WHAT WE DO

The Wellbeing Health & Youth Centre of Research Excellence in Adolescent Health, funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), is an Australia-wide network of researchers committed to championing good health in the Teenage Decade.

Through Wellbeing Health & Youth (WH&Y), we are working alongside clinicians, administrators, policy-makers, families and young people to transform how teenage healthcare is researched and designed so that all young people have the opportunity to experience the best possible wellbeing and health in adolescence. 

Our interdisciplinary team of researchers is working on three essential tasks:

As our work progresses, we will actively share our knowledge, insights and tools to support the prioritisation of better teenage healthcare in our community of practice.

Our Team

The WH&Y team is an Australia-wide network of interdisciplinary adolescent health experts committed to working alongside young people to ensure that all teenagers get the benefits of good health and wellbeing in the Teenage Decade.

Sofina Le

WH&Y Commissioner
Mental health
CALD health
LGBTQIA+

Jacqueline Gill

WH&Y Commissioner

Lara Nguyen

WH&Y Commissioner

Jessie Whan

WH&Y Commissioner

Grace McGowan

WH&Y Commissioner
Disability advocacy
Mental health
Chronic illness

Emily Morrison

WH&Y Commissioner
Chronic illness
CALD health
Rural health

Sahibjot Kaur

WH&Y Commissioner

Peter Lin

WH&Y Commissioner
Adolescent health
Mental health
Sexual health
Transition to adult care
LGBTQIA+

Jason Ton

WH&Y Commissioner
Mental health
Youth homelessness
Adolescent literacy

Sina Yousofi

WH&Y Commissioner
Mental health
Women’s rights
Refugee rights
Adolescent health

Dominique Rose

WH&Y Commissioner
Young carers
Youth homelessness
Mental health

Jane Choi

WH&Y Commissioner

Harpreet Dhillon

WH&Y Commissioner

Jessica Nguyen

WH&Y Commissioner
Mental health
Adolescent rights

Lisa Truong

WH&Y Commissioner

Anhaar Kareem

WH&Y Commissioner
CALD health
Adolescent health

Kezia Suryaputra

WH&Y Commissioner

Jenon Sean Castro

WH&Y Commissioner
Mental health
LGBTQIA+
Research

Jahin Tanvir

WH&Y Commissioner

John Lewis

WH&Y Commissioner
Men's health
Technology
Sustainability

Gerard-Lachlan Abadines

WH&Y Commissioner

Bethlehem Mekonnen

WH&Y Commissioner
Intersectionality
CALD health
Youth-led services

Ayriane de Luna

WH&Y Commissioner
Mental health
Co-design
Research
Community strategies
Technology

Thanh Luong

WH&Y Commissioner (Alumna)

Shahida Haydari

WH&Y Commissioner

Sharanya Ganguly

WH&Y Commissioner
Mental health
Social Media Marketing
Physical Wellbeing

Deborah Manandi

WH&Y Commissioner
Research
Health equity
Quality improvement

Jennifer Nguyen

WH&Y Commissioner
Mental health
Urban Planning
Healthier cities
LGBTQIA+

Jialu Meng

WH&Y Commissioner

Aish Naidu

Project Officer

Mali Dillon

WH&Y Commissioner (Alumna)

Finn Stannard

WH&Y Commissioner (Alumna)

Cameron James

WH&Y Commissioner (Alumna)

Eliseus Feng

WH&Y Commissioner (Alumna)

Leando Chan

WH&Y Commissioner (Alumna)

Rose Lewis

WH&Y Commissioner (Alumna)

Keshini Vijayan

WH&Y Commissioner (Alumna)

Lauren Barrientos

WH&Y Commissioner (Alumna)
FAQs
  1. Why do we need WH&Y?
  2. What does WH&Y do?
  3. What are the health challenges affecting teenagers?
  4. What is the WH&Y Commission?
  5. What does the WH&Y Commission do?
  6. How can I join the WH&Y Commission?
  1. Why do we need WH&Y?

