Australian Awards for University Teaching — 2008

Awards for Teaching Excellence — Biological Sciences, Health and Related Studies — Recipient

Dr Catherine Bennett
The University of Melbourne, Victoria

Synopsis

Dr Bennett is a teaching and research academic, specialising in infectious disease epidemiology. Before joining the University of Melbourne in 2001, Catherine held government positions in public health and Indigenous affairs. She brought from this an understanding of workforce capacity needs and a strong commitment to building rigorous and workforce relevant academic programs. She promotes dynamic and collegial approaches to curriculum review and renewal to enhance the quality and relevance of tertiary programs. Her engagement with industry, government and students in these processes, and her leadership and excellence in teaching, are recognised in teaching awards from the Melbourne School of Population Health and the University of Melbourne. Catherine’s teaching style is experiential. Drawing on her active public health practice and research program, she creates optimal adult-learning environments that harness the knowledge, insights and experiences postgraduate students bring to the classroom. She is an active leader in academic programs and curriculum development within her university and is nationally recognised as a public health educationalist. Catherine is invited to teach and to advise on curricula across universities, and contributes to national priority-setting in public health education, and the setting of academic standards and shaping of graduate competencies.