My Expertise
My work focuses on intervening, through research and education, to integrate care in the community for groups who experience substantial health inequities.
People experience the disintegration of health services every day. Your general practitioner doesn't always coordinate with your medical specialists, or with hospitals, community services, or National Disability Insurance Scheme provides. People and their carers are often expected to bridge these gaps themselves with little support. I work on ways that services in the community can be more integrated so that people don't fall between the cracks - in particular people from culturally diverse backgrounds, people with a lived experience of disability, and carers.
I'm an international expert in health impact assessment, which is used to assess projects' or policies' health consequences before they're implemented. We often do this on major projects, housing developments, transport projects, or government policies.
Keywords
Fields of Research (FoR)
People with disability, Primary health care, Preventative health care, Health services and systems, Public health, Social determinants of health, Service designSEO tags
Biography
I am a health services researcher, impact assessor and evaluator with more than twenty years of experience. My doctoral research was on the use of equity-focused health impact assessment in health service planning. I have also worked as a consultant, in government, and as a social worker.
I'm passionate about empowering people to have an influence over their lives and the systems that affect them.
My Grants
Career research...view more
I am a health services researcher, impact assessor and evaluator with more than twenty years of experience. My doctoral research was on the use of equity-focused health impact assessment in health service planning. I have also worked as a consultant, in government, and as a social worker.
I'm passionate about empowering people to have an influence over their lives and the systems that affect them.
My Grants
Career research income
Category 1 Competitive peer-reviewed research funding programs $4.296 million
Category 2 Australian government funding $8.838 million
Category 3 International and industry funding $1.275 million
Total research funding $14.410 million
Grants in past five years
- Hwang, Y., Withall, A., Harris-Roxas, B., Butler, T., Snoyman, P., Hampton, S., Elmer, S., & Cheng, C. (2022). "Turning on the HEADLITes”: Towards the first health and digital literacy intervention for older Australians leaving prison (NSW Ageing Futures Institute 2022 Seed Funding Grant).
- Dadich, A., Harris-Roxas, B., Ní Shé, É., Ní Chroinin, D., Kohler, F., & Boydell, K. (2021). What constitutes a brilliant model of aged care? (Sydney Partnership for Health Education, Research and Enterprise (SPHERE) Age and Ageing Clinical Academic Group).
- Haigh, F., Harris-Roxas, B., & Kanti Mistry, S. (2021). A rapid literature review to identify equity issues in access and delivery of telehealth interventions (Sydney Local Health District)
- Harris, Mark, Aslani, P., Levesque, J.-F., Barr, M., Sharma, A., Harris-Roxas, B., Wright, M., & Osborne, R. (2021). Community Health workers Extending Care in the Community (CHECC) (NHMRC Partnership Project Grants 2021, GNT1196912).
- Harris, M., Liaw, W., Chin, M., Knight, A., Harris, C., Goodger, B., Vuong, K., Harris-Roxas, B., & Taggart, J. (2021). Improving the quality of long term cancer survivorship care for colorectal and breast cancers (Avant Foundation)
- Harris-Roxas, B., Woodland, L., Freeman, B., McKenzie, R., El Haddad, N., Chan, L., & Sitas, F. (2021). Shisha No Thanks Phase 3: Raising awareness of the harms of waterpipe smoking (Cancer Institute NSW).
- McDonald, A., Harris, M., Simpson, A., Bailie, A., Spooner, C., Anderson, K., Cunich, M., Parcsi, L., Harris-Roxas, B., Hutchings, O., & Moore, M. (2021). Enhancing integration with primary care of patients with severe mental illness using a web-based shared care plan and telehealth solution (NSW Health Translational Research Grants Scheme)
- O’Dea, B., Li, S., Whitton, A., & Harris-Roxas, B. (2022). While We Wait: Using digital technology to improve care for young people awaiting in-person mental health services (UNSW Medicine Neuroscience, Mental Health and Addiction Theme & SPHERE Clinical Academic Group (CAG).
