People_
Associate Professor Jennifer Smith-Merry
PhD Social Policy (University of Queensland); BA(Hons); GCert App Law; GCert Ed Studies (Higher Ed)
Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow
Professor of Health and Social Policy
Director of the Centre for Disability Research and Policy
Professor of Health and Social Policy
Director of the Centre for Disability Research and Policy
Phone
+61 2 9351 9060
Details
Member of Sydney Centre for Healthy Societies
Member of Sydney Policy Lab
Member of Sydney Southeast Asia Centre
Member of the Brain and Mind Centre
Member of the Charles Perkins Centre
Jen is Australian Research Council (ARC) Laureate Fellow and Professor of Health and Social Policy in the Sydney School of Health Sciences. From 2018-2024 she was Director of the Centre for Disability Research and Policy. Her work focuses on creating practical, research-informed policy and practice development in partnership with government and non-government organisations.
show more
Jen leads the Disability Inclusive Policy Development stream within the Centre for Disability Research and Policy (CDRP). The CDRP is a multi-disciplinary centre whose mission is to make life better for people with disability in Australia and our region by developing research and translating this to policy and practice through involvement in partnerships and policy development.
Jen has a PhD in policy from the University of Queensland (2005) and her academic research has focused on policy and service development, primarily in mental health and disability.
Jen is lead Chief Investigator on multiple grants which aim to evaluate or develop policy and services in disability and mental health. She has received over 50 grants and tenders, including from the ARC and the NHMRC, and has led the majority of these grants. She works closely with people with a lived experience of disability and has a strong interest in the value of lived experience in informing policy and service design.
Jen has strong connections to academic, policy and service audiences in Australia and internationally. Jen led the development of the Mind the Gap report into the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and psychosocial disability. This report drew attention to the significant problems faced in delivering NDIS in the context of mental health. The report was passed as a motion in the Federal Senate and received significant media and policy attention. Subsequent work has continued to address these issues through research funded by state and federal government agencies and this has been used to restructure the scheme and lobby for change.
Jen supervises higher degree research students mainly in the fields of critical approaches to understanding policy and practice problems related to mental health policy and the contribution of lived experience to health care design. She is currently interested in recruiting PhD students who have an interest in the NDIS and its operation for people with psychosocial disability or severe and complex mental illness. She is not currently accepting PhD students beyond this.
Internationally her work focuses on complex needs and policy and service development.
Jen has an ongoing interest in the implementation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and is partnering with the National Disability Insurance Agency on her ARC Industry Laureate Fellowship (2023-2028).
Leeder Centre of Health Policy
Australian Reserach Council Industry Laureate Fellow (2023-2028)
E-Health and Health Care Delivery
(Universiti Pendidkan Sultan Idris) Collaboration and disability research capacity building. | |
(National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University) Collaborative research and connections in Disability policy and practice. | |
(University of Edinburgh) Research on knowledge and policy in mental health in Scotland and Europe. |
| Project title | Research student |
|---|---|
| Developing a Global Framework for Integrated Care Education | Frances BARRACLOUGH |
| Understanding the international Mad movement and its history of activism and influence towards addressing psychiatric oppression and Mad liberation | Matthew JACKMAN |
| Raising Disability Awareness on Instagram: Fostering an Inclusive Society in Indonesia | Umar Syaroni UMAR |
Publications
Expand all
Book Chapters
- Mellifont, D., Watharow, A., Daniels-Mayes, S., Smith-Merry, J., O'Donovan, M. (2024). Ethical Inclusion and Participation of People with Disability in Research: Problematising Vulnerability. In Anne Good, Iris Elliott, Sharon Mallon (Eds.), Advances in Disability Research Ethics, (pp. 71-90). United Kingdom: Emerald Publishing Limited. [More Information]
- Smith-Merry, J. (2023). Making disability known: medicalisation of disability and the development of the International Classification of Functioning. In Sally Robinson and Karen R. Fisher (Eds.), Research Handbook on Disability Policy, (pp. 539-550). Cheltenham, United Kingdom: Edward Elgar Publishing.
