Chantal Orgeas

I am a Research Fellow at The University of Western Australia's School of Population and Global Health, leading groundbreaking research in recovery and healing from family and domestic violence. With over 20 years of experience spanning medical epidemiology, public health practice, and health services research across local and international sectors, I bring a unique perspective that bridges rigorous academic methodology with profound understanding of lived experiences.

My current research portfolio encompasses 13 active projects systematically aligned with Australia's National Research Agenda to End Violence against Women and Children, focusing on trauma-informed victim-centred systems, priority populations including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and children, and patterns of violence including coercive control and economic abuse. As Chief Investigator for Australia on the EU-TRIP Horizon project, I lead UWA's participation in a €2.3 million international consortium transforming trauma recovery systems across 12 countries.

I have a long-standing passion for informing policy and practice through evidence-based research and evaluation. This includes advocating for women and children affected by family, domestic, and sexual violence, and using the power of their lived experiences to drive change and reform. My work and interests focus on gender-based and the intersectional impacts of violence, health and wellbeing, economic outcomes across the lifespan/generations, promoting gender diversity, equity, and inclusion, and analysing social impact determinants and outcomes.

I specialise in developing culturally responsive research methodologies for vulnerable and marginalised populations, establishing comprehensive evaluation frameworks for innovative service models, and translating evidence into practice and policy. My work at the Karlup Service—Australia's first specialised lifetime recovery service for women and children—involves creating longitudinal cohort studies that will generate critical evidence for transforming family and domestic violence responses nationally and internationally.

My career includes authoring high-impact publications in cancer epidemiology and serving as a reviewer for medical journals and the British Medical Association Book Awards. I bring advanced communication, emotional intelligence, and interpersonal skills; effectively engaging with varied audiences and stakeholders. I have expertise in strategic planning and advisory, research and evaluation, program and project management, business development, and stakeholder engagement, and build value-adding relationships with authenticity and integrity.

I hold a PhD in cancer epidemiology from the Karolinska Institute, complemented by advanced training in public health, health administration, counselling and psychotherapy, and child and adolescent mental health. My leadership roles have included change management, financial and resources management, project planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of health and human services reform initiatives. I have significant experience in academia, coordinating and delivering undergraduate and postgraduate courses, and conducting high-quality research published in prestigious peer-reviewed journals.

I am committed to furthering research and advocacy work into gender-based and child abuse violence prevention and outcomes, elevating the power of the lived and living experience voices of women and children survivors to achieve meaningful outcomes and drive impactful change. Through establishing a Centre of Excellence for Research and Practice in Gender-Based Violence at UWA, I aim to ensure that evidence-based recovery pathways become accessible to all women and children affected by violence, with particular focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, CALD, and LGBTIQA+ communities.