Dr Ben Harris-Roxas | UNSW Research

My Expertise

Associate Professor Ben Harris-Roxas is a public health researcher and educator with over 20 years of experience. His work improves access to healthcare for diverse communities by (1) strengthening health organisations through multicultural engagement; (2) enhancing integrated care for marginalised groups; and (3) developing innovative health impact assessment methods.

Keywords

health impact assessment

social determinants of health

carers

cultural diversity

impact assessment

Fields of Research (FoR)

Primary health care, Health services and systems, Public health, Social determinants of health, Service design

SEO tags

Health Inequalities

Public Health (excl. Specific Population Health)

Health and Support Services

Evaluation of Health Outcomes

Carer Health

Specific Population Health (excl. Indigenous Health) not elsewhere classified

Biography

Associate Professor Harris-Roxas is a combined track health services researcher and educator with over twenty years of experience. He is an internationally recognised expert on strengthening health services, integrated care and health impact assessment. His research focuses on meeting the health needs of people from culturally diverse backgrounds, people with disabilities, and carers.

Ben joined the UNSW School of Population Health in 2021. He...view more

Ben joined the UNSW School of Population Health in 2021. He has been an investigator on research projects worth over 16 million dollars, and published more than 80 articles and book chapters. He convenes courses that attract over 400 postgraduate students each year. Ben is Director of Dual Degree Programs in the School of Population Health, which bring together the internationally recognised programs in Public Health, Health Leadership and Management, Global Health, and Infectious Disease Intelligence.

Ben has worked for universities, government and as a consultant. He trained in social work and social research, and received his PhD from UNSW Sydney on the use of equity focused health impact assessment in health service planning. Ben was previously Director of a joint evaluation and research collaboration between the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District and UNSW Sydney.

In the past Ben was chair of the International Union for Health Promotion and Education's Global Working Group on health impact assessment, and chair of the International Association for Impact Assessment’s Global Health Section. He has consulted for the World Health Organization on health impact assessment and intersectoral action for health.

Assoc Prof Harris-Roxas currently supervises PhD, Doctor of Public Health, and Master of Philosophy students.

My Grants

Career research income
Total funding $16.947 million
Category 1 Competitive peer-reviewed research funding programs $5.788 million
Category 2 Australian government funding $9.073 million
Category 3 International and industry funding $2.085 million

Grants in past five years

Vidic, N., Harris-Roxas, B. (2024-2025). Supporting general practice to implement integrated rare disease care delivery in Australia, Healthy North Coast Primary Health Network.
Barr, M., Kidd, M., Harris, M., Harris-Roxas, B., Rhee, J., Sharma, A., Sitas, F., El Haddad, N., Kearns, R., van Kemenade, C., Sunjaya, A., Burns, M., & Marshall, K. (2023). Review of general practice incentives: International evidence and literature review (Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care).
Dawes, P., Scarinci, N., Newall, J., Ching, T., Armitage, C., Waite, C., Orlando, M., & Harris-Roxas, B. (2023). Improving access to the hearing services program for people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (NHMRC 2021 Hearing Health Evidence Based Support Services).
Ford, J., Vohra, S., Purdy, J., Walton, H., Ekermawi, R., O’Mullane, M., Birley, M., Douglas, M., Stevenson, A., Haigh, F., Harris-Roxas, B., Green, L., Black, D., Cave, B., Holroyd, I., & Lynch, H. (2023). Health Impact Assessments – current state of play and future direction [Grant FR-0004051] (The Health Foundation England).
O’Mullane, M., Smith, K., Archibong, U., McHugh, S., Mullally, G., Purdy, J., Pursell, L., Harris-Roxas, B., Kelly, I., Kavanagh, P., Daly, H., O’Mahony, T., Green, L., Ward, J., Burke, S., Connolly, B., & Cave, B. (2023). Development of a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) Implementation Model: Enhancing Intersectoral Approaches in Tackling Health Inequalities (Irish Health Research Board).
Seale, H., Harris-Roxas, B., Goddard, C., Smith, M., Heinrichs, D., Bromhead, H., Macnamara, J., & Blazek, K. (2023). Community driven communication and engagement during health crisis periods: Co-designing enhanced and transferable strategies (NHMRC 2022 Ideas Grants).
Harris, M., Barr, M., Harris-Roxas, B., Spooner, C., Li, X., & El Haddad, N. (2022). Joint regional planning and governance: A systematic scoping review of relevant black and grey literature (Central and Eastern Sydney Primary Health Network on behalf of NSW PHNs)
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 (UNSW Ageing Futures Institute 2022 Seed Funding Grant).
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).
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. (2020). Raising awareness of the harms of waterpipe smoking Phase 2—Evaluation Component (Cancer Institute NSW).

