Professor Sharon Goldfeld is a paediatrician and Director, Centre for Community Child Health (CCCH) the Royal Children’s Hospital, Co-Group leader of Policy and Equity, and Theme Director, Population Health at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. She has a decade of experience in state government as a senior policymaker in health and education including Principal Medical Advisor in the Victorian Department of Education and Training. Her research program is made up of complementary, synergistic and cross-disciplinary streams of work focused on investigating, testing and translating sustainable policy relevant solutions that eliminate inequities for Australia’s children. As an experienced policymaker, public health and paediatric researcher she aims to ensure ongoing effective, rapid translation of research into the policy and service arena.

Relevant experience

Professor Goldfeld’s career pathway has strategically straddled research, policy and practice. With over 120 peer reviewed publications and editorials to her name, Sharon has also authored 46 reports for state and national governments and several book chapters. Since 2002 Sharon has been awarded nearly $87 million (AUD) in competitive research funding both in Australia and internationally.

Sharon was recently awarded the inaugural Marles Medal in STEM (science, technology, engineering and medicine) for excellent and original research that led to outstanding achievement in research impact. She has received the medal for her leadership of the right@home study, a trial designed to build parenting capacity among disadvantaged parents. Her expertise as a child health policy and research translation leader have been recognised nationally and internationally through invitations to policy round tables and high level committees and invited presentations.