Schools and youth settings as multisectoral platforms for NCD prevention

Dr Suzanne Trask

https://profiles.auckland.ac.nz/suzanne-trask

LENScience Research Fellow, Liggins Institute, University of Auckland (New Zealand)

Dr Suzanne Trask specialises in education-based approaches to the prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Her work investigates how schools and communities can act as multisectoral settings for health promotion and behaviour change. Drawing on sociocultural and implementation-science frameworks, she designs and evaluates curriculum-integrated interventions that foster health literacy, agency, and systems thinking among adolescents.  Suzanne has led and contributed to national and international research–practice partnerships, including lead writer of the Tokelau National Health & Physical Education curriculum, Obesity Prevention Using Systems Science (OPUSS,) Pacific Science for Health Literacy Project (PSHLP)/Ora’anga Tūmanava in the Cook Islands, and the Fighting Sugar in Soft Drinks (FIZZ) projects. Her work in Akomanga Kaihanga/Learning for Social Innovation in South Auckland investigates the well-being benefits of students' contributions to their communities. Suzanne is the lead developer on the Solomon Islands Senior Secondary Education Improvement Project: Healthy Living (2026-2028). Her research has produced open-access, curriculum-aligned resources, teacher professional-learning models, and assessment frameworks that have been adopted in both Aotearoa New Zealand and Pacific contexts.

Dr Trask’s publications appear in Health Education Research, Health Promotion International, Health Education Journal, and the Journal of School Health. She also publishes in a range of Education journals.