My Qualifications

PhD (Public Health, UNSW)
Master of Policy and Applied Social Research (Macquarie)
Bachelor of Social Work (UNSW)

My Awards

UNSW Alan Hodgkinson Award for Teaching Excellence 2024
UNSW School of Population Health Higher Degree Research Supervisor Award 2022
UNSW Faculty of Medicine & Health Research Community Engagement Team Award 2022 for Shisha No Thanks
Honourable Mention, 2021 Scientia Education Academy Exemplary Teaching Award
NSW Premier’s Multicultural Communications Awards Campaign of the Year for Shisha No Thanks, 2020
South Eastern Sydney Local Health District Health Awards (Keeping People Health Category) for Shisha No Thanks, 2020
International Association for Impact Assessment, Institutional Award for NSW HIA Project, 2010
Australian Health Promotion Association Ray James Memorial Award for excellence in health promotion research published in the Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 2010

My Research Activities

De Harris-Roxas' research activities have focused on primary health care, integrated care, and health impact assessment. His current projects include:

Some examples of research Ben has led and its impact are described below.

Shisha No Thanks
Dr Harris_Roxas 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, starting in 2018 and ongoing). This resulted in Ben working community partners and four Health Districts to develop the “Shisha No Thanks” project. As a result of this project a significantly higher proportion of Arabic-speaking young people reported they were aware of the harms of shisha smoking (pre: 45%, post: 68%, p=0.003). This research helped secure an extension of funding, and the project is still ongoing. This research also led to the NSW Ministry of Health and Cancer Institute NSW embedding shisha smoking into broader tobacco control policies and practices. The Shisha No Thanks 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. The UNSW Faculty of Medicine & Health awarded the project the Research Community Engagement Team Award in 2022.

Typology of health impact assessment
Health impact assessment’s (HIA) use has been called for by many international 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 Dr Harris-Roxas developed a typology that sets out different forms of HIA, based on an empirical study of the forms of HIA conducted internationally. The typology has been cited more than 150 times and has been used in the national policy and health impact assessment guidance developed in the Republic of Korea, Thailand, and Bhutan. Ben has 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
Dr Harris-Roxas and colleagues at UNSW, five NSW Local Health Districts undertook a survey on the use of translation and apps and websites in hospitals and health care settings. 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 led to an update of the NSW Health Policy Directive on Interpreters in to clarify that the use of machine translation is not allowed, and also led to the development of alternatives including the CALD Assist app.

framework for the impact and effectiveness of health impact assessment
Dr Harris-Roxas and colleagues at UNSW developed and piloted a framework for evaluating whether health impact assessments lead to changes to decisions and implementation, which was the first of its kind in the world. This conceptual framework formed the conceptual backbone of a successful ARC Discovery Project. This project remains one of the largest studies that has been conducted internationally on the difference that health impact assessments make to decision-making and implementation. The framework has guided government evaluations in New Zealand and informed a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded review of health impact assessments in the U.S.A. in 2013. Ben was an invited expert for a Pew Charitable Trusts project that evaluated the impact of health impact assessments they had funded in the U.S.A.

My Research Supervision

Supervision keywords

health inequalities

health impact assessment

Areas of supervision

Topics
I welcome students in the areas of:

Strengthening health organisations especially through multicultural community engagement
Integrated care through coordination and support for marginalised groups
Health impact assessment.

