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DR Fran Collyer

 


Room 136 RC Mills Building
+612 9351 2653

On Leave until end 2010


Awards/Distinctions

National Convenor: Health Section, The Australian Sociological Association
Editorial Advisory Board, Health Sociology Review
Editor in Chief, Health Sociology Review (2004-2009)
Editorial Board, Electronic Journal of Sociology (1998-2001)
Editorial Advisory Panel, Electronic Journal of Sociology (1994-1998)

Qualifications

PhD (Flinders University) 1995
BA Honours, Sociology (The Australian National University) 1989
BA (Flinders University) 1987

Memberships

The Australian Sociological Association
The British Sociological Association
The International Sociological Association
The Health Governance Network

Research Interests and Programs

Prior to joining the University of Sydney, Dr Collyer enjoyed a brief career in the provision of consultancy research for both government and industry, including the evaluation of health and welfare programs and the social impact of technological change. During her academic career, she has sustained an interest in the health care sector, focusing on the invention and development of medical technologies, the relationship between the state and the private sector, the privatisation and contracting-out of public assets and services, and the tensions inherent in marrying private with public services. Dr Collyer has significant experience in the use of both qualitative and quantitative methods, and her research is informed by a sociological perspective and the sociological classics. She is currently involved in two major programs of research. The first is with the Health Governance Network at the University of Sydney examining the increasing privatisation of Australian health care services and the phenomenon of labour shortages in the health workforce; both of which present significant barriers to achieving access and equity in health service provision. The second program concerns the discipline of sociology in Australia: the importation of sociological knowledge in a post-colonial setting and the formation of a national style and unique perspective. A specific focus of this second program is the production of a political and institutional history of the sub-field of health and medical sociology in Australia, providing both a case study in the sociology of knowledge and a record of the achievements of past and present sociologists.

Teaching Areas

The Sociology of Health and Illness
The Sociology of Knowledge
Research Methods

Publications

Books

  • Collyer, F.M. (2006) (ed) So We Write Star Authors: Another Anthology of the Society of Women Writers South Australia 2006 The Society of Women Writers South Australia, Cove Print: Somerton Park, South Australia. ISBN 0646466968.
  • Collyer, F.M.; McMaster, J. and Wettenhall, R.W. (2001) Public Enterprise Divestment: Australian Case Studies University of South Pacific Press: Fiji.

