Transforming RESEARCH
into Impact
Pioneering inclusive practices through research and collaboration across health, art, and cultural diversity.
Ruth is an accomplished researcher and experienced research administrator, having coordinated the Centre for Asian and Migrant Health Research (2005-2012) and was academic co-convenor of The Data, Systems, and Society Research Network (DSSRN), a collaborative research network across the University of Melbourne (2018-2019).
Ruth also worked as Stream Leader of Research, Policy and Evaluation at the Centre for Culture, Ethnicity and Health (CEH) at North Richmond Community Health (2015-2018).
From 2020 to 2023, was Vice Chancellor’s Research Fellow at RMIT University based in the School of Art. She has undertaken many research and translation projects, such as animations that guide Emergency department staff in working with people who present in a mental health crisis and cartoons representing the experiences of social isolation and using technology for culturally diverse older people.
Her research into the applicability of the Indigenous concept of “cultural safety” toward broader anti-racist and inclusive healthcare practices, and her related research on migrant maternity have been widely cited.
Years of
experience
Awards
& Acknowledgment
Major
Research Grants
Professional
Affiliations
Publications
& Books
Research Projects
I have had a long-standing interest in how the rapidly expanding field of consumer health technologies can enhance health literacy and enhance participation. However, there is a lag between the uptake of such devices and the preparedness of both health
For many years in both England and Auckland, New Zealand. I worked in a psychiatric liason role meaning that I would be called to assess people who presented with a mental health crisis at the emergency department. I am interested
In 2020 I was part of a design team including Leah Heiss, Olivia Hamilton, Marius Foley, and Olga Kokshagina, engaged by two architectural firms, to develop and deliver an online co-design process to understand the research, teaching and engagement opportunities
The capacity to gather, analyse and use data through sophisticated computational techniques like big data analytics and machine learning, combined with digital surveillance represents significant social, political-economic, and technological developments that have become ubiquitous in ordering our lives. Data can
Collaborators: Kelly Hussey-Smith, Grace McQuilten, Fleur Summers, Mark Edgoose. Funding was received from ACN, CAST, Eastern Health (Peter Mellow), and Design and Creative Practice Enabling Capability Platform (RMIT University). This collaborative project named the Nurses and Midwives art exchange was
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With nearly four decades of experience in research, academia, and healthcare, Dr. Ruth DeSouza is a distinguished scholar and consultant. She has successfully led 15+ major research projects, authored 40+ scholarly publications, and contributed to numerous professional and academic initiatives. A Fellow of the Australian College of Nursing (FACN), Ruth’s expertise spans cultural safety, health equity, and digital health.
If you would like to discuss a potential project, please get in touch via the contact form.
For a professional resume, please visit LinkedIn profile.
A full Academic CV is available on Google Docs.