Isabel Chung
Research Assistant
Isabel is passionate about knowledge translation for public engagement and policy reform, having engaged extensively with news outlets and student-led groups to address a range of topics from menstrual health to victim-blaming beliefs, and government stakeholders in advocating for strengthened national data collection efforts, with a particular focus on longitudinal prevalence and attitudinal data on violence against women.
Isabel led the first nationwide study of Malaysian attitudes and perceptions towards violence against women when she worked with a local civil society organisation in Malaysia focused on eliminating violence against women. She co-designed a mixed-methods study of the experiences of women undertaking paid and unpaid care work during the COVID-19 pandemic, including an assessment of policies that govern their working conditions. She has also contributed to the development of qualitative data collection tools and fieldwork exploring women’s experiences seeking support from informal and formal avenues, including One-Stop Crisis Centres located in public hospitals across Malaysia.
Isabel is undertaking a Master in Public Health at the University of Melbourne, with plans to specialise in Health Policy and Gender. Her research interests lie in strengthening the health sector response to gender-based violence, and she is currently engaged in a project investigating the barriers to help-seeking for survivors of violence across Asia.