- Smith-Merry, J., McNab, J. (2023). Using Critical Discourse Analysis to Understand Texts in Context. In Alissa Ruth, Amber Wutich, H. Russell Bernard (Eds.), The Handbook of Teaching Qualitative and Mixed Research Methods. A Step-by-Step Guide for Instructors, (pp. 292-296). United States: Routledge. [More Information]
show 6 more
Journals
- Smith-Merry, J., Chang, K. (2025). Equity first: mapping who gets what is essential to re-designing the NDIS. Medical Journal of Australia, 222(3), 131-132. [More Information]
- Mellifont, D., Smith-Merry, J. (2025). Rationality And Emotion In Neurotypical Risk-Reward Decision Making: Social Justice Implications. Journal of Humanity & Social Justice, 7(1), 1-24. [More Information]
- Barraclough, F., Stein, V., Smith-Merry, J., Pit, S. (2024). An International Competency Framework for High-Quality Workforce Development in Integrated Care (IC): A Modified Delphi Study Among Global Participants. International Journal of Integrated Care, 24(2), 1-12. [More Information]
show 78 more
Conferences
- Smith-Merry, J., Gillespie, J., Hancock, N., Yen, I. (2016). Facilitating recovery in a complex setting: The role of Support Facilitators. The MHS Annual Mental Health Services Conference: 2015 TheMHS Conference: Translating Best Practice into Reality, Australia: TheMHS Learning Network Inc.
- Smith-Merry, J., Gillespie, J. (2016). Flexible funding for effective, individualised, integrated care. 4th World Congress on Integrated Care (WCIC4), Wellington: International Foundation for Integrated Care (IFIC).
- Wayland, S., Smith-Merry, J., Kokany, A., Hancock, N. (2016). Identifying ways to broaden recovery narratives - the lived experience of mental health consumers of Western Sydney recovery services. TheMHS Conference on "People: Authenticity Starts in the Heart", Auckland: TheMHS Learning Network Inc.
show 1 more
Magazine / Newspaper Articles
- Smith-Merry, J. (2018). The NDIS and Housing. Parity, 31-8.
Report
- Mellifont, D., Smith-Merry, J. (2023). Examining employment barriers and enablers for people with psychosocial disability – A scoping review. The University of Sydney.
- Hancock, N., Mellifont, D., Scanlan, J., Hamilton, D., Smith-Merry, J. (2022). Breaking down Barriers: Co-designed recommendations to reduce stakeholder identified NDIS access barriers for people with psychosocial disability. The University of Sydney.
