digital social connections initiatives. Target populations include young people, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men, and older Irish men.

Evaluation of SpeakEasy (Man Cave)

Movember • 2021-2022

Evaluated workshop program helping men break down barriers to sharing and develop mental health support skills. Focused on understanding effectiveness of new delivery partner and achievement of equivalent outcomes to previous delivery models.

Ahead of the Game - St Kilda Football Club Evaluation

Movember • 2021-2022

Evaluated sport-based mental health program teaching young athletes, parents and coaches about mental health awareness and resilience building. Program delivered to 20 football clubs through partnership with St Kilda Football Club.

Education & Qualifications

Serina's educational background combines neuroscience and public health, providing a unique interdisciplinary foundation for her work in health evaluation and social justice research. Her academic excellence has been recognised through awards and her commitment to ongoing professional development.

  • Master of Public Health
    University of Melbourne, 2023
    Advanced study in public health methodology, social determinants of health, and population health approaches. Developed expertise in public health evaluation, health equity analysis, and working with diverse communities to address health disparities.
  • Bachelor of Science (Neuroscience)
    University of Melbourne, 2018
    Comprehensive study in neuroscience, providing understanding of biological foundations of health and behaviour. Developed analytical and research skills essential for evidence-based evaluation work and understanding of complex health interventions.

Professional Recognition and Awards

  • Global Scholars Award - University of Melbourne, 2022 - Recognition of academic excellence and contribution to research

Professional Development and Skills

  • Intersectional Analysis: Advanced training in applying intersectional frameworks to research and evaluation practice
  • Culturally Responsive Evaluation: Specialised skills in working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, refugee and migrant communities, and other diverse groups
  • Sensitive Data Collection: Training in conducting interviews with vulnerable populations and collecting sensitive data with appropriate care and empathy
  • Public Health Evaluation: Expertise in population health evaluation methods and social determinants of health approaches

Professional Experience

  • Consultant - First Person Consulting (current)
  • Public Health Officer - University of Melbourne (previous)
  • Research Assistant - ORIMA Research (previous)

Research Interests and Focus Areas

  • Social Determinants of Health: Understanding how social, economic, and environmental factors influence health outcomes and wellbeing
  • Health Equity: Addressing health disparities and ensuring equitable access to health services and programs
  • Violence Prevention: Primary prevention of violence against women and evaluation of prevention programs
  • Disability Justice: Evaluating disability services and programs through a justice and rights-based lens
  • Mental Health: Evaluation of mental health services and programs, particularly those targeting men and vulnerable populations
  • Cultural Competence: Developing culturally responsive evaluation approaches for diverse communities

Key Contributions and Expertise

  • Development of intersectional approaches to public health evaluation
  • Expertise in conducting sensitive interviews with mental health service users and vulnerable populations
  • Creation of accessible data collection tools for diverse communities
  • Comprehensive literature review skills across Australian and international contexts
  • Advocacy through research to improve service delivery and policy change
  • Experience in evaluating digital health interventions and innovative service delivery models

Professional Commitment

  • Committed to using research and evaluation to advocate for better service delivery and policy change
  • Dedicated to ensuring evaluation processes are inclusive and accessible to all participants
  • Focused on producing meaningful research that makes a real difference in people's lives
  • Passionate about equity, diversity, and inclusion in all aspects of evaluation work
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  • About
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