- Trollor, J., Hrris, M., Kavanagh, A., Fisher, K., Long, J., Reppermund, S., Harris-Roxas, B., Spooner, C., & Sharma, A. (2021). Developing a model of Preventative Healthcare for People with Intellectual Disability (NHMRC 2020 Partnership Projects PRC2).
- El Haddad, N., & Harris-Roxas, B. (2020). Promoting healthy eating and physical activity in young people from Chinese backgrounds—Evaluation (Chinese Australian Social Services (CASS, subcontracted from Australian Government Department of Health)
- Gonski, P., Hilman, K., Saunders, C., & Harris-Roxas, B. (2020). Empowering older, frail people to make their own end of life choices (Sydney Partnership for Health Education, Research and Enterprise (SPHERE) Age and Ageing Clinical Academic Group).
- Harris, M, Taggart, J., Harris-Roxas, B., & Spooner, C. (2020). Integrated Clinical Pathways Project 4: Electronic shared care (Mindgardens Neuroscience Network).
- Harris, P., Harris-Roxas, B., Adams, J., Bevan, W., Frawley, J., Freeman, E., Haigh, F., Hua, M., Mazumdar, S., McIntyre, E., Morrison, N., Prior, J., & Pry, J. (2020). Urban Planning and Design for the COVID-19 era: A rapid review for policy and practice (Sydney Partnership for Health Education, Research and Enterprise (SPHERE) Healthy Urban Environments Clinical Academic Group).
- Harrison, R., Dobbins, T., & Harris-Roxas, B. (2020). Clinical Experience Instrument and Findings (NSW Ministry of Health).
- Harris-Roxas, B., Woodland, L., Freeman, B., McKenzie, R., El Haddad, N., Chan, L., & Karezi, D. (2020). Raising awareness of the harms of waterpipe smoking Phase 2—Evaluation Component (Cancer Institute NSW).
- Barr, M., Comino, E., Harris, E., Harris-Roxas, B., Donnelly, D., Jackson, T., Blunden, L.A., Goodger, B., & Harris, M. (2019). Central and Eastern Sydney Primary and Community Health Data Linkage Project (Partnership of South Eastern Sydney Local Health District, Sydney Local Health District and Central and Eastern Sydney Primary Health Network 2019-2021).
- Harris-Roxas, B., Woodland, L., Freeman, B., McKenzie, R., El Haddad, N., Chan, L., & Karezi, D. (2019). Raising awareness of the harms of waterpipe smoking—Evaluation Component (Cancer Institute NSW).
- Iqbal, M., Walpola, R., Harrison, R., Harris-Roxas, B., & Hall, J. (2019). Refugee Health Facilitator Program: Evaluating scope, scalability and outcomes (UNSW SPHCM Grant Building Support Scheme).
- Osborne, R., Harris, M., Kinsman, L., Batterham, R., Elmer, S., Spooner, C., Harris-Roxas, B., O’Callaghan, C., Li, X., Brown, G., & Thomas, N. (2019). Production, Delivery, and Evaluation of a Health Literacy Approach and Materials (Mental Health Commission of NSW).
- Sitas, F., Harris, M., Harris-Roxas, B., Haigh, F., Spooner, C., & Barr, M. (2019). A systematic literature review of the effectiveness of healthy lifestyle interventions to reduce alcohol consumption, increase physical activity and healthy eating and reduce overweight and obesity (Sax Institute).
- Harris-Roxas, B., Edwards, K., Woolfenden, S., Rimes, T., & Webster, A. (2018). Evaluation of the Rockdale Hub: An Early Childhood Collective Impact Initiative (South Eastern Sydney Local Health District).
- Harris-Roxas, B., Ingram, S., Croft Jagari, T., Webster, G., & Woodland, L. (2018). Aboriginal carers (South Eastern Sydney Local Health District).