    • Recent years have seen tremendous gains in the health and wellbeing of all age groups, with the exception of teenagers. The biological, psychosocial and neuro-cognitive changes of the Teenage Decade are routinely overlooked or mistaken for moodiness and problematic behaviour. As a result, the unique health needs of young people are not being met, and problems that could be successfully addressed in adolescence are allowed to persist into adulthood. The impacts can last a lifetime, and represent a significant burden on the national health budget. The researchers of WH&Y believe it is time for the neglect to end, and for clinicians, policy makers, families and young people to work together to transform teenage healthcare, ensuring that all young people have the opportunity to enjoy the best possible health now, and into the future.

  2. What does WH&Y do?

  3. What are the health challenges affecting teenagers?

    • Adolescence has always been a time of dramatic social, biological, psychological and neuro-cognitive change, but today’s teenagers are also dealing with technology-driven hyper connectivity, generational workplace transformations, economic insecurity and inequality, the aggressive marketing of unhealthy consumer goods, social exclusion and media stigmatisation. As a result, they are especially vulnerable to:

      • mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety,
      • unhealthy patterns of behaviour such as inactivity and poor diet,
      • risky behaviour such as substance abuse, injury and unsafe sex,
      • increases in chronic, non-communicable diseases such as obesity, diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease.
  4. What is the WH&Y Commission?

    • The WH&Y Centre of Research Excellence is working with young people to transform healthcare for teenagers. Made up of young people aged between 16 and 21, the WH&Y Commission is the body that represents the interests and perspectives of young people, and plays an important role in defining research, designing trials, assessing the value of projects and thinking through how new findings can be translated into everyday healthcare.

  5. What does the WH&Y Commission do?

    • Young people in the WH&Y Commission are active participants in regular meetings and forums with WH&Y researchers and their colleagues, and are involved in brainstorming new ideas and approaches to health research. They also take part in collaborative workshops and peer-promotion activities, and receive additional, valuable training and education.

  6. How can I join the WH&Y Commission?

    • If you are interested in applying to be a member of the WH&Y Commission, get in touch with us via info@why.org.au.

Recent years have seen tremendous gains in the health and wellbeing of all age groups, with the exception of teenagers. The biological, psychosocial and neuro-cognitive changes of the Teenage Decade are routinely overlooked or mistaken for moodiness and problematic behaviour. As a result, the unique health needs of young people are not being met, and problems that could be successfully addressed in adolescence are allowed to persist into adulthood. The impacts can last a lifetime, and represent a significant burden on the national health budget. The researchers of WH&Y believe it is time for the neglect to end, and for clinicians, policy makers, families and young people to work together to transform teenage healthcare, ensuring that all young people have the opportunity to enjoy the best possible health now, and into the future.

Our multi-disciplinary team of researchers is working on three essential tasks:

As our work progresses, we will actively share our knowledge, insights and tools to support the prioritisation of better teenage healthcare in our community of practice.

Adolescence has always been a time of dramatic social, biological, psychological and neuro-cognitive change, but today’s teenagers are also dealing with technology-driven hyper connectivity, generational workplace transformations, economic insecurity and inequality, the aggressive marketing of unhealthy consumer goods, social exclusion and media stigmatisation. As a result, they are especially vulnerable to:

  • mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety,
  • unhealthy patterns of behaviour such as inactivity and poor diet,
  • risky behaviour such as substance abuse, injury and unsafe sex,
  • increases in chronic, non-communicable diseases such as obesity, diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease.

The WH&Y Centre of Research Excellence is working with young people to transform healthcare for teenagers. Made up of young people aged between 16 and 21, the WH&Y Commission is the body that represents the interests and perspectives of young people, and plays an important role in defining research, designing trials, assessing the value of projects and thinking through how new findings can be translated into everyday healthcare.

Young people in the WH&Y Commission are active participants in regular meetings and forums with WH&Y researchers and their colleagues, and are involved in brainstorming new ideas and approaches to health research. They also take part in collaborative workshops and peer-promotion activities, and receive additional, valuable training and education.

If you are interested in applying to be a member of the WH&Y Commission, get in touch with us via info@why.org.au.

CONTACT US

Phone

+61 2 9845 2507

Email

info@why.org.au

Fax

02 9845 2517

Address

Cnr Hawkesbury Road and Hainsworth Street, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia

Opening hours