Dr Oli Meredith (she/they) is an AuDHD (autistic and ADHD) academic living on beautiful Ngunnawal lands in Canberra. Dr Meredith is a public health researcher whose work is grounded in lived experience and committed to addressing structural inequities in health. She is deeply grateful to live and work on the land of the Ngunnawal people and acknowledges the ongoing impact of colonisation and the strength of First Nations peoples in maintaining their cultures and communities. Dr Meredith also honours the crucial role First Nations peoples play in protecting and caring for the environment.

Dr Meredith’s research focuses on the health and wellbeing of women, neurodiverse people, First Nations peoples, and LGBTQI+ communities. Her work explores both the barriers and the enablers to healthcare access, self-care, and physical activity, with a strong emphasis on intersectionality and community-led knowledge production.

Dr Meredith is the Chief Investigative Officer of the grant-funded project Hiding or Thriving? The Lived Experiences and Coping Strategies of Women and Gender Diverse People with ADHD. The project blends creative enquiry with community healing and is supported by ADHD Australia. Dr Meredith is also involved in international research exploring the intersections between hormonal events—such as menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause—and ADHD symptom experiences in women.

In recognition of her expertise, Oli was invited to join an international focus group of ADHD experts at the Expertise Centre for Adult ADHD in The Hague, advising on the development of DIVA-5—a diagnostic tool designed to improve recognition and diagnosis of ADHD in girls and women. This work aligns with her ongoing research into the gendered and neurodiverse dimensions of ADHD.

In addition to her ADHD-focused work, Oli is involved in several interdisciplinary studies, including research on the impact of sport and physical activity in regional areas, a regional women’s health project, a study exploring the experiences of female football referees, and a UTS-led project on neurodiverse students’ experiences in higher education.

Oli holds a PhD in Public Health (2021) from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), where her thesis examined health service use and self-care—including CAM and physical activity—among older Australian women with sleep issues, as part of an ARC Discovery Project. She also holds a BA (double honours) and MA from the University of London in history and politics.

Dr Meredith currently teaches a wide range of health-related subjects, including Indigenous Perspectives on Health and Wellbeing, Public Health, Research Methods, Social Determinants of Health, Indigenous Sport and Identity, Introduction to Australian Society, and Health, Community and Public Health. Her teaching is informed by student-centred, compassionate pedagogy that responds to the unique needs of each learner, inviting their lived experiences to shape an open, evolving conversation in the classroom. Come as you are! 

Internationally, Oli has worked and researched in Cambodia and Myanmar, including with the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies in Phnom Penh. There, she was involved in qualitative research into conflict transformation and began teaching yoga and mindfulness—practices she continues to weave into her research and wellbeing initiatives. For example, Oli co-leads mindfulness, breathwork and wellbeing classes for Charles Sturt University staff in collaboration with Kirsten Locke, supporting community care and embodied approaches to health.

Dr Meredith thrives in collaborative and cross-disciplinary environments and is committed to research that is intellectually rigorous, socially just, and rooted in lived experience.