- Harris-Roxas, B., Kearns, R., & Wood, T. (2017). Building primary care capacity to increase screening participation within local communities: Bowel, breast and cervical cancer screening project (Central and Eastern Sydney Primary Health Network).
- Harris-Roxas, B., Woodland, L., Lloyd, J., Harris, M., & Corcoran, J. (2018). Research on machine translation in health care (NSW Ministry of Health and South Eastern Sydney Local Health District).
- Spooner, C., O’Shea, P., Taggart, J., Harris-Roxas, B., Bolton, P., Fisher, K., & Harris, M. (2018). Pathways to Preventive care for People with Severe Mental Illness (UNSW Disability Innovation Institute).
My Qualifications
PhD (Public Health, UNSW) The impact and effectiveness of health equity impact assessment on health service planning
Master of Policy and Applied Social Research (Macquarie)
Bachelor of Social Work (UNSW)
Associate Diploma in Social Science (Community Welfare, SIT)
My Awards
- Honourable Mention, 2021 Scientia Education Academy Exemplary Teaching Award
- NSW Premier’s Multicultural Communications Awards CommBank Business Campaign of the Year for Shisha No Thanks, 2020 (with SESLHD Priority Populations Unit, the NSW Multicultural Communication Service, the Lebanese Muslim Association, the University of Sydney, and colleagues at the South Eastern Sydney Research Collaboration Hub)
- South Eastern Sydney Local Health District Health Awards (Keeping People Health Category) for Shisha No Thanks, 2020 (with SESLHD Priority Populations Unit, the NSW Multicultural Communication Service, the Lebanese Muslim Association, the University of Sydney, and colleagues at the South Eastern Sydney Research Collaboration Hub)
- International Association for Impact Assessment, Institutional Award, 2010 – NSW HIA Project (with colleagues at the UNSW Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity)
- Australian Health Promotion Association Ray James Memorial Award for excellence in health promotion research published in the Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 2010 (with Marilyn Wise, Patrick Harris, and Elizabeth Harris)
- NHMRC Postgraduate Scholarship [GNT0510411]
My Research Activities
My research activities have focused on primary health care, health service planning, integrated care,health equity, health promotion and health impact assessment. Some examples of research I have led and its impact are listed below.
Shisha No Thanks
I led a group of researchers looking at attitudes and beliefs about waterpipe (shisha) use in Arabic-speaking communities. This research led to a Cancer Institute NSW-funded project on raising awareness of the harms of waterpipe use (2018-2020). This resulted in community partners and four Health Districts developing the “Shisha No Thanks” project. I led the evaluation of the project, which found a significantly higher proportion of Arabic-speaking young people reporting that they were aware of the harms of shisha smoking (pre: 45%, post: 68%, p=0.003). This research helped secure an extension of funding to focus on health care worker capacity and service responses (2020-2021). This research has also supported the collaboration with the NSW Ministry of Health and Cancer Institute NSW to embed shisha smoking into broader tobacco control policies and practices. The project won the 2020 South Eastern Sydney Local Health District Healthcare Award in the Keeping People Healthy category and the 2020 Business Campaign of the Year award in the NSW Premier's Multicultural Communications Awards.
Typology of health impact assessment
Health impact assessment’s (HIA) use has been called for by agencies including WHO and the World Bank. Early in the development of the field of HIA, there was debate about the extent to which methods for appraising health risks, quantification models, lived experience, and citizen science should inform assessments. There was also debate about the role government should play in commissioning and undertaking HIAs. In response to this colleagues at UNSW and I developed a typology that sets out different forms of HIA, based on an empirical study of the forms of HIA conducted internationally. The typology enabled a more informed debate about the position and role of HIA in government, and more clearly differentiates the roles of commissioning agencies, assessors, and approval agencies. The typology been cited more than 145 times and has been cited or reproduced in the national policy and health impact assessment guidance developed in the Republic of Korea, Thailand, and Bhutan. I've delivered plenary addresses on the typology at conferences in Dunedin, Seoul, Quebec City, Kobe, and Paris.
