Serina Wong
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 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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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.
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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
