Ms Freya Stephenson

Freya Stephenson is a Research Officer within the Justice Health Research Program at the School of Population Health, UNSW. Her current work focuses on reducing systemic health inequalities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in prison through the Medicare and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations in Prisons Project (MAPP), which is currently in its co-design and stakeholder consultation phase.

In parallel with her work at UNSW, Freya is a consultant to Catherine Holmes Consulting, contributing to the evaluation of justice reinvestment initiatives on Groote Eylandt. Her past experience includes research and administrative roles across public health, crisis services, and Indigenous community health initiatives, with a strong emphasis on trauma-informed and strengths-based research methodologies.

Freya holds First Class Honours in Anthropology from the University of Sydney, where she was awarded for Outstanding Achievement in Anthropology Honours. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Anthropology, and has extensive experience working across government, consulting, and academic settings on issues of justice, health, and inequality.

Across all her work, Freya is committed to designing and evaluating health and social services that are equitable, trauma-informed, and impactful for marginalised communities.

Chat to Freya about:

• Aboriginal health and justice reform in Australia

• Evaluating justice reinvestment initiatives

• Trauma-informed and strengths-based research methods

• Health and service delivery in carceral contexts

• Anthropology, criminology, and critical social research