Louise Baldwin

Louise Baldwin is a dynamic and visionary public health leader with more than 20 years of experience across local, national, and international levels. Currently serving as Academic Lead for Industry and Community Engagement in the School of Public Health and Social Work at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), she is also Chief Investigator with the QUT Design Lab and an Affiliate Investigator at the Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies.

Louise is the founder and lead of two major QUT action research programs: ORCHID (Our Resilient Communities – Healthy, Innovative and Diverse), which adapts the WHO Healthy Cities model to suit Queensland contexts, and QUT Cool and Covered, a cross-sectoral initiative to improve sun protective environments through urban design, education, and creative industries. Her longstanding commitment to chronic disease prevention—particularly in skin cancer—pays tribute to her late father and is reflected in her national leadership as former Chair of the National Skin Cancer Committee for Cancer Council Australia.

Recognised in 2018 as an inaugural Brisbane Lord Mayor’s Convention Trailblazer, Louise is known for her strategic thinking, collaborative leadership, and capacity to deliver large-scale, community-based health promotion programs with measurable outcomes. She brings a strong interdisciplinary approach to her work, bridging sectors such as government, academia, and nonprofits.

Louise is also an advocate for mentoring future leaders in health promotion, a former Queensland Vice President of the Australian Health Promotion Association, and an active contributor to the International Union for Health Promotion and Education’s global membership committee. Through her research, teaching, and advocacy, she continues to build resilient, healthier communities across Australia.