Dr Emma Muhlack
LightNews LightNews
banner
dremmamuhlack.bsky.social
Dr Emma Muhlack
@dremmamuhlack.bsky.social
220 followers 330 following 160 posts
#Teaching specialist, School of Public Health, University of Adelaide, Australia. DEI in teaching. #AuDHD, #Queer, #PublicHealth, #Sociology, #Ethics. Semi-pro musician. These immaculate vibes are my own, not my employer's.

ORCID: 0000-0002-4089-399
Posts Replies Media Videos
dremmamuhlack.bsky.social
So the consultation draft for Australia's National Health and Medical Research strategy has been released. Apparently I am at terrible person because I saw this and thought "what, are they commissioning Gorman to make labcoats?" #health #australia
A screenshot with the following text: Clinical trials: Enable a vibrant clinical trials sector that improves patient outcomes and supports equitable access to clinical trials, regardless of demography or geography.
August 27, 2025 at 4:43 AM
dremmamuhlack.bsky.social
Need to generate random numbers for the purposes of data sampling so I've cracked out the mini polyhedral dice I keep at my desk for #TTRPG emergencies.

I swear it's for academic rigor, and not because my mini dice don't get enough love...

#AcademicSky
Three dice in green swirling colours on a cream background. A 20-sided dice is showing a value of 9, and two 10-sided percentile dice are showing a value of 61.
August 11, 2025 at 1:47 AM
dremmamuhlack.bsky.social
Imagine my dismay as my corflute frisbees out of my hand... and directly towards the then Prime Minister of Australia.

Out of idle curiosity, I searched NewsBank today to see if it made it into the news.

It did.
A screenshot from the NewsBank website for the headline and first paragraph of an article from the Advertiser, August 24, 2002. The headline reads: "Placard thrown in Howard protest", and the first paragraph reads "A PLACARD thrown by a student narrowly missed Prime Minister John Howard during a rowdy protest at the University of Adelaide yesterday."
May 23, 2025 at 1:23 AM
dremmamuhlack.bsky.social
You'll love this "is it graduation or is it an indie album cover" photo then!
A female presenting person has climbed up an iron gate in front of a red brick wall, hanging backwards from one arm, looking downward. They're wearing pink doc martens, dark blue jeans, a white knitted vest, and a business shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Over this, they're wearing the academic robes for a masters of communication: a deep navy gown, a red hood with white trim, and a mortarboard.
May 15, 2025 at 5:20 AM
dremmamuhlack.bsky.social
So, my PhD student I talked about last week at graduations?

Well, she was featured on the university's social media stories and she had just the LOVELIEST thing to say about me.
A screenshot of a post on the University of Adelaide's LinkedIn Account, with text above a photograph. In the text, a blonde woman in the academic dress for health science honours (mortarboard, black gown, and black hood with salmon pink lining and edge stripe) stands in front of a sandstone neo-gothic hall with her testaumur looking serious. The text is as follows: From Finance to PhD, Lara’s inspiring journey with Dyslexia (bicep curl emojo, mortarboard emoji) Meet Lara Stollery, our Bachelor of Health and Medical Sciences graduate awarded with First Class Honours in Public Health. After taking a leap of faith leaving her full-time finance job during the pandemic to return to uni in 2021. Now, she’s pursuing a PhD in Medicine and teaching first and second year students at the University. Living with dyslexia, Lara’s path wasn’t always easy, but asking for help changed everything. “Once I found the courage to reach out, I discovered so much support from disability services to the writing centre. It made all the difference.” Inspired by other neurodivergent academics, Lara never thought a PhD could be part of her story until now. She credits her success to the support of her amazing mentors, especially Dr Emma Muhlack, who has believed in her from day one, and to the incredible community she’s found at the School of Public Health. Her advice? “Trust that you can do this. Asking for help is a strength.” Congratulations, Lara! Your courage, resilience, and dedication make you a true inspiration (red heart emoki, applause emoji).
May 14, 2025 at 12:38 AM
dremmamuhlack.bsky.social
Graduation 4: PhD (public health)
A photo of two adults in a library with neoclassical interior; on the left is a man in a colourful shirt and charcoal suit jacket, and on the left is a female presenting person in a waistcoat, shirt, and brown vintage tie with the academic dress for a PhD - Tudor bonnet, black robes with scarlet facing, and a scarlet hood. They are both pulling silly faces, and the person on the left is also making a reversed V hand signal.
May 9, 2025 at 8:07 AM
dremmamuhlack.bsky.social
Graduation 3: masters of communication (public relations)
A female presenting person is hanging off the side of an iron gate in front of a red brick wall. They wear pink docs, skinny jeans, and a white knitted lace vest, along with academic dress for a masters degree - a mortarboard, black gown, and a red hood with white edging.
May 9, 2025 at 8:07 AM
dremmamuhlack.bsky.social
Graduation 2: Honours (Philosophy)
A female presenting person with curly hair, frolicing in an old fashioned library. They wear heeled sandals and a white patterned blouse, and the academic dress for honours in humanities - a mortar board, black robe, dove grey stole, and black hood with grey lining.
May 9, 2025 at 8:07 AM
dremmamuhlack.bsky.social
Graduation 1: Bachelor of Arts (English & Philosophy).
A female presenting person with curly hair in heeled sandals, brown skirt, and pink lace top, wearing academic dress for a bachelor's degree - mortar board, black robe, and hood. They are standing in front of a wooden desk in a library with oil paintings of past notables on the walls.
May 9, 2025 at 8:07 AM
dremmamuhlack.bsky.social
My other mentee who graduated yesterday was the lovely Lara. I've had the privilege of mentoring her from "should I even be at university?" to "I want to be an academic" over the last 4 years, and now I'm one of her PhD supervisors under Danielle (left, primary supervisor). #AcademicSky
Three people, smiling and posing together in front of a Gothic Revival style hall with a crowd in the background. In the centre is a woman in honours academic dress (black robe, mortarboard, and hood, with salmon pink lining and edge strip for the hood); on the left, a shorter woman in a checked blazer, tan skirt, and black top; on the right, a female-presenting person in PhD academic dress (black robe with scarlet facings, black tudor bonnet, and scarlet hood).
May 9, 2025 at 12:53 AM
dremmamuhlack.bsky.social
Somehow I managed to write posts with photos and then just... clean forget to actually post them! Here's my #PublicHealth honours student @thepubhealthtest.bsky.social after his Bachelors #graduation. Whether he's really that tall, or I'm that short, is open to your own interpretation. #AcademicSky
A young man in academic dress for the Bachelor degree (black robe, mortarboard, & hood, with salmon pink lining on the hood) standing next to a middle-aged female presenting academic in academic dress for a PhD (black tudor bonnet, black open robe with scarlet lapels, and scarlet hood) in an open plaza. The young man is about a foot taller than the middle-aged person.
May 9, 2025 at 12:45 AM
dremmamuhlack.bsky.social
Novelty is a key motivator for #ADHD brains! I've found that putting routine tasks in a novel context can be just as good as doing something *actually* novel.