Influencing policy on the use of translation apps in NSW
Colleagues at UNSW, five NSW Local Health Districts and I undertook a survey on the use of translation and apps and websites. The survey of more than 1,500 staff found that a third had used a translation app or website in a clinical encounter, and of those, it was clinicians who initiated use in 66% of cases. These findings informed an update of the NSW Health Policy Directive on Interpreters in December 2017 to clarify that the use of machine translation is not allowed.
Conceptual framework for the impact and effectiveness of health impact assessment
Colleagues at UNSW and I developed and piloted a framework for evaluating whether HIAs have an impact on decision-making and implementation, which was the first of its kind. This conceptual framework was further refined through my PhD research and informed the development of a successful ARC Discovery Project. This project tested and refined the conceptual framework, and was one of the largest studies internationally to investigate the difference that HIAs make to decision-making and implementation. The framework has been used in evaluations in New Zealand and informed a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded review of HIA in the U.S.A. in 2013. I was an invited participant at a Pew Charitable Trusts HIA evaluation workshop in Washington DC in 2016.
My Research Supervision
Supervision keywords
Areas of supervision
Topics
I welcome students in the areas of:
- lived experience workforce
- health impact assessment within health service planning
- integrated care
- culture and health.
My approach to supervision
I'm passionate about providing high-quality, collegial supervision to higher degree research candidates as they further their careers as researchers and practitioners. My approach is based on regular two-way communication, supporting candidates to set and develop their own research direction, and developing candidates' networks and supporting further opportunities. I would welcome candidates who bring insights and enthusiasm to their research based on their prior employment and/or lived experience.
Currently supervising
- Lilley, David - Housing policy and planning in Sydney (Scientia PhD)
- Kim, Jinhee - Health equity in South Western Sydney (Scientia PhD)
- McCrindle-Fuchs, Jenni - Air pollution, climate change and human health in Sydney (PhD)
- McGlynn, Anna - Spread and scale of integrated care initiatives (DrPH Future Health Leaders)
- Mirkovic, Nada - Supporting Integrated Rare Disease Care (PhD)
- Morrell, Anna - Australia's rural and remote health workforce (DrPH Future Health Leaders)
- Patterson, Karen - What matters to the person in integrated care health services (PhD, UTS)
- Wilson, Hester - Collaborative care between public specialist alcohol and other drug services and general practice (PhD)
My Engagement
Recent media
I'm a regular media commentator - list of recent media appearances.
Leadership roles
- 2022 – present Lead, Academic Engagement, School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney
- 2021 – present Lead - Map, review and strengthen partnerships working group, Health25 Strategy Implementation, UNSW Faculty of Medicine & Health
- 2017 – 2021 Co-Convenor - Health System Integration and Primary Health Care Development Stream, UNSW Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity
- 2015 – 2017 Convenor - Global Working Group on Health Impact Assessment, International Union for Health Promotion and Education
- 2011 – 2015 Co-Convenor - Health Section, International Association for Impact Assessment
Editorial roles
- 2019 – present Editorial Board Member, BMJ Integrated Healthcare Journal
- 2016 – present Editorial Board Member, Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal
- 2010 – present Editorial Board Member, Environmental Impact Assessment Review
- 2019 – 2022 Associate Editor, Australian Journal of Primary Health
- 2019 – 2020 Review Editor (Public Health Policy), Frontiers in Public Health
- 2010 – 2016 Associate Editor, BMC Public Health
Other current roles
- 2022 - present Adjunct Associate Professor, Centre for Health Services Management, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney
- 2021 – present Associate, UNSW Disability Innovation Institute
- 2021 – present Associate Investigator, UNSW Ageing Futures Institute
- 2021 – present Affiliate, Sydney Institute for Women, Children and their Families, Sydney Local Health District
- 2021 – present Member, EquityFest Advisory Committee, Sydney Local Health District
