Postgraduate Profile
Ms Lena Rodriguez
PhD Candidate, School of Humanities & Social Science
Discipline: Sociology
Phone: (02) 4921 5094
Email: Lena.Rodriguez@newcastle.edu.au
Location: Behavioural Sciences Building
Campus: Callaghan Campus, Newcastle
Current Research
PhD Thesis title: The social construction of obesity and implications for health and well-being in the Maori and Pacific Island community in Australia
This thesis examines how cultural practices around food and social disadvantage contribute to the incidence of obesity in the Maori and Pacific Island communities in Australia. It explores issues of identity and preservation of culture in the migrant context. It also identifies the impact of obesity related illness on the well-being of a culturally and linguistically distinct (CALD) group.
Refereed Conference Proceedings
Rodriguez, L. (2007) 'Impact of migration and social disadvantage on Maori and Pacific Islander health in Australia,' TASA/SAANZ Conference, Auckland, NZ.
Rodriguez, L. (2007) 'Migration and the Hybrid Construction of Identity for Maori and Pacific Islanders in Australia,' proceedings from the Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities, CD Rom, ISSN: 1541-5899, Honolulu.
Non-refereed Journal Articles
Rodriguez, L. (2006) 'The Role of Education in Good Governance for the South Pacific,' Pacific Arts Manuscript Bureau Newslatter, Series 5, Number 22, p. 5, RSPAS, Australian National University, Canberra.
Keynote Addresses
(2006) 'Repatriation of Maori artifacts from the Australian Museaum,' presented to Tourism major students in Faculty of Business and Law, University of Newcastle.
Conference Papers
Rodriguez, L. (2007) 'Transitions: Health and Mobility in Asia-Pacific Populations,' Monash University, June.
Rodriguez, L. (2007) 'Migration and the Hybrid Construction of Identity for Maori and Pacific Islanders in Australia,' paper presented at Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities, Marriott Hotel, Honolulu, 12-15 January.
Exhibitions, Commissions and Aquisitions
Rodriguez, L. (2001) 'Kainga Mai - The Return Home,' the work (mixed media) of Aboriginal, Torres Strait, Maori and Pacific Island artists, Bondi Pavilion Art Space, Bondi, Sydney.
Awards and Prizes
Nominated Best Student Paper, TASA, 2009, Canberra.
Research Activities
I have presented at conferences in Australia, Hawaii, New Zealand and Indonesia on topics including Cultural Safety in health practice and migrant youth identity. Currently teaching Health Sociology, in both Sociology and Nursing and Midwifery.
Memberships of Professional Associations
- Member of TASA