Dr. Maria Bilal
2020
Australian Universities' John Monash Scholar
Accelerated Master of Public Health
Social and Behavioural Sciences
Harvard University
United States of America
Medicine and Health
Youth Mental Health, Youth Health Policy, Co-design or Participatory Design in Health
Maria is a Sydney-based doctor who is committed to meaningful youth participation and is passionate about empowering young people to live healthy lives. In her early years of university, Maria was advocating on the Post-2015 Agenda at the United Nations and representing medical students at the World Health Assembly in Geneva. She was selected to represent Australia to the 2016 Girls20 Summit in Beijing, where she was trained by international experts in organizational strategy, leadership, and communication. Alongside graduating with Distinction, Maria has convened leadership conferences and contributed to a plethora of projects that seek to use health as a tool to empower the vulnerable. In particular, Maria has been heavily involved in advocacy for mental health on the National Youth Advisory Council for Youth Mental Health, with focus on integrating youth co-design into different aspects of mental health provision. She sits on the Board of Directors for One-Eighty, a grassroots youth suicide prevention organisation that utilises community organising to fund, develop and implement local projects. Maria is also on the Board of Directors of the Australian Medical Students’ Association, working to allow a new generation of doctors to mobilise change and engage in meaningful projects.
@maria_rimsha