- 2021 – present Member, Person-Centred Care (PCC) Consumer-Led Research Initiative, Musculoskeletal Health Clinical Academic Group, SPHERE
- 2021 - present, Advisor, Growing and Sustaining Global Collaborations Project, Health Research Exchange (HREx), Universitas21
- 2021 – present Accreditation working group member, People's Praxis international public health capacity building initiative
- 2019 – present Member, Carers Strategy Implementation Group, South Eastern Sydney Local Health District
- 2019 – present Member, Advocacy Committee, Australasian Association for Academic Primary Care
- 2019 – present Member, Age and Ageing Clinical Academic Group, SPHERE
- 2019 – present Member, Strategic Carers Action Network, Carers NSW
- 2019 – present Member, Education Committee, UNSW School of Population Health
- 2019 – present Member, UNSW Digital Grid Futures Institute
- 2018 – present Member, Healthy Urban Environments Clinical Academic Group, SPHERE
- 2017 – present Member, Research Committee, Uniting War Memorial Hospital
- 2017 – present Member, Directors Executive, UNSW Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity
- 2011 – present Member, Global Working Group on Health Impact Assessment, International Union for Health Promotion and Education
Memberships
My Teaching
My teaching interests are focused on primary health care, ways of supporting people who experience chronic conditions, and equitable health outcomes.
I convene PHCM9391 Strategy, Policy and Change and PHCM9615 Principles and Practice of Primary Health Care within the School of Population Health's Masters programs. I also contribute to PHCM9129 Prevention and Management of Chronic Disease, PHCM9612 Environmental Health, PHCM9626 Inequalities and Health, and PHCM9628 Health Impact Assessment.
I design activities and assessments that give students choice and control about the focus of their learning, and which allow them to draw on their prior learning and experiences. I'm committed to continuous improvement, and actively seek out students' ideas and suggestions for how courses can be enhanced.
Location
Contact
Publications
ORCID as entered in ROS
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1716-2009
Related Links
health(based)
My weekly newsletter on population health and health services news.
Shisha No Thanks
Our formative research led to a project to raise awareness about the harms of waterpipe use, which had a significant impact on awareness amongst Arabic-speaking young adults
Health Impact Assessment: A Practical Guide
This practical guide for health impact assessment was developed in 2007 and remains influential - in 2020 it was identified as still being the fifth most-used internationally
Investigating the use of translation apps in health care settings
We undertook a survey of more than 1,500 NSW Health staff about the use of translation apps and websites. We found that more than a third had used apps in clinical encounters, and in most cases it was clinicians who were initiating use.
Carers and Technology Research Project
Throughout their caring journey, people need information about services and how to get support. This research project was undertaken to inform the South Eastern Sydney Carers Program's activities to support carers.
Central and Eastern Sydney Primary and Community Health Cohort
This cohort includes ten longitudinal datasets linked together by the Sax Institute and the Centre for Health Record Linkage based on the 45 and Up Study cohort. It includes 30,645 participants resident from across the Central and Eastern Sydney area.
Enhancing and supporting the COVID-19 vaccination program focusing on Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Communities
Our team of Holly Seale, Anita Heywood, Lisa Woodland, Abela Mahimbo, Ikram Abdi and I undertook interviews with community leaders and service providers about how to enhance the COVID-19 vaccine program for CALD communities
International Best Practice Principles for Health Impact Assessment
This influential guide has been updated for the first time in fifteen years to reflect current practice
Self-care for health: A national policy blueprint
Rachael Kearns, Tyler Nichols and I wrote the chapter on measuring and evaluating self care in this blueprint that more than 50 experts endorsed
Increasing participation of people from CALD backgrounds in research
Report of a co-design workshop that was jointly organised by the Multicultural Health Communication Service, CONCERT, and I, with funding from SPHERE.
Harris-Roxas Health
My personal website includes my publications, blog posts, and links to resourcesVideos