- O'Donovan, M., Dew, A., Imms, C., Smith-Merry, J., Hemsley, B., Gilroy, J., Meltzer, A., Yen, I., Ellem, K., Muller, A., Guastella, A., McVilly, K., O'Shea, A., Gallego, G., et al (2022). Setting an agenda for disability research in Australia: organisation-led and targeted consultation report. [More Information]
show 5 more
Expand all
2025
- Smith-Merry, J., Chang, K. (2025). Equity first: mapping who gets what is essential to re-designing the NDIS. Medical Journal of Australia, 222(3), 131-132. [More Information]
- Mellifont, D., Smith-Merry, J. (2025). Rationality And Emotion In Neurotypical Risk-Reward Decision Making: Social Justice Implications. Journal of Humanity & Social Justice, 7(1), 1-24. [More Information]
2024
- Barraclough, F., Stein, V., Smith-Merry, J., Pit, S. (2024). An International Competency Framework for High-Quality Workforce Development in Integrated Care (IC): A Modified Delphi Study Among Global Participants. International Journal of Integrated Care, 24(2), 1-12. [More Information]
- Mellifont, D., Watharow, A., Daniels-Mayes, S., Smith-Merry, J., O'Donovan, M. (2024). Ethical Inclusion and Participation of People with Disability in Research: Problematising Vulnerability. In Anne Good, Iris Elliott, Sharon Mallon (Eds.), Advances in Disability Research Ethics, (pp. 71-90). United Kingdom: Emerald Publishing Limited. [More Information]
- Smith-Merry, J. (2024). The NDIS at ten years: designing an equitable scheme for the next decade. Medical Journal of Australia, 220(1), 55-56. [More Information]
show 1 more
2023
- Alkhaibari, R., Smith-Merry, J., Forsyth, R. (2023). "I am not just a place for implementation. I should be a partner": a qualitative study of patient-centered care from the perspective of diabetic patients in Saudi Arabia. BMC Health Services Research, 23(1), 1412-1412. [More Information]
- Boisvert, I., Dunn, A., Lundmark, E., Smith-Merry, J., Lipworth, W., Willink, A., Hughes, S., Nealon, M., Calvert, M. (2023). Disruptions to the hearing health sector. Nature Medicine, 29(1), 19-21. [More Information]
- Mellifont, D., Smith-Merry, J. (2023). Examining employment barriers and enablers for people with psychosocial disability – A scoping review. The University of Sydney.
show 7 more
2022
- Hancock, N., Mellifont, D., Scanlan, J., Hamilton, D., Smith-Merry, J. (2022). Breaking down Barriers: Co-designed recommendations to reduce stakeholder identified NDIS access barriers for people with psychosocial disability. The University of Sydney.
- Fortune, E., Curryer, B., Badland, H., Smith-Merry, J., Devine, A., Stancliffe, R., Emerson, E., Llewellyn, G. (2022). Do Area-Level Environmental Factors Influence Employment for People with Disability? A Scoping Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(15). [More Information]
- Hollier, J., Clifton, S., Smith-Merry, J. (2022). Mechanisms of religious trauma amongst queer people in Australia's evangelical churches. Clinical Social Work Journal, 50(3), 275-285. [More Information]
show 3 more
2021
- Ridout, B., Fletcher, J., Smith-Merry, J., Collyer, B., Dalgleish, J., Campbell, A. (2021). A National Survey of Children's Experiences of Parental Separation and Support Needs in Australia. Youth and Society, 1, 1-30. [More Information]
- Wayland, S., Smith-Merry, J., Rakidzic, S., O’Shea, A., Schweizer, R., Gill, K., Hutton, V., Sisko, S. (2021). Ableism. In Vicki Hutton, Susan Sisko (Eds.), Multicultural Responsiveness in Counselling and Psychology : Working with Australian Populations, (pp. 217-240). Cham: Springer. [More Information]
- Honey, A., Waks, S., Hines, M., Glover, H., Hancock, N., Hamilton, D., Smith-Merry, J. (2021). COVID-19 and Psychosocial Support Services: Experiences of People Living with Enduring Mental Health Conditions. Community Mental Health Journal, 57(7), 1255-1266. [More Information]
show 3 more
2020
- Delahunt-Smoleniec, N., Smith-Merry, J. (2020). A Qualitative Analysis of the Portrayal of Young People and Psychosis in Australian News Reports. Journalism Practice, 14(7), 847-862. [More Information]
- Smith-Merry, J. (2020). Evidence-based policy, knowledge from experience and validity. Evidence and Policy, 16(2), 305-316. [More Information]
- Stewart, E., Smith-Merry, J., Geddes, M., Bandola-Gill, J. (2020). Opening up evidence-based policy: exploring citizen and service user expertise. Evidence and Policy, 16(2), 199-208. [More Information]
show 2 more
2019
- Smith-Merry, J., Mellifont, D., McKenzie, K., Clenaghan, P. (2019). A narrative review of mental health support for people during transition from incarceration to community: The grass can be greener on the other side of the fence. Journal of Mental Health, 28(2), 189-197. [More Information]
- Walton, M., Harrison, R., Smith-Merry, J., Kelly, P., Manias, E., Jorm, C., Iedema, R. (2019). Disclosure of adverse events: a data linkage study reporting patient experiences among Australian adults aged >= 45 years. Australian Health Review, 43(3), 268-275. [More Information]
- Beaumont, R., Smith-Merry, J., Costley, D., Howlin, P., Sofronoff, K., Roberts, J., Taffe, J., Gray, K., Clarke, K., Clark, T., Horstead, S., Einfeld, S., et al (2019). Implementation, Evaluation and Maintenance of a Social-Emotional Skills Training Program for Children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder in a Specialist School Setting. International Journal of Special Education, 34(1), 95-108.
