Dr Kahlia McCausland is a public health researcher within the School of Population Health. Her research focuses on improving health and wellbeing through evidence‑based, community‑informed approaches, with a particular emphasis on youth health, vaping and e‑cigarettes, digital media, and health equity.

Kahlia has over a decade of experience working across research, evaluation, and health promotion projects in Western Australia. Her work often sits at the intersection of health, policy, education, and digital environments, and she is especially interested in how contemporary issues, such as social media, online marketing, and emerging industries, shape health behaviours and choices.

Kahlia completed her PhD in Public Health at Curtin University, where her doctoral research examined online e‑cigarette promotion, digital discourse, and user perspectives. Much of Kahlia’s recent research has focused on vaping, including the social, digital, and environmental factors that drive uptake. In addition to her work in tobacco and nicotine research, Kahlia has led and contributed to projects addressing sexual health, blood‑borne viruses, housing and homelessness, migration and health, and concussion among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Across all areas, she brings a strong equity‑focused lens and prioritises collaboration with affected communities. A key strength of her work is a commitment to centring community and lived experience voices and ensuring that research findings translate into real‑world action.

She is a Registered IUHPE Health Promotion Practitioner and a member of several professional networks, including the Australian Health Promotion Association (AHPA) National Accreditation Organisation (NAO) for the International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE) in Australia, and the National E‑cigarette Monitoring and Evidence Consortium.