*Higher degree by research completions*
	Completions	Role
Doctor of Philosophy (Phd)	3	1 as Primary, 2 as Co-supervisor
Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)	1	1 as Primary
Medicine Honours (Hons)	2	1 as Primary, 1 as Co-supervisor

Currently supervising

My approach to supervision
I provide 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. The current HDR candiudates that I supervise are emerging leaders in their fields:

Abdi, Fatemah - Falls prevention in the elderly Middle Eastern community (MPhil)
Ali, Rula - The impact of early and longitudinal placement in clinical general practice on UNSW undergraduate medical students’ career choice and perception of general practice (PhD)
Choudhry, Uzma - Food insecurity: cross-sectional analysis and health promotion needs (MPhil)
Fujimoto, Hiroko - Social determinants interventions for mental health equity (PhD)
Dove, Georgina - Implementation of effective public-private partnerships for primary health care (DrPH Future Health Leaders)
Green, Jenny - Addressing education gaps amongst healthcare providers regarding long-term health risk after hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (PhD, UTS)
Khan, Rabia - Understanding the role of social norms and trust on compliance with public health guidance (PhD)
McCue, Peter - Engaging political actors to increase population levels of physical activity (PhD)
McGlynn, Anna - Spread and scale of integrated care initiatives (DrPH Future Health Leaders)
Nguyen, Paul - Feasibility of Using Retrieval-Augmented Generation to Address Language Barriers in Managing Patients with Abdominal Pain in the Emergency Departments (PhD)
Mirkovic, Nada - Supporting Integrated Rare Disease Care (PhD)
Wilson, Hester - Collaborative care between public specialist alcohol and other drug services and general practice (PhD)

My Engagement

Leadership

2023 – present Director, Dual Degree Programs, School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney
2023 – present Research Co-Lead, UNSW Academic General Practice Network
2020 – 2024 Stream Convenor, Master of Public Health in Primary Health Care, UNSW Sydney
2023 – 2023 Deputy Director, Master of Public Health Program, UNSW Sydney
2022 – 2023 Lead, Academic Engagement, School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney
2021 – 2023 Lead, 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

Other current roles

2024 – present Central and Eastern Sydney Primary Health Network Community Council
2023 – present NHMRC Partnership Projects Peer Review Working Committee 2023-2024
2023 – present Member, UNSW Academic General Practice Network
2022 - present Adjunct Associate Professor, Centre for Health Services Management, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney
2019 – present Advocacy Committee, Australasian Association for Academic Primary Care
2019 – present Education Committee, UNSW School of Population Health
2017 – present Directors Executive, UNSW Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity
2011 – present Global Working Group on Health Impact Assessment, International Union for Health Promotion and Education

Editorial

2019 – present Associate Editor, Australian Journal of Primary Health
2016 – present Editorial Board Member, Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal
2010 – 2023 Editorial Board Member, Environmental Impact Assessment Review
2019 – 2022 Editorial Board Member, BMJ Integrated Healthcare Journal
2019 – 2020 Review Editor (Public Health Policy), Frontiers in Public Health
2010 – 2016 Associate Editor, BMC Public Health

My Teaching

My teaching interests are focused on strengthening health organisations, primary health care, and health equity.

I convene PHCM9391 Health Organisations, Strategy and Change, a core course within the School of Population Health's Master of Health Leadership and Management programs. I also convene PHCM9615 Principles and Practice of Primary Health Care, which is an elective across all School of Population Health Masters programs and the stream-defining subject for the Primary Health Care Specialisation.

I am Director of Dual Degrees in the School of Population Health and I'm also the Stream Convenor for the Primary Health Care Specialisation.

I contribute to PHCM9129 Prevention and Management of Chronic Disease, PHCM9612 Environmental Health, PHCM9626 Inequalities and Health, PHCM9628 Health Impact Assessment and PHCM9790 Digital Health. I created and convened PHCM9628 Health Impact Assessment from 2006-2010.

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 educational improvement, and work in partnership with students to enhance courses.

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