DrCarmen Vargas

Carmen Vargas, PhD, is a Research Fellow in the School of Health and Social Development at Deakin University. She specialises in co-design, participatory systems science, implementation research, and food systems transformation. Her research focuses on developing and evaluating methods that support meaningful collaboration between researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and communities to address complex public health challenges. She has particular expertise in co-design appraisal, systems mapping, group model building, and community-engaged approaches that strengthen the relevance, equity, and impact of health research and policy.

Carmen's work spans food systems, chronic disease prevention, health equity, and community resilience, with a strong emphasis on translating evidence into practical tools and decision-making processes. She works closely with government, non-government, and community partners to co-create solutions that support healthier, more sustainable, and equitable communities. Her research contributes to advancing methodologies for participatory research while generating actionable evidence to inform policy and practice at local, national, and international levels