Maddie Heenan

Maddie is a Research Associate and PhD candidate within the Health Systems Science team at the George Institute for Global Health. She is also an Associate of the Australian Human Rights Institute at UNSW, and The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre.

Her research seeks to use public health law to prioritise government action in chronic disease prevention, and environmental health and sustainability. Her areas of research include public health law and regulation, commercial determinants of health, policy coherence and the political economy. Maddie has worked closely with a variety of governments on research and policy issues. Her PhD is part of a larger project working with a multi-disciplinary team of policy makers, public health lawyers and nutrition experts to co-design regulations under the South Australian Public Health Act to prevent NCDs.

Maddie has a background in policy, advocacy and strategic communications. Prior to undertaking her candidature, she was working as a Senior Policy Advisor for the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) in Canberra. Some of Maddie’s work includes leading the campaign to update the NSW Liquor Act to better regulate online sales and delivery of alcohol, and ensuring the ACCC’s Digital Platforms Inquiry went beyond competition issues to also focus on consumer rights and the predatory advertising strategies of junk food, alcohol and gambling industries.