Dr Maria Rani Dasari
PhD, MSW, BSW
Course Coordinator
BIO
Dr Maria Rani is a Senior Lecturer and Course Coordinator for the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) at the Institute of Health and Management (IHM), with 30 years of teaching experience across Australia and India. She is also a mental health practitioner and supervises social work practitioners in the field.
She provides academic leadership across curriculum design, course delivery, and quality assurance for the BSW program. Her teaching spans core and common units including Mental Health Frameworks, Working with Children, Young People & Families, and Abuse & Exploitation across the Lifespan, Human Lifespan Development, Understanding Human Behaviour, Ethics and Law for Social Work Practices, Knowledge and Skills for Planning and Assessment in Social Work, and Foundational Interpersonal Skills for Social Work.
Her coordination role is informed by sustained clinical practice, including private practice work and experience supporting refugees, migrants, people living with HIV/AIDS, and transgender communities. Her PhD research examined the psychosocial challenges faced by sex workers in coastal Andhra Pradesh, India. She is committed to culturally responsive pedagogy, mentoring and supervising emerging social workers, and maintaining course standards aligned with professional and accreditation requirements.
Dr Rani’s research interests include the use of AI technologies among ageing populations, mental health among migrant populations, the wellbeing of international students, the mental health impact of migration, and health-seeking behaviours among international students.