Dr Monica O’Dwyer is a Research Fellow at the Monash Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University. Her research focuses on developing innovative methods and practices to enhance the health and wellbeing of workers, with a particular interest in the healthcare and social assistance sectors.

Monica has expertise in qualitative research design, analysis, and interpretation. She is passionate about understanding the experiences of workers, including those from migrant and LGBTQ+ communities, to inform policy and workplace interventions. She currently leads a multi-year funded project aimed at improving the wellbeing of aged care workers.

Monica completed her PhD in 2022, exploring the experiences of migrant workers in Australia’s aged care and childcare sectors. She also holds a Master of Public Health and has held research, policy, and evaluation roles across aged care organisations, migrant settlement services, and government bodies in Victoria.

She collaborates within multidisciplinary teams and with partners across the aged care sector, the construction industry, migration support agencies, regulatory authorities such as SafeWork Australia, and government departments. Monica also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate units on occupational health, psychosocial work environments, and environmental determinants of health.

She is a member of the National Aged Care Research Network, the Australian Association of Gerontology, and the Migration and Mobility Research Network.