Associate Professor Fiona Anne Haigh

Keywords

equity

health impact assessment

health and human rights

social determinants of health

climate change

health systems

Fields of Research (FoR)

Social determinants of health, Public health, Health services and systems, Human rights and justice issues (excl. law)

SEO tags

Health Inequalities

Health Policy Evaluation

Specific Population Health (excl. Indigenous Health)

Health Inequalities

Biography

Associate Professor Fiona Haigh is an internationally recognised expert in Health Impact Assessment (HIA) and health equity. Her research focuses on integrating health and equity considerations into decision-making processes across policy, planning, and governance systems. Drawing on a multidisciplinary background in law, social science, and public health, Fiona develops practical approaches that embed health equity into institutional...view more

Fiona is Director of the Health Equity Research Development Unit (HERDU), a partnership between UNSW Sydney and Sydney Local Health District. She leads a multidisciplinary team that works with government agencies, NGOs, and communities to design evidence-informed strategies for reducing health inequities. Her work combines methodological innovation with applied research, ensuring that findings translate into tools and frameworks used in real-world settings.

Over more than two decades, Fiona has collaborated in developing and implementing five major HIA methodologies that bridge theory and practice. These include the European Commission-funded Policy HIA (EPHIA), now adopted by EU member states and cited in WHO guidance; the Urban HIA screening tool (EURO URHIS 2); Human Rights HIA; the Climate Vulnerability HIA Framework; and the NSW Active Transport Health Model. She has developed equity frameworks and assessment tools for Local Health Districts and NSW Health, with statewide implementation planned for 2026.

Her research delivers system-level change locally and internationally through cross-sectoral and multidisciplinary approaches. Examples include establishing new workforce roles jointly embedded in health and local government, co-authoring a national Co-Governance guide, and informing collaborative governance models. Fiona has delivered over 40 HIAs directly influencing policy decisions and built HIA capacity in more than 35 countries through training, technical assistance, and collaborative research. Her COVID-19 equity-focused HIA informed Sydney Local Health District’s pandemic response, received an Innovation Award, and was cited in the Federal COVID-19 Response Inquiry.

Fiona co-leads the International Union for Health Promotion and Education’s Global Working Group on HIA and has provided technical support to WHO regional offices.

Research Interests:
Research interests include Health Impact Assessment, Equity focused health impact assessment, health equity, health and human rights and transdisciplinary research and education.

Broad Research Areas:
Health Policy, Population Health, Global Health

Specific Research Keywords:
Health Impact Assessment, Health and Human Rights, Health Inequalities, Health equity, Social Determinants of Health, Public Health

My Grants

Research Grants (2015–Present)

Over $3M in major grants since 2015

Waterloo Community Led Health Impact Assessment (2025, City of Sydney)
Health Equity in Health Impact Assessment (2025, Public Health Wales)
Mapping Health in Local Development Plans (2024, Public Health Wales)
Health in Local Development Plans in Wales (2024, Public Health Wales)
Eating in the City (2024, UNSW Cities Institute)
Active Transport Model Phase 2 (2023, NSW Health)
Health Impact Assessments – current state of play and future direction (2023, The Health Foundation England).
Would adopting more co-governance arrangements with communities build public trust? (2022–2024, ANZSOG)
Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity Prevention Research Support Program (2022–2026, NSW Health)
Health Equity Research and Development Unit MOU (2021–2026, Sydney Local Health District)
Centre of Research Excellence for Integrated Community Care of People with Complex Multi-morbidities (2021–2026, NHMRC)
A rapid literature review to identify equity issues in access and delivery of telehealth interventions (2020, Sydney Local Health District)
Evaluating rehabilitation needs among people experiencing homelessness with traumatic brain injury (2020, St Vincent’s Clinic Foundation)
Climate Change Health and Vulnerability Assessment (2019, SPHERE)
Client Experience Measures: Evidence Check Review and Question Bank (2019, Sax Institute)
Effectiveness of Healthy Lifestyle Programs (2019, Sax Institute)
Methods to assess the health impacts of transnational corporations (2019, Flinders Foundation)
Institutionalising a Whole-of-Government Approach to Chronic Disease Prevention (2019, Australian Prevention Partnership Centre)
Identify a Preferred Method to Cost Health Benefits of Active Transport (2019, NSW Health)
LDAT Community Plan – Alcohol and Other Drug Use in Liverpool LGA (2019, Australian Government & ADF)
2168 Community Survey (2019, Department of Communities and Justice & SWSLHD)
Evaluation of Housing Relocation Referral Pathway (2019, SWSLHD)
Health, Wellbeing and Sustainable Tenancies for Bedsit Clients (2019, Department of Communities and Justice & SWSLHD)
Desktop HIA – Seniors Living (2019, Department of Communities and Justice)
Co-design Capacity Building Workshops (2019, Liverpool City Council)
HIA Capacity Building (2019, NBMLHD)
Mental Wellbeing Impact Assessment Training and Support (2019, SWSLHD)
HIA Learning by Doing Training – Working with Councils (2018, SWSLHD)
Health in Planning – Wollondilly Council (2018, SWSLHD)
Health Impact Assessment on Removal of Electronic Gaming Machines (2018, University of Washington)
Housing & Health Partnership – Evaluation of Housing Relocation Services (2018, SWSLHD)
Develop Project Protocol for Housing for Health Pilot (2018, SWSLHD)
Peer Review Services for Environmental and Sustainability Tasks (2018, Jacobs UK)
Opportunities for Health: Reviewing Local Council Community Strategic Plans (2018, SWSLHD)
Develop a Local Drug Action Team (LDAT) in Liverpool (2018, Australian Government & ADF)
Literature Review on Gender-Sensitive and Equity Focused Service Delivery Models (2018, WPRO)
NHMRC Partnership Application Development Support (2018, UNSW)
VicHealth HIA Learning by Doing (2017, VicHealth)
Mid North Coast LHD HIA Learning by Doing (2017, MNCLHD)
Developing a Health Assessment Framework for Wollondilly Shire Council (2017, SWSLHD)
Equity Focused HIA Capacity Building for SESLHD (2017, SESLHD)
Improving Health and Wellbeing of LGBT Communities (2016, SESLHD)
Wollondilly Health in Planning (2016, SWSLHD)
Health Justice Partnership Evaluation Framework (2015, Health Justice Partnership)
Health Impact Assessment Learning by Doing (2015, SWSLHD)
Human Rights, Health Policy-Making and Programming Case Study (2015, WHO)
Western Sydney Airport Draft Environmental Statement Peer Review (2015, WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff)

