Dr. Lisel O’Dwyer, List administrator for the Institute of Australian Geographers. In her connection to Geography and Public Health at Flinders University, her principal interests are in housing issues and health. Those who elect to be on the IAG LISTSERV receive nearly daily announcements about events and job openings in health geography world-wide.
Lisel O’Dwyer was born in Melbourne, Australia, but has spent most of her life in South Australia, living in Adelaide. She completed a BA with majors in human geography and psychology at Flinders University in 1989, a First Class Honours degree in human geography at the University of Adelaide in 1993 and a Ph.D. in housing studies back at Flinders in 1997. She took every possible health related topic available within social sciences at Flinders after hearing a lecture about good old John Snow and cholera in a first year geography lecture in 1986. She was then able to combine her interests in housing and health in a postdoctoral position with the National Key Centre of Social Applications of GIS. This work examined lead risk to children in parts of Adelaide differentiated by housing type and quality and socioeconomic status. Lisel also maintains Geo-Health, a discussion list for anyone interested in the geography of health or any spatial or locational aspects of public health, community health, environmental health or epidemiology. Members may post queries and comments, initiate discussions and forward conference announcements, workshops and seminars and job vacancies.
Lisel has just announced that she is starting a new career as an animal behaviourist and also as a singer in a band called the Moss Rocks. She points out, however, that she is still availale for short term research work, and will also continue to be list administrator for the IAG, so that she isn’t completely cut off from the academic world.
Lisel may be contaced at lisel.odwyer@flinders.edu.au. Her website for information about animal training is http://www.hoofsandpaws.info.
Updated: January 2009
Health and Medical Geography 