Samantha Thomas

Samantha is a public health sociologist and qualitative expert at Deakin Health Economics. She specialises in understanding the impact of industry tactics on health behaviours. Samantha has worked in a number of areas of health, including mental health, and obesity, but is most well known for her research into the commercial determinants of gambling harm, and public health advocacy responses to these.

Prior to joining Deakin, Samantha worked at the World Health Organisation (Geneva), King's College London, Monash University, and the University of Wollongong.

Samantha has an extensive track record in competitive grant funding, and has received grants from ARC, NHMRC, Victorian Department of Justice, Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation, and the AFL Research Board. Her two most recent ARC Discovery Grants explore the ways in which Australian families interpret and respond to weight messaging; and the impact of sports betting marketing on the gambling attitudes and behaviours of young men, and children.

Samantha is also conducting research funded by the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation on the contributing factors to problem gambling stigma; mapping and monitoring gambling industry tactics; and understanding the processes that may lead to the normalisation of gambling.

Most recently, she has developed gambling harm prevention education for professional athletes. Samantha has also provided leadership training for athletes in professional sporting clubs.

Samantha has provided expert testimony to a number of Australian Parliamentary Inquiries, most recently to the Australian Senate Committee on Gambling Reform. Her work is regularly featured in national and international press including ABC Four Corners.

She is currently an Editor of the Australian New Zealand Journal of Public Health.