Associate Professor Megan SC Lim
Deputy Program Director, Disease Elimination; Head, Young People’s Health
Working groups
Background
Megan is deputy program director of Disease Elimination at Burnet Institute and leads the Young People's Health research group. Her primary area of interest is understanding how digital media impact on public health. She has led trials using these technologies (e.g. mobile phones, smartphone apps, and social media) for health promotion and behaviour change. She has conducted mixed methods research into the impact of digital media on young people's health and wellbeing.
Megan works with young people to centre their experiences and expertise in their own lives. Her work spans many health topics, including sexual and reproductive health, alcohol and other drug use, mental health and wellbeing, nutrition, and infectious diseases. She uses epidemiological methods, qualitative research, co-design, and health promotion research. Megan completed her PhD in 2008, with a thesis titled ‘Sex, Drugs, and Young People: Novel Research and Health Promotion Approaches'.
She was then awarded an NHMRC Sidney Sax Fellowship to complete her postdoctoral research in infectious disease epidemiology at the University College London Research Department of Infection and Population Health.
Qualifications
- 2008: PhD, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
- 2003: Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Hons), Monash University, Australia
Appointments
- Deputy Program Director, Disease Elimination, Burnet Institute
- Deputy Program Director, Behaviours and Health Risks, Burnet Institute
- Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, School of Population Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University
- Honorary Senior Research Fellow, Melbourne School of Global and Population Health, University of Melbourne
Burnet publications
View 130 moreUnderstanding Long COVID Among Young People in Victoria, Australia: Prevalence, Impact, and Associated Factors
Public Health Challenges
Robin Engelberts et al
Recruiting participants via social media for sexual and reproductive health research
Sexual Health
Jacqueline Coombe et al
A Digital Pornography Education Prototype Co-Designed With Young People: Formative Evaluation
JMIR Formative Research
Jake Turvey et al
Reports and other work
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The Optimise Study: Vaccination knowledge, attitudes and beliefs. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT)
The Optimise Study: Vaccination knowledge, attitudes and beliefs. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT)
Current projects
View 5 more
Young people’s health in Australia: statistics from the Sex, Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll survey
Every year, we survey young people about their sexual health, drug use, mental health and wellbeing. That data informs public health policies and programs.
Supporting menstrual health, product choice and sustainability in Australia
An average menstruating person will use 5,000 to 15,000 disposable pads and tampons over their lifetime. Concerns about the environmental sustainability of these single-use products has seen increased attention to the opportunities presented by reusable technologies such as menstrual cups, reusable pads and period underwear.
Victorian Ongoing Initiative for Community Engagement (VOICE)
Working with communities and service providers to meet public health needs.
Past projects
View 15 more
The Optimise Study: Optimising Isolation, Quarantine and Distancing for COVID-19
This project aims to find out how Victorians are experiencing COVID-19 and responding to the measures introduced to stop the spread of the virus.
Young adults and alcohol
The young adults and alcohol study is a prospective cohort study of 800 young risky drinkers recruited in Melbourne in 2012 through computer-assisted telephone interviewing.
WHISPER and SHOUT: mobile phone health interventions among sex workers in Kenya
We conducted a mobile phone-based health promotion with women who are sex workers in Mombasa, Kenya, to reduce unintended pregnancy.
News and features
View 1 moreBurnet submission to the social media minimum age bill
Ahead of the bill's deliberations, Burnet submitted recommendations to the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024 committee.
Parents and teens prefer conversations over porn-blocking technology
Help, I’ve just discovered my teen has watched porn! What should I do?
Unlike in previous generations, you’re unlikely to discover your adolescent’s first exposure to adult sexual content from finding a scrunched-up Playboy magazine under their mattress.