DrJames Lucas

Dr James Lucas is a social worker and academic in Deakin’s School of Health and Social Development and Institute for Health Transformation. They are also a proud queer person. As a founding co-convenor of Deakin’s Queering-Up Equity and Equality Research Spaces (Q-UEERS) Network (https://www.deakin.edu.au/q-ueers), they are passionate about “queering-up” mainstream health research and service spaces. They have applied this passion co-leading various research and education initiatives including the Translation Research in Mental Health (TRiM) Stream within the Institute for Health Transformation, as Course Director for Deakin’s Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) program, and as Chief Editor of the trans-Tasman journal Advances in Social Work and Welfare Education. Their ongoing research program focuses on health systems equity for queer communities, in particular, strengthening community capacity in building safe and equitable primary healthcare for rural queer young people.