show 4 more
2018
- Goggin, G., Smith-Merry, J., Campbell, A., McKenzie, K., Ridout, B., Baylosis, C. (2018). Evaluation of SANE Australia Thriving Communities project: The University of Sydney.
- Hancock, N., Smith-Merry, J., McKenzie, K. (2018). Facilitating people living with severe and persistent mental illness to transition from prison to community: A qualitative exploration of staff experiences. International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 12(1), 45. [More Information]
- Kelly, K., Cumming, S., Kenny, B., Smith-Merry, J., Bogaardt, H. (2018). Getting comfortable with "comfort feeding": An exploration of legal and ethical aspects of the Australian speech-language pathologist's role in palliative dysphagia care. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 20(3), 371-379. [More Information]
show 9 more
2017
- Fernandez Sanchez, A., Gillespie, J., Smith-Merry, J., Feng, X., Astell-Burt, T., Maas, C., Salvador-Carulla, L. (2017). Integrated mental health atlas of Western Sydney Local Health District: gaps and recommendations. Australian Health Review, 41(1), 38-44. [More Information]
- Hancock, N., Smith-Merry, J., Gillespie, J., Yen, I. (2017). Is the Partners in Recovery program connecting with the intended population of people living with severe and persistent mental illness? What are their prioritised needs? Australian Health Review, 41(5), 566-572. [More Information]
- Raffaele, M., Mpofu, E., Smith-Merry, J., Mackey, M. (2017). Men with adult onset epileptic seizures: their coping strategies and sense of subjective wellbeing following elective neurosurgery. Australian Journal of Rehabilitation Counselling, 23(1), 19-36. [More Information]
show 3 more
2016
- Perre, N., Wilson, N., Smith-Merry, J., Murphy, G. (2016). Australian University Students' Perceptions of Mental Illness: A Qualitative Study. Journal of the Australian and New Zealand Student Services Association, 48, 1-13.
- Perre, N., Wilson, N., Smith-Merry, J., Murphy, G. (2016). Australian university students’ perceptions of mental illness: A qualitative study. Journal of the Australian and New Zealand Student Services Association, 2016 (48).
- Gargett, A., Llewellyn, G., Smith-Merry, J. (2016). Bringing together traditional health practices and health-related rehabilitation in the Pacific Islands: Can this be done? Knowledge Management for Development Journal, 11(1), 104-110.
show 9 more
2015
- Mellifont, D., Scanlan, J., Smith-Merry, J. (2015). Disabling employment obstacles: a study exploring accommodations that can assist government employees with anxiety. The University of Sydney.
- Smith-Merry, J., Gillespie, J., Hancock, N., Yen, I. (2015). Doing mental health care integration: A qualitative study of a new work role. International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 9(1), 1-14. [More Information]
- Moran, F., MacMillan, F., Smith-Merry, J., Kilbreath, S., Merom, D. (2015). Perceived Barriers, Facilitators and Patterns of Physical Activity of Older-old Adults Living in Assisted Retirement Accommodation : a qualitative and quantitative pilot research. Journal of Gerontology & Geriatric Research, 