Articles in Refereed Journals

  • Collyer, F.M. (2011) ‘Reflexivity and the Sociology of Science and Technology: The Invention of ‘Eryc’ the Antibiotic’ The Qualitative Report (forthcoming).
  • Collyer, F.M. (2011) ‘The Sociology of Health and Medicine in Australia’ Politica y Sociedad (forthcoming).
  • Collyer, F.M. (2010) ‘Origins and Canons: Medicine and the History of Sociology’ History of the Human Sciences 23(2) April.
  • Collyer, F.M. (2008) ‘Max Weber, Historiography, Medical Knowledge, and the Formation of Medicine’ Electronic Journal of Sociology http://www.sociology.org/contents.html
  • Collyer, F.M. (2007) ‘A Sociological Approach to Workforce Shortages: Findings of a Qualitative Study in Australian Hospitals’ Health Sociology Review 16(3-4):248-262.
  • Shankar, J. and Collyer, F.M. (2004) ‘Welfare Reform and Its Impact on the Employment Prospects of People With Psychiatric Disabilities’ Journal of Social Work in Disability and Rehabilitation 3(4):(39 pages).
  • Collyer, F.M.; Wettenhall, R.W. and McMaster, J. (2003) ‘The Privatisation of Public Enterprises: Australian Research Findings’ Just Policy December 31:14-23.
  • Shankar, J. and Collyer, F.M. (2003) ‘Vocational Rehabilitation of People With Mental Illness: The Need For a Broader Approach’ Australian e-Journal for the Advancement of Mental Health (AeJAMH) 2(2):13 pages.
  • Collyer, F.M. (2003) ‘Theorising Privatisation: Policy, Network Analysis, and Class’ Electronic Journal of Sociology 7: November (25pp).
  • Collyer, F.M. and Heal, C. (2002) ‘Patient Satisfaction With Sex Re-assignment Surgery in New South Wales, Australia’ Australian Journal of Primary Health 8(3):1-12.
  • Shankar, J. and Collyer, F.M. (2002) ‘Support Needs of People With Mental Illness in Vocational Rehabilitation Programs: The Role of the Social Network’ International Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation 7:27-54.
  • Collyer, F.M. and White, K.N. (2001) Corporate Control of Healthcare in Australia Discussion Paper No. 42, Australia Institute, Australian National University: Canberra.
  • Collyer, F.M.; McMaster, J. and Wettenhall, R.W. (2000) ‘Selling The Mall: A Case Study in Privatisation’ Canberra Bulletin of Public Administration 98:49-53.
  • Collyer, F.M. (1998) ‘Privatisation On The Agenda: Policy Directions in Health Care’ The Australian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy 28(2):108-11.
  • White, K.N. and Collyer, F.M. (1998) ‘Health Care Markets in Australia: Ownership of the Private Hospital Sector’ International Journal of Health Services 28(3):487-510.
  • Collyer, F.M. (1997) ‘Analysing Social Reconstructions of Health Knowledge’ Annual Review of Health Social Sciences 7:66-67.
  • Collyer, F.M. (1997) ‘The Port Macquarie Base Hospital: Privatisation and the Public Purse’ Just Policy 10:27-39.
  • Collyer, F.M. and White, K.N. (1997) ‘Enter The Market: Competition, Regulation and Hospital Funding in Australia’ Australian and New Zealand Journal of Sociology 33(3):344-363.
  • White, K.N. and Collyer, F.M. (1997) ‘To Market To Market: Corporatisation, Privatisation and Hospital Costs’ Australian Health Review 20(2):13-25.
  • Collyer, F.M. (1997) ‘Technological Invention: Postmodernism and Social Structure’ Technology in Society 19(2):195-205.
  • Collyer, F.M. (1996) ‘Frankenstein Meets The Invisible Man: Science, Medicine and a Theory of Invention’ Electronic Journal of Sociology (Canada) 2(2):1-23.
  • Collyer, F.M. (1996) ‘Understanding Ulcers: Medical Knowledge, Social Constructionism, and Helicobacter Pylori’ Annual Review of Health Social Sciences 6:1-39.
  • Collyer, F.M. (1996) ‘Measuring Privatisation: An Overview of Methodological Approaches’ Just Policy 7:24-34.
  • Collyer, F.M. (1994) ‘Medical Dominance in the Australian Health System: The Case of the Bionic Ear’ Explorations in Knowledge (University of Manchester) 11(1):1-12.
  • Collyer, F.M. (1994) ‘Sex-Change Surgery: An ‘Unacceptable’ Innovation?’ Australian and New Zealand Journal of Sociology 30(1):3-19.

Chapters in Books

  • Collyer, F.M. (2004) ‘Medical Technology: From Drugs To Genetics’ in Grbich, C. (ed) Health In Australia: Sociological Concepts, Experiences and Issues Third (Revised) Edition, Prentice Hall Australia: Sydney.
  • Collyer, F.M. (2004) ‘The Corporatisation and Commercialisation of Complementary and Alternative Medicine’ in Tovey, P.; Easthope, G. and Adams, J. (eds) The Mainstreaming of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Social Context: An International Perspective Routledge: 81-99.
  • Collyer, F.M.; McMaster, J. and Wettenhall, R.W. (2001) ‘Privatisation and Public Enterprise Reform in Australia’ in Farazmand, A. (ed) Privatisation or Public Enterprise Reform?: International Case Studies With Implications For Public Management Greenwood Press: Westport, Connecticut.
  • Collyer, F.M. (1999) ‘The Social Production of Medical Technology’ in Grbich, C. (ed) Health In Australia: Sociological Concepts, Experiences and Issues Second (Revised) Edition, Prentice Hall Australia: Sydney: 217-37.
  • Collyer, F.M. (1996) ‘Medical Technology’ in Grbich, C. (ed) Health In Australia: Sociological Concepts, Experiences and Issues Prentice Hall Australia: Sydney: 242-64.

