Rowena Coe

Rowena Coe is a qualitative researcher currently living and working on unceded Wurundjeri Country. She works in the Global Adolescent Health group at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, and is a PhD candidate jointly supervised by Burnet Institute and the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, and Health Sciences at the University of Melbourne. Her PhD project seeks to understand how young Pasifika people navigate pregnancy and parenthood amid climate-related crises, exploring the forces that shape health and social inequity for communities on the frontlines of climate change.

Rowena is driven by a commitment to social justice and health equity. She brings a distinctive mix of disciplines to her work: a background in visual communication and practice as a registered midwife. Together, these ground her community-led, creative and participatory approaches to research.

• 2026–present: PhD, The University of Melbourne and Burnet Institute, Australia
• 2022: Bachelor of Midwifery Honours, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne
• 2010: Bachelor of Design (Visual Communication), Monash University, Melbourne

• 2026–present: Research Assistant, Global Adolescent Health, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute
• 2025–present: Casual Academic, School of Nursing, Midwifery & Paramedicine (QLD), Australian Catholic University
• 2021–2026: Knowledge Translation and Impact Officer, Stronger Futures Centre of Research Excellence
• 2021–2026: Research Co-ordinator, Intergenerational Health, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute

• 2020: Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (VIC Branch) Student Midwife Award