Public Health Fellow
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- Public Health Fellow with the North Eastern Public Health Unit
- Fixed term position, full time or part time until 30 June 2026
- Enterprise Agreement: Doctors in Training 2022 - 2026
Austin Health is the major provider of tertiary health services, health professional education and research across three campuses in the north-east of Melbourne and statewide. We have a highly engaged, diverse and collaborative workforce that is unified by our goal to help people live healthy and fulfilled lives.
About the North Eastern Public Health Unit
The North Eastern Public Health Unit (NEPHU) is one of nine public health units in Victoria: three in metropolitan Melbourne and six covering regional Victoria. Together these units form a coordinated network, working in partnership with the Department of Health to deliver a comprehensive public health program for Victoria. The NEPHU is hosted and supported by Austin Health with responsibility spanning approximately 1.81m people living in the northeast of metropolitan Melbourne. We work collaboratively to improve the health and wellbeing of the NEPHU population through health promotion, prevention and protection activity. The NEPHU is proud of its diverse multidisciplinary team who provide a service across extended hours seven days per week. Participation in a 7-day roster during periods of public health emergency may be required of all staff.
About the role
The Public Health Fellow at the North Eastern Public Health Unit (NEPHU) is a key part of the team undertaking end-to-end management of cases, contacts and outbreaks of notifiable conditions in the NEPHU catchment. Working with some autonomy, the Public Health Fellow conducts risk assessments, provides public health advice in line with Victorian Department of Health protocols and participates in incident management teams to rapidly control the spread of disease.
The Public Health Fellow serves as a key point of escalation for operational teams regarding communicable disease queries and is required to participate in an after-hours on-call roster for communicable disease notifications and public health management advice.
A regular day will see you:
- Work with Health Protection, Medical and Epidemiology teams to undertake surveillance and public health management of cases, contacts and outbreaks of notifiable conditions in the NEPHU area
- Develop a collaborative and trusted relationship with the NEPHU team
- Liaise with hospital clinicians, general practitioners, Department of Health teams and other external providers across the area to prevent and control communicable diseases
- Develop and support projects in communicable disease control that are congruent with the strategic and business plans
- Undertake audit and quality assurance activity to identify risk and inform improvement opportunities
About you
You will be someone who has excellent communication skills, with a strong commitment to excellence in public health practice. You’ll bring energy and drive to your work, and have a keen interest in developing your skillset.
To be successful in this role you’ll bring with you:
- Communicable disease or outbreak management experience
- Ability to practice evidence-based public health medicine and act autonomously
- Ability to manage competing demands with a structured approach to problem resolution
- Ability to lead multidisciplinary public health teams
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with a consultative approach and a proven ability to build productive working relationships with a range of stakeholders and work as part of a team.
- Fellowship of the Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine (FAFPHM) or equivalent
- Registration as a Medical Practitioner with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)
Our benefits
Working at Austin Health means enjoying a strong sense of purpose, engaging in meaningful work every day. Our people also receive a variety of rewarding benefits, including:
- Greater take-home pay through generous salary packaging, for living expenses, meals, and holiday accommodation.
- A suite of wellness initiatives designed to support you, including discounted fitness memberships and special offers on health insurance, and a comprehensive wellbeing program.
- Onsite childcare at Austin Hospital, easy access via public transport and car parking options.
- Mentoring and career development opportunities.
Work with us!
We are committed to cultural safety and health equity for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander People. We celebrate, value, and include people of all backgrounds, genders, identities, cultures, bodies, and abilities. We welcome and support applications from talented people identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, people with disability, neurodiverse people, LGBTQIA+ and people of all ages and cultures.
If you feel this role is right for you, we encourage your early application. Even if you don’t meet every single requirement, we encourage you to apply. What matters most is your passion, your drive and your willingness to learn and contribute. Applications will be reviewed as they are received, and interviews may take place prior to the closing date. This means we reserve the right to close a job ad prior to the advertised closing date.
All appointments are made subject to a satisfactory National Police Check and if required, a Working With Children Check. If you require any reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process, you are welcome to reach out to the hiring manager: Claire Gordon, NEPHU Clinical Lead at Claire.Gordon@austin.org.au
Interested in finding out more about this opportunity? Read the position description for further details.
Application closing date: Friday 13 March 2026