My Qualifications

PhD University of New South Wales (2017) From advocacy to action: Utilising Health Impact Assessment as a tool to realise the right to health.

Masters in Public Health University of Bielefeld, Germany (2004)

Certificate of Law Examinations Admission as barrister and solicitor of the High Court in New Zealand (1998)

Bachelor of Social Sciences University of Waikato, New Zealand (1998)

Bachelor of Laws University of Waikato, New Zealand (1998)

My Awards

2025 The Waterloo Peer Educator Program ‘Excellence in Community Service Delivery” award, fourth annual CESPHN Primary Health Award

2023 American Journal of Preventive Medicine Focus 2023 Article of the Year for Inclusivity in Outcomes (co-authored paper)

2023 Equity-focused health impact assessment of the COVID-19 pandemic in Sydney Local Health District, Highly Commended Award at Sydney Local Health District Innovation and Excellence Awards

2023 Health and Wellbeing Social Housing Peer Education Program, Highly Commended Award at Sydney Local Health District Innovation and Excellence Awards

2013 – 2016 National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMC) Postgraduate Scholarship

2015 3rd National Health Impact Assessment Meeting, Washington D.C. April 2015, Travel Scholarship

2000-2002 Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (German Academic Exchange Service)
scholarship for post graduate study and training in Germany

1995 Health Waikato Student Scholarship

1994 Dean Palmer Trust Fund Scholarship

My Research Activities

Current Research Projects

Equity frameworks, tools, and resources
Equity Focussed Health Impact Assessment of COVID-19 Pandemic and Response
Climate change health and vulnerability impact assessment framework–Scoping Study
Co-Governance and Intersectoral Collaboration
Institutionalising a whole-of government approach to chronic disease prevention
Identifying a preferred method to cost the health benefits of active transport

My Research Supervision

Supervision keywords

health and human rights

health equity

health impact assessment

Areas of supervision

Health Impact Assessment, health equity, health and human rights, critical realist research approaches

Currently supervising

An Tran - Understanding the loneliness experience amongst refugee mothers settled in regional Australia.

Fouzia Khanam - Facilitators and barriers to implementation of patient navigation interventions in Australian health system.

Amber Murphy - Virtual and human service navigation and its impact on systems and communities

My Engagement

Co-chair Global Working Group on Health Impact Assessment, International Union for Health Promotion and Education

Associate Australian Human Rights Institute

Member Australian Human Rights Institute Research Committee

Reviewer for Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, Environmental Impact Assessment Review, Health Policy, Pan American Journal of Public Health, Health Promotion International, Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, Global Health Promotion, Chronicles of HIA, MJA

Peer reviewer for Health Impact Assessments internationally

Invited keynote addresses at conferences in Austria, Korea and New Zealand

Technical support for Pan American Health Organisation and World Health Organisation South East Asian Regional Office

Steering Committee of Society of Practitioners of Health Impact Assessment

Member Housing and Health Partnership (Population Health, South Western Sydney Local Health District, NSW Health) Greater Western Sydney Area, Department of Family and Community Services, Housing NSW Land and Housing Corporation, Department of Finance and Services)

Member SWSLHD Population Health Executive

Member SWSLHD Population Health Healthy Built Environment Strategic Coordinating Group

Member of Wollondilly Health Alliance Health in Planning Working Group

Member of Western Sydney Health Alliance Liveability and Connections Working Group

Board member Ngroo Education 2017-2018

My Teaching

I contribute to PHCM9626 Inequalities and Health (previously course coordinator), PHCM9628 Health Impact Assessment (previously course coordinator) and Foundations of Public Health

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