Associate ProfessorDebbie Ollis

Health and Phys Ed Discipline Coordinator

Debbie Ollis is an Associate Professor in Education at Deakin University where
she teaches and researches in the fields of gender, respectful relationships
and sexuality education. Debbie has worked in the health and sexuality
education field for over 30 years as a secondary school teacher, policy
officer, curriculum consultant, curriculum writer, teacher educator and
researcher. She has co-authored two national frameworks in the area and
written curriculum resources for state and federal governments. Most recently
she has written a respectful relationships curriculum for Victorian secondary
schools and coauthored a sexuality education monograph for Universities. Her
research is focused on capacity building in health and sexuality education,
teacher education, gender and violence education and young people's experience
of school based sexuality education. Debbie is currently involved in number of
projects in these areas, including an ARC linkage project researching young
people's experience and voice in sexuality education

I have a long history in the Health and Physical Education (HPE) field, having
worked as teacher; curriculum consultant; policy officer; teacher educator;
curriculum writer and researcher.
My teaching and research intersect in the area of gender, equity, sexuality
and relationships education and wellbeing. I am a feminist qualitative
researcher interested in capacity building in sexuality and relatioships
education, pedagogy, teacher practice and professional learning, particularly
as it relates to issues in health and sexuality and relationships education.
However, I also work in teams that utlise quantatative methods. I have
excellent networks and knowledge of schools, school systems and NGOs in these
areas. As principal author of two Australian government funded national school
based frameworks, The Gender and Violence Position Paper (1993) and Talking
Sexual Health National Framework for Education about STI's, HIV/AIDS and
Blood-Bourne Viruses in Secondary Schools (1999), I have an excellent working
knowledge of national policy developments in the field and the needs and
parameters of teaching professional development in the area. My ability to
liaise and collaborate with industry was recognized when I received the
Faculty of Arts/Education Award for Industry Collaboration Research (2013).

A key strength lies in my ability to translate research into practice
through curriculum development and teacher professional learning, having
written or co-written a number of nationally recognized teaching and learning
and professional development resources in line with state and national
curriculum guidelines and current research (Standing Strong 1991; No Fear,
1995; Talking Sexual Health, 2000, 2001; Catching On, 2004; 2014; Building
Respectful Relationships: Stepping Out Against Gender Based Violence, 2014).

I have a national and international reputation for my work in sexuality and
relationships education, evidenced by invitations to consult on the Australian
Curriculum; national reference group in Sexuality Education; Our Watch. I have
also been funded to present keynotes at international (and national)
conferences (HEIA 2017, Curtin University 2015; ACHPER 2015; Brunel
University, 2014; Hong Kong University 2010) and invited to review for local
and international journals and grant applications.

My doctoral research focused on change in teacher practice to build
knowledge, skills and confidence to address inclusively, gender and sexuality.
Aspects of this research has been published (AARE 2004, Journal of Home
Economics Institute of Australia, 2005; Sex Education, 2010; Routledge 2013).
I also received an Outstanding Thesis Merit Award' for doctoral thesis
completed in 2007 (Latrobe University Faculty of Health Sciences).

I have secured funding to research capacity building in sexuality and
relationships education, respectful relationships and gender based violence
education (including pornography education); young people's views of sexuality
education and developing teaching and learning approaches in schools and in
Universities. Publications related to this work have appeared in book chapters
(Pelgrave 2016; Springer 2015; Routledge 2013), Journals (Health Education
Research 2014; Health Education 2015; Sex Education 2015) and two monographs
(Sexuality Education Matters 2013; Building Capacity in Sexuality Education
the Northern Bay Experience 2012). Current funded projects are Building
Respectful Relationship in Women's Cricket; Respectful Relationships Education
in Schools; Docs and Teens and Engaging Young People in Sexuality Education:
ARC funded with Uni SA.