Refereed Conference Proceedings

  • Collyer, F.M. (2009) ‘The Rise and Fall of Theoretical Paradigms in Health and Medical Sociology: 1960-2009’ presented at The Australian Sociological Association national conference, December 1-4, 2009 The Future of Sociology, at the Australian National University, Canberra. Refereed proceedings available at http://www.tasa.org.au/tasa-members/conference-proceedings/
  • Collyer, F.M. (2009) ‘Work Environments: Their Impact On Theorising in the Sociology of Health, Illness and Medicine’ presented at The Australian Sociological Association national conference, December 1-4, 2009 The Future of Sociology, at the Australian National University, Canberra. Refereed proceedings available at http://www.tasa.org.au/tasa-members/conference-proceedings/
  • Collyer, F.M. (1998) ‘Privatisation, Cost Efficiency and Public Accountability: The Case of Port Macquarie Base Hospital’ in: Stone, C. and Jonas, H. (editors) Proceedings from the seminar "Privatising Health Care". Melbourne Public Health Association (Victorian Branch). Canberra: Public Health Association Australia, June 1998:20-24.

Invited Addresses

  • ‘A (Very) Brief History of the Health Section of TASA’ Health Day, Panel 2: Panel Discussion: Reflections on the Field: The Early Years and Progress in the Sociology of Health, Illness and Medicine. The Australian Sociological Association, Annual Conference, Social Causes, Private Lives, 6-10th December 2010, Macquarie University: Sydney.
  • ‘Medical Sociology: Australia and Britain Compared’, in panel discussion: Re-Imagining Sociology Across Medicine, Health and Society, 2nd December 2008, School of Graduate Research, University of Melbourne.
  • ‘Health Sociology Since 1990: Australia and the United Kingdom’, presented as a member of the Plenary Panel Medical Sociology in Australia British Sociological Association, Medical Sociology Group Conference, Brighton, UK, September 2008.
  • Plenary Panel The Thesis and Beyond at the Health Social Science Conference, The School of Social Sciences, La Trobe University, Beechworth, Victoria, 22nd to 24th June 2007.
  • ‘The Other Millennium Bug: Problems in the Australian Health Care System’ presented at Health Care in the New Millennium - A Bug In The System? The St. George Hospital Social Work Conference: Sydney, NSW, 1999.
  • ‘Competition and the Australian Hospital Market’ presented at 30th Annual Conference of the Public Health Association of Australia 13th September 1998, Special Interest Group Workshop on the Political Economy of Health: Wrest Point Casino, Tasmania.
  • ‘Privatisation, The Case of Port Macquarie Base Hospital’ presented at the Australian Nursing Federation Annual Delegates Conference 30-31st July 1998, Elizabeth Street, Melbourne.
  • ‘Privatisation, Cost Efficiency and Public Accountability: The Case of Port Macquarie Base Hospital’ presented at the Public Health Association (Victorian Branch) Seminar on Privatisation 17th June 1998, University of Melbourne: Melbourne.
  • ‘Privatisation in Australian Health Care: Policy and Practice’ presented at the 23rd Federal Conference of the Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia November 15th 1997, Adelaide Convention Centre: South Australia.
  • (with White, K.N.) ‘To Market To Market: Corporatisation, Privatisation and Hospital Costs’ presented at the Sociology and Social Policy Seminar October 13th 1997, Department of Sociology, Victoria University of Wellington: New Zealand.
  • ‘Analysing Social Reconstructions of Health Knowledge’ presented for panel discussion, the Health Sociology Day, The Australian Sociological Association, 4th December 1996, CSIRO Marine Laboratories: Hobart, Tasmania.
  • ‘Transsexualism and Australian Law Reform: Culture and Sexualities Symposium’ presented at The Australian Sociological Association Annual Conference 11-13th December 1992, University of South Australia: Adelaide.
  • (with Turner, B.S.) ‘Professionalism, De-Skilling and Gender in Hospital Pharmacy’ presented at the Annual Conference of the Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia October 1986, Hahndorf, South Australia.

