Gender, Lifespan and Quality of Life: An International Perspective

Professor Elizabeth Eckermann (M.A., Ph.D.) has a personal chair in medical sociology at Deakin University in Australia. Her research grants, publications and keynote addresses cover women's health, reproductive health, gender and health, domestic violence, eating disorders, quality of life and indicators of health status, health promotion and public health. She currently is conducting research in Lao PDR and Malaysia using a Diamond Dialogue Tool to evaluate well-being outcomes from health intervention programs. Professor Eckermann is a Distinguished Research Fellow of the International Society for Quality of life Studies and recipient of the Zonta International Outstanding Achievement Award for her commitment to the advancement of women. She is associate editor of the international journal Health Promotion International. She teaches sociology of health and illness, and supervises postgraduate candidates in sociology of health, quality of life and sociology of the body. Professor Eckermann has been on the Australian delegation to the United Nations as the women's health expert and undertaken more than 20 consultancies on gender and health issues for the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva and throughout the Western Pacific Region.