This is why I am currently cross-legged & sideways in an alcove seat, adding novelty to the routine task of revewing course materials.
A selfie of the author (a female-presenting person with short hair, bluetooth headphones, and a button-up shirt covered in small pink, blue and purple dots) sitting sideways in a booth-style seat with high back and sides and the edge of their laptop (with its Togepi pokemon sticker) visible in the bottom of the frame.
May 7, 2025 at 5:41 AM
dremmamuhlack.bsky.social
I was chatting to my honours student this morning and told him I'd give him a thumbs up as he crosses the stage at his Bachelors graduation next week. I got this in reponse and I can't tell you how touched I am at this payoff for my efforts to be That Academic. #AcademicSky
A screenshot of mcirosoft teams direct messages that read: First message: I'll look forward to it Second message: I must admit, I've seen you in your academic gown in the past during graduation season and it's always made me happy. I feel like you represent me (or a potential for me) better then any other academic I've met
May 1, 2025 at 1:27 AM
dremmamuhlack.bsky.social
I just went through the Triceratops exhibit at the Melbourne Museum and I knew enough about fossilization, specimen prep, and ancient ecosystems that I could really appreciate what I was seeing - all thanks to @commondescentpod.bsky.social and their excellent scicomm!
A Triceratops specimen photographed from above, with dramatic blue and orange spotlighting.
April 21, 2025 at 12:55 AM
dremmamuhlack.bsky.social
I'm in #Melbourne for the long weekend visiting family, enjoying the market and the colourful coffee lids.
A photograph of the top shelf of a coffee machine, stacked with takeaway lids in large piles of yellow, green, orange, red, and blue.
April 19, 2025 at 1:35 AM
dremmamuhlack.bsky.social
My honours student popped by my desk today to ask me some questions about his data collection and said, I quote, "you have such an #ADHD desk, I love it." #AcademicSky
A wide aspect photograph of a messy desk in an open plan office, with a wire rack system and a large metal shelf hanging off the cubicle dividers. Most surfaces of the desk are covered, with stationery and snacks in small containers and a small collection of books at the end of the shelf. There is an open leather satchel and a laptop connected to two monitors.
March 27, 2025 at 3:39 AM
dremmamuhlack.bsky.social
A little bit of extracurricular fun: I sang in a local Broadway open mic last weekend, and the fabulous Flynn Turley took these phenomenal shots of my performance.

I was also the house band bassist but nobody cares about the bassist 🤣
The author (a femme presenting person in their early forties) with closed eyes, singing into a microphone. The author (a femme presenting person in their early forties), singing into a microphone with an intense expression and a raised hand
March 14, 2025 at 10:33 AM
dremmamuhlack.bsky.social
We're in a community of practice meeting for the new public health degree (program) launching in 2026, and yet again we show that public health is full of lefties. This was the biggest lettering on our discussion notes! #AcademicSky #PublicHealth
The message "health is political", handwritten with markers on a piece of butchers paper
February 20, 2025 at 4:33 AM
dremmamuhlack.bsky.social
As David Rose once said...
A gif loop of David Rose from Schitt's creek saying "this is fucked" with a concerned expression on his face.
January 23, 2025 at 5:22 AM
dremmamuhlack.bsky.social
I've just started "Because Internet" by Gretchen McCulloch; a book about the internet and linguistics. I'm only one and a bit chapters in and it's GREAT!
January 6, 2025 at 12:56 AM