Researcher

Keywords

Fields of Research (FoR)

Sociology, Health services and systems, Sociology of health, Sexualities

Biography

I specialise in social research in the field of HIV prevention and sexual health. I am a qualitative health researcher and sociologist and have worked at the Centre for Social Research in Health (CSRH) since 2018, where I completed my PhD (2018-2022). I am currently employed as a postdoctoral researcher at CSRH. In this role I work as a project coordinator within the NSW PRISM project to investigate HIV stigma amongst gay and bisexual men, and...view more

I specialise in social research in the field of HIV prevention and sexual health. I am a qualitative health researcher and sociologist and have worked at the Centre for Social Research in Health (CSRH) since 2018, where I completed my PhD (2018-2022). I am currently employed as a postdoctoral researcher at CSRH. In this role I work as a project coordinator within the NSW PRISM project to investigate HIV stigma amongst gay and bisexual men, and on an NHMRC-funded project exploring how to improve the GBQ+ Community Periodic Survey and the health care needs of straight MSM and bi+ men. In addition to working at CSRH, I am an Adjunct Research Fellow in the Curtin School of Population Health, and an associate of the Australian Human Rights Institute (UNSW).

My program of research is primarily focused on how communities and health professionals engage with HIV prevention, care, and surveillance. My research aims to better shape health policy, care, and service delivery that recognises, affirms, and supports individuals and communities to live well. I particularly focus on LGBTQ+ populations, especially gay and bisexual men, along with community-based organisations and professionals serving these populations. Beyond a focus on HIV, sexual health, and LGBTQ+ communities, I am interested in the sociology of health and illness, pharmaceutical studies, critical public health, data justice, science & technology studies, and the sociology of gender and sexuality.

I am currently involved in the following projects:

Community of Practice for Inclusive Research with Queer, Trans & people with variations of sex characteristics (Intersex) - Academic co-lead.

LGBTQ+ Health Data Project - Assistance with project coordination, led by Prof Christy E. Newman

- Edited Collection with Palgrave Macmillan (forthcoming 2025): Timescapes of Health, Illness and Care - Negotiating Contested Temporalities (with Dr Katherine Kenny and Dr Mia Harrison)

- The HIV PRISM Partnership (The HIV Prevention Research Implementation Science Monitoring Partnership) - Project coordinator of Stigma Qualitative Study, led by Scientia Prof. Carla Treloar

GBQ+ Community Periodic Survey NHMRC Partnership Project - Project coordinator of qualitative arm, led by Prof Martin Holt and Prof Christy E. Newman

Evidencing and Implementing Interventions in a Viral Elimination Era - Project coordinator of PrEP case study

Tracking our communities' responses to monkeypox (MPX) outbreak (TraX Study) - Associate Investigator

 

My past research projects include:

Responding to monkeypox virus among gay and bisexual men in Australia (RE:MPXV), Principal investigator of qualitative study

Sex and Gender Health Policies in Health and Medical Research, Advisory group member

- Matters of Time in Health & Illness' special issue of Health Sociology Review (Guest co-editor)

PrEP in Practice: clinician perspectives on prescribing PrEP in Australia, PhD dissertation project

Trust in Digital Health, Research assistant

'Waiting to be seen: social perspectives on trans health' special issue of Health Sociology Review (Guest co-editor)

my health, our family: documenting stories of family life in the context of HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C, Research assistant

- Enhancing Tasmanian Health Professionals’ Capacity for LGBTI-Inclusive Care (University of Tasmania), Research assistant

Understanding disparities in PrEP Access, Research assistant


My Grants

Co-investigator - $700k Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) - Developing an Inclusive Mental Healthcare Model of Care for LGBTQ people in South Australia.

Principal Investigator - $75k Triple I Clinical Academic Group Seed Grant Funding (UNSW Medicine & Health) - Responding to monkeypox virus (RE:MPXV): a qualitative study of community and professional experiences


My Qualifications

PhD, UNSW Sydney
GradCert Human Rights (with distinction), Curtin University.
BA (Hons) English & Creative Writing, Murdoch University.
BA Philosophy and BA Theatre & Drama, Murdoch University.


My Awards

UNSW Scientia PhD Scholarship (2018-2022)
ASHM Early Career Award (2020)
ADA HDR Research Output Award (2020-2022)


My Research Supervision


Areas of supervision

  • Social research in HIV/sexual health
  • Sociology of health & illness, gender, and/or sexuality
  • Sexuality and gender diversity
  • Qualitative health research

Currently supervising

Currently supervising:

  • Shannon Harvey: Disrupted bodies: Interrogating the gender binary in family violence policy and practice

  • Clue Coman: Experiences of Discrimination and Engagement with Anti-discrimination mechanisms among LGBTQA+ people in Australia


My Engagement

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Videos

Seminar presented on the 30th May 2023 at the Kirby Institute Seminar Series.


Establishing effective routines of taking medication requires ongoing effort amidst the variabilities of everyday life. Drawing on 40 qualitative interviews with Australian PrEP users (who used a variety of dosing strategies, including daily and on-demand), we conceptualise PrEP dosing as a domestic practice, involving routines, planning, and experimentation. This presentation offers insights into how people can be better supported to use PrEP.
Seminar summarising findings from the 'my health, our family' project presented by Anthony K J Smith, Christy Newman, and Kerryn Drysdale on 20 July 2022 at the virtual Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society (ARCSHS) seminar series.
Presentation given at 2020 Joint Australasian HIV&AIDS and Sexual Health Conferences: Virtual, exploring how Australian clinicians approach prescribing HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV-negative people in the context of serodiscordant relationships. Anthony was awarded an ASHM Early Career Award (Social, Political & Cultural Aspects Theme) for this presentation.
Seminar about PrEP access, problematising evidence and equity presented by Christy Newman, Martin Holt and Anthony K J Smith on 4 December 2019 at the Centre for Social Research in Health, UNSW Sydney.

Seminar Details: https://www.arts.unsw.edu.au/centre-social-research-health/events/seminar-christy-newman-martin-holt-anthony-k-j-smith
Making PrEP work: understanding drug adherence as a domestic practice
Family is complicated: What does this mean for supporting families and people living with HIV, hepatitis C, or hepatitis B?
Prescribing PrEP for ‘peace of mind’ in the context of serodiscordant relationships
Beyond PrEParing: equitable access, problematising evidence, and mainstreaming the implementation of PrEP in Australia