Suzanne Belton

Adjunct Associate Professor Menzies School of Health Research

Qualifications: PhD (Public Health / Medical Anthropology), University of Melbourne, 2005
Bachelor of Social Science (Hons 1), University of South Australia, 1996
Midwife, Queen Victoria Hospital, 1990.

I am a medical anthropologist with a research interest in sexual and reproductive health. I am a midwife with clinical experience in community health, women’s health, family planning, refugee health and alternative birth systems. My research interests include the sociology and anthropology of health, the social and cultural context of sexual and reproductive health, gender and violence against women. I am also a specialist in qualitative research methods and have worked in China, Thailand, Indonesia, East Timor and remote Australia.

I have published on preventing maternal mortality and morbidity related to unsafe abortion in Thailand and East Timor, as well as maternal health outcomes in China. My research has improved clinical post-abortion care for Burmese women on the Thai-Burma border, as well as contributed to clinical and policy outcomes in East Timor. My current research examines rheumatic heart disease in pregnant women and Indigenous men’s access to health care. I have published on maternal death in West Timor and domestic violence law in East Timor. My core skills are in qualitative research in cross-cultural settings, teaching public health, and supervising postgraduate students in public health related research.