Dr Stephen Bunker

RN, GradDipAdultEd, PhD

Contact details

Prior to joining the DEPM, Stephen was working as Senior Research Fellow, Greater Green Triangle University Department of Rural Health, Warrnambool, a Flinders and Deakin University partnership.  Stephen’s areas of work included:

• Health Services Research projects to develop and implement systems of care to improve quality of life and health outcomes of people with comorbid depression, coronary heart disease and/or diabetes
• Public Health Research projects including cross sectional health measurement surveys investigating the prevalence of chronic disease risk factors, including psychosocial risk factors, in the regional population, and a national demonstrator Diabetes Prevention Project based on a successful Finnish intervention.
• Primary Health Care Research Evaluation and Development Program whereby the University Department of Rural Health provides support for enhancing research capacity among primary health care workers, health professionals and graduates of other relevant disciplines working in rural areas.

Previously, Stephen was Manager of the National Heart Foundation (Victorian Division) cardiac rehabilitation and secondary prevention program for 15 years. This included a 5-year period when he was National Program Manager responsible for providing leadership and strategy for the Foundation’s cardiac rehabilitation and secondary prevention activities throughout Australia.  More recently Stephen was Executive Officer of the Foundation’s Expert Group which undertook an evidence-based systematic review on “stress” - psychosocial factors and coronary heart disease, published in the Medical Journal of Australia, in 2003. 

As well as research, Stephen has a strong interest in health professional education and has been involved in delivering smoking cessation workshops in association with QUIT and depression recognition workshops in association with beyondblue – the national depression initiative.