DrPriya Saravanakumar

Dr Priya Saravanakumar is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Health at University of Technology Sydney. Priya has a rich clinical, educational and leadership experience having practiced, taught and led teams in adult and older person nursing in various care settings in India, Sri Lanka, Seychelles, Australia and New Zealand. Priya was a recipient of ‘Australian Leadership Award’ in 2010 which led to her PhD in Nursing from the University of Newcastle, Australia. Her PhD research involved exploring complementary and alternative therapies (CAM) for health and wellbeing outcomes for frail older adults in residential aged care settings using mixed methods research.

Her primary research interests focus on older adult wellbeing. Her research endeavours focus on vulnerable groups such as older adults from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, residential aged care settings, and with complex and chronic health conditions. Her other research expertise includes analysing large population-based datasets, and participatory research approaches involving community dwelling older adults. In addition to teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students, she supervises Research and Higher Degree students in the area of older adult health and wellbeing. Priya currently leads research projects with international and interdisciplinary scholars and stakeholders in an attempt to find solutions to complex problems faced by the ageing population.