Full Blog:

Jen Ervin

Jen Ervin

University of Melbourne

Research Fellow

SSM member since: 2024

SSM participation: Member, attended and presented at the 2024 ASM in Glasgow

Topics of interest: Social Epidemiology, Gender Inequality, Mental Health

What inspired you to pursue a career in public health?

All I ever wanted to be growing up was a vet. However, after working for more than a decade as a veterinarian, I became increasingly interested in what lay beyond individual patient care/health.  I didn’t have the words for it at the time, but I knew I wanted to contribute on a bigger scale, to be involved in the bigger health picture. As a veterinarian, these musings led me towards One Health – the intersection of human, animal and environmental health – and my subsequent enrolment into the Master of Public Health at The University of Melbourne in 2016. However, a first-year elective choice (Gender and Health) quickly changed the direction of my subsequent career. Having always been passionate about gender equality and social justice, I pivoted my master’s program to a social epidemiology focus and have not looked back. 

What excites you about working in research now?

Research excites me because it is collaborative and interdisciplinary and because it is mentally stimulating with new things to learn all the time – whether that be methodological, statistical, or deepening my understanding of different perspectives or other’s lived experiences. It is also exciting to be able to apply the skills and experience I have acquired so far to address important modifiable health and social inequalities in Australia.

What area of social medicine/public health are you interested in?

My primary area of interest is centred within the social determinants of health framework. More specifically, I am interested in the impact of gender inequalities on health. For example, my recently completed PhD program of work focused on gender inequality in Australia, examining the double burden of unpaid labour and employment precarity on the mental health of Australian women. I am also interested in how gender intersects with other inequalities that different sub-populations of women face. Moreover, I am passionate about exploring how different social policy levers have the potential to alleviate inequalities which then in turn can translate to better health outcomes.

Can you tell us a bit about a project you’re working on now?

One project that I am currently working on is the implementation and application of a novel index that we have recently developed to measure gender inequality in Australia. The Australian Gender Equality Index (AGEI) is an area-level measure of gender equality that has been constructed using aggregated linked Australian census data. We are currently applying the AGEI to assess the spatial patterning of gender inequality across Australia in addition to linking the AGEI to large representative existing datasets to quantify associations between gender inequality and social, economic, and health outcomes.

What do you hope this will lead to?

This next stage of the project will involve applying novel and emerging epidemiological methods to estimate effects of different hypothetical strategies and interventions addressing gender inequality in Australia. Overall, we hope the project generates new knowledge of the impacts of gender inequalities on social, economic and health outcomes, and geographic and intersectional variations, as well as provide crucial evidence to inform programs and policies to monitor and reduce gender inequalities across Australia.

Bonus question from ECR sub-committee: How do you balance research with other responsibilities, such as teaching or personal life?

Balance is so important in life. Given that my current role is 100% research, I am fortunate to not to have to juggle a teaching load as well. Nonetheless, balancing personal life and work life is always a juggle especially when you have dependent children – I think being kind to yourself is key, as is not sweating the small stuff, having clear boundaries and realising that most work things (in my research based position anyway) can wait till the morning – allowing me to be a present and available parent once the working day is over. Importantly, I think we all do our best work when we maintain a good balance, especially when we have enough time in our lives to step away from a problem, clear our heads and let our thoughts clarify. I find I do much of my best thinking when I am out walking my dogs or swimming in the sea or even in the shower! So, leisure and time out is vital