Dr Elissa Kennedy
Co-Program Director, Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health; Co-Head Global Adolescent Health
Working groups
Background
Elissa is a medical doctor with a Master of Public Health specialising in international health (Monash University). She has more than a decade's experience in global public health, with particular expertise in adolescent sexual and reproductive health research, policy, and programming in low- and middle-income countries.
Elissa has led and contributed to research examining adolescents' sexual and reproductive health needs in various settings, including China, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste and Vanuatu. She has also conducted intervention studies and evaluations of programs aiming to improve adolescents' access to sexual and reproductive health information and services. Her recent work has focused on prevention of early and unintended pregnancy, menstrual hygiene management, understanding gender inequality and its impacts on adolescents, and strengthening adolescent-responsive health systems. She was a collaborator and co-author of the Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing published in 2016, most notably contributing to the analysis of global burden of disease data to identify priority health needs of 10 to 24-year-olds globally. Elissa also provides technical support to adolescent and maternal and child health policy and development projects in Asia, the Pacific and sub-Saharan Africa.
Prior to joining Burnet in 2009, Elissa worked in sub-Saharan Africa as a clinician and health advisor, contributing to primary health care programs related to women's and children's health, HIV prevention and care, and sexual and reproductive health. In addition to work focused on adolescent health, Elissa also contributes to postgraduate teaching in women's and children's health, adolescent health, and primary health care. She was coordinator of the Centre for International Health's education and training program from 2013-2016.
Qualifications
- 2009: MPH, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
- 2003: MBBS (Hons), Monash University, Victoria, Australia
Appointments
- Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University
- Murdoch Children’s Research Institute Honorary Fellow
Positions
- 2017: Co-Program Director, Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health
- Co-Head, Global Adolescent Health, Burnet Institute
Reports and other work
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Increasing adolescents’ access to sexual and reproductive health services in Vanuatu.
Adolescents aged between 10 and 19 years account for 20% of the population of Pacific Island countries. Sexual activity is common during adolescence in this region. In Vanuatu, around 10% of young people have had sex by the age of 15, with the median age of sexual debut around 17 years.
Increasing adolescents’ access to sexual and reproductive health services in Vanuatu. -
Human resources for health in maternal, neonatal and reproductive health at community level: a profile of human resources for health in ten countries in the Asia and Pacific Regions.
This profile series presents information on the types of community-level health workers in the maternal, neonatal and reproductive health sector in ten different countries throughout the Asia-Pacific region. The profiles provide baseline information that can inform policy and program planning by donors, multilateral agencies, NGOs and international health practitioners. Ministry of health staff may also find the information from other countries useful in planning their own human resource initiatives.
Human resources for health in maternal, neonatal and reproductive health at community level: a profile of human resources for health in ten countries in the Asia and Pacific Regions.
Burnet publications
View 46 moreA call to action: the second Lancet Commission on adolescent health and wellbeing
The Lancet
Sarah Baird et al
Socio-structural influences on unintended pregnancy among girls aged 15–17 years in Papua New Guinea
BMJ Global Health
Elke Mitchell et al
Evaluated Interventions Targeting the Mental Health and Psychosocial Wellbeing of Children and Adolescents: A Scoping Review Focused on Low- and Middle-Income Countries in East Asia and the Pacific
Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health
Vinay Menon et al
Current projects
View 9 more
Understanding malaria transmission and immunity to inform malaria elimination
We aim to determine how malaria immunity impacts on the transmission of malaria and how immunity influences malaria control interventions.
Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing
Despite the incentives to invest in adolescent health, progress for the world’s adolescents has been slow.
Healthy Minds Healthy Futures: improving mental health and wellbeing of young people in Myanmar
We are testing new ways to support young people’s mental health in Myanmar. Together, we’re designing and evaluating a model of community services and supports.
Past projects
View 13 moreWHISPER and SHOUT: mobile phone health interventions among sex workers in Kenya
We conducted a mobile phone-based health promotion with women who are sex workers in Mombasa, Kenya, to reduce unintended pregnancy.
Understanding Pathways to Adolescent Pregnancy in Southeast Asia
We aim to improve understanding of the drivers and pathways to adolescent pregnancy in Southeast Asia.
A profile of adolescent health in Myanmar
The project for the first time developed a comprehensive profile of the major causes of poor health, risk behaviours and determinants for 10- to 24-year-olds in Myanmar.