Commissioned Papers/Reports

  • Collyer, F.M. and Kyme, K. (2004) The National Survey of Hospital Pharmacists 2003-4, Preliminary Report, for the Victorian Health Department, The Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia, Victorian Branch, and the School of Pharmacy, University of Queensland.
  • Collyer, F.M. and Mugford, S. (1997) Health Outreach Project: Linking Young People and GPs. An Evaluation. Qualitative and Quantitative Social Research, for the ACT Division of General Practice: Canberra.
  • Johnston, R.; Lepani, B.; Currie, J.; Jacobie, B.; Morgan, K.; Collyer, F.M.; (1990) New Technologies and the Australian Secondary School Student The Centre for Technology and Social Change, University of Wollongong: Wollongong: 1-65.
  • Johnston, R.; Scott-Kemmis, D.; Darling, T.; Collyer, F.M.; Roessner, D. (1990) Technology Strategies in Australian Industry The Centre for Technology and Social Change, The University of Wollongong, Australian Government Printers: Canberra: 1-72.
  • Collyer, F.M. and Johnston, R. (1989) Labour Mobility and Skills: The Banking/Finance Industry The Centre for Technology and Social Change, The University of Wollongong: 1-39.
  • Lepani, B.; Collyer, F.M.; Williams, T.; Johnston, R.; Hayton, G. and Loveder, P. (1989) The Impact of Fusion Technologies (Mechatronics) on Work Organisation, Cross-Skilling and Training: Case Studies of Australian Enterprises Report to the Employment and Skills Foundation Council, The Centre For Technology and Social Change, The University of Wollongong: 1-51.
  • Scott-Kemmis, D.; Darling, T.; Johnston, R.; Collyer, F.M. and Cliff, C. (1989) Strategic Alliances in the Internationalisation of Australian Industry The Centre For Technology and Social Change, University of Wollongong: 1-87.
  • Franklin, J. and Collyer, F.M. (1988) Research Evaluation: Impact Assessment and Strategy The Centre For Technology and Social Change, University of Wollongong: 1-23.
  • Marceau, J. and Collyer, F.M. (1988) Facing The Future: Retraining in Two Occupations Graduate Program in Public Policy, The Australian National University: 1-117.
  • Darling, T, Scott-Kemmis, D.; and Collyer, F.M. (1988) Technology Agreements and International, Inter-firm Collaboration The Centre For Technology and Social Change, University of Wollongong: 1-89.
  • Darling, T; Scott-Kemmis, D. and Collyer, F.M. (1988) Internationalising Australian Industry: Interfirm Strategic Alliances The Centre For Technology and Social Change, University of Wollongong: 1-68.
  • Collyer, F.M. and Johnston, R. (1988) Changing The Culture: The Development of a Model University-Industry Interface Strategy The Centre For Technology and Social Change, University of Wollongong: 1-38.
  • Darling, T.; Scott-Kemmis, D.; Collyer, F.M.; Johnston, R.; Lepani, B. and Cliff, C. (1988) Survey of Interfirm Collaborative Agreements in Australia The Centre for Technology and Social Change, University of Wollongong: 1-86.

