HELLO THERE!

Angelica Ojinnaka-Psillakis is a Child and Adolescent Health PhD Student at the University of Melbourne and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, public health and social researcher, health communicator, and fierce health equity advocate. Her work bridges evidence and storytelling to address health rights and reimagine systems of care, equity, and participation for children, young people, and historically underserved communities across Australia and internationally.

Angelica is an Ambassador for Plan International Australia. She previously co-authored the Plan International Australia report A Better Normal: Girls Call for Revolutionary Reset and has driven campaigns to eliminate online and street harassment of girls and young women. She founded the Wellbeing for African-Australian Youth Initiative/African Australian Youth Suicide Prevention Group to support mental health literacy.

She is the researcher at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute where she co-leads the Future Healthy Countdown 2030, a national initiative tracking and mobilising action on children and young people’s health and wellbeing to drive accountability and evidence-based policy change. As a Chief Investigator at the Centre for Research Excellence in Effective Action for Adolescent Health, Angelica explores improvements to adolescent mental, sexual and reproductive health. 

A former Australian Youth Representative to the United Nations, Angelica has represented the voices of young people globally and continues to drive equity in civic spaces through her roles as Vice Chair of Australian Association for Adolescent Health, Board Director at Yung Prodigy, and Advisory Council Member of the Sydney Women’s Fund. Her leadership spans advocacy, research, and creative media including her award-winning podcast on social participation and extreme heat called Sink or Swim, which won Bronze at the Signal Awards and was a finalist at the New York Festival Radio Awards. 

Recipient of the NSW Premier’s Youth Medal and recognised by the United Nations as one of 23 Young People Leading Resilient Recovery, Angelica has delivered keynote addresses to thousands and regularly appears on the ABC. She brings a decade of championing lived experience, intersectional equity, and intergenerational partnerships to her mission: ensuring every child and young person is heard, valued, and free to thrive.