Laetitia Coles

Dr Laetitia Coles is a health sociologist whose research focuses on improving health and developmental outcomes for children with disability by embedding lived experience into research design, policy, and practice. Her work spans sociology, education, and health, with a strong emphasis on early childhood inclusion, family wellbeing, and workforce development.

Laetitia leads transdisciplinary research projects that centre the voices of children, families, and educators. She leads the Workforces component of the Thriving Queensland Kids Brain Builders Initiative (https://qbi.uq.edu.au/brain-builders) in support of the generation, translation, and application of knowledge from neurosciences into policy and practice, as well as leading the award-winning project entitled Families in Focus: Amplifying the voices of children with disability and their families (https://child-health-research.centre.uq.edu.au/event/5632/families-focus), in collaboration with Queensland Children's Hospital.

She was recently awarded a HERA Collaborate grant for the project Early childhood inclusion in focus, which co-develops tools and priorities to support inclusive early childhood education and care (ECEC). She is also the Workforces Lead for the $3 million Thriving Queensland Kids Partnership – Brain Builders Initiative.

With over $3.5 million in research funding and a portfolio of peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and policy reports, Laetitia’s work has informed strategic planning at Children’s Health Queensland and contributed to national policy evaluations. She sits on the Foundational Supports 0–9 Working Group (Autism Queensland) and serves on editorial boards for Health Sociology Review and Community, Work and Family.

Laetitia welcomes collaboration with researchers, policymakers, and community organisations committed to inclusive, impact-driven research.