Other Articles and Papers

  • Collyer, F.M. (2004) ‘Ethics and Institutional Reform’ Nexus: The Newsletter of the Australian Sociological Association 16(2):18-19.
  • Collyer, F.M. (2003) ‘TASA’s Ethical Code For Research’ Nexus: The Newsletter of the Australian Sociological Association October: 11.
  • Collyer, F.M. (2003) TASA Ethical Code For Research Review and Revision of the Code for The Australian Sociological Association, University of Queensland: Queensland. http://www.tasa.org.au
  • Collyer, F.M. (2003) ‘Ethics Issues Raised by TASA Members 2003’ Submission to the Human Ethics Research Committee, University of Sydney: Sydney, NSW.
  • Wettenhall, R.W.; Collyer, F.M. and McMaster, J. (1999) ‘Studies in Australian Privatisation: The Case of Victoria’s TABCORP’ in Hodge, G. (ed) International Centre For Management in Government, Monash Mt Eliza Business School) Privatisation: Subject Book, Topics 6-10, Distance Education Centre, Monash University: Churchill, Victoria: 746-86.
  • Collyer, F.M. (1998) ‘Privatisation and Australian Hospitals’ Health Issues 56:12-14.
  • Collyer, F.M.; McMaster, J. and Wettenhall, R.W. (1998) ‘The Arithmetic of the Telstra Sale’ Current Affairs Bulletin June/July: 21-24.
  • White, K.N. and Collyer, F.M. (1998) ‘Markets and Efficiency in the Hospital Sector’ New Doctor 68:5-8.
  • Feachem, R.G.A. (1995) Valuing The Past ... Investing In The Future: Evaluation of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy 1993-4 to 1995-6 AIDS/Communicable Diseases Branch, Department of Human Services and Health, AGPS: Canberra: 1-233.
  • Collyer, F.M. et al (1994) Analysis of the Employment Needs of People With A Disability in the ACT Planning Document, Commonwealth Department of Human Services and Health: Canberra, ACT.
  • Collyer, F.M. (1994) Student Pathways: A Survey of Sociology Undergraduates at Macquarie University Department of Sociology, School of Behavioural Sciences, Macquarie University: Nth Ryde, Sydney: 1-37 (plus appendices).
  • Collyer, F.M. and Yeatman, A. (1994) Sociological Research Methods A Report to the Macquarie University Research Committee, Macquarie University: New South Wales: 1-13.
  • Illawarra Regional Consultative Council (1990) Regional Development Strategy Department of Employment, Education and Training (Illawarra, Southern Area) and the Office of Local Government (Canberra): Canberra.

Recent Conference Papers

  • Collyer, F.M.; Short, S.; Willis, K.; Bandyopadhyay, M. and Harley, K. (2010) ‘Social Attitudes, Private Health Insurance’ The Australian Sociological Association Annual Conference, Social Causes, Private Lives, 6-9th December, Macquarie University: Sydney.
  • Harley, K.; Willis, K.; Gabe, J.; Short, S.; Collyer, F.M. and Natalier, K. (2010) ‘Healthy Consumers? A Comparative Analysis Of Private Health’ The Australian Sociological Association Annual Conference, Social Causes, Private Lives, 6-9th December, Macquarie University: Sydney.
  • Harley, K.; Short, S.; Willis, K.; Collyer, F.M. and Gabe, J. (2010) ‘Researching the Social Experience of Healthcare: The Concept of Boundaries’ Emerging Health Policy Research Conference, 11th August, University of Sydney: Sydney.
  • Collyer, F.M. (2007) ‘The Medical Dominance Debate as Ideology and Historic Project’ The Australian Sociological Association and the Sociological Association of Aotearoa/New Zealand Joint Conference Public Sociologies: Lessons and Trans Tasman Comparisons, 4-7 December 2007, Auckland.
  • Collyer, F.M. (2007) ‘Origins and Canons: Revisiting the History of Sociology’ Department Research Day 9th March, University of Sydney: Sydney.
  • Collyer, F.M. (2006) ‘The Birth of a Sub-Discipline: Theorising the Origins and Antecedents of Medical Sociology’ the Health Sociology Section at The Australian Sociological Association Conference, Sociology For A Mobile World, 4-7th December, Murdoch University and the University of Western Australia: Western Australia.
  • Collyer, F.M. (2006) ‘Dialogues With Medicine: Contemporary Medical Sociology and Ancient Social Science’ Medical Sociology in the 21st Century: Themes and Trends, Dilemmas and Debates 18th-20th June, Pollock Halls, University of Edinburgh: Scotland.
  • Collyer, F.M. (2006) ‘On The Differences Between The Sciences: Comparing Knowledge(s) of Health and Disease in the Ancient and Modern Contexts’ The International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences 18-21st July, University of the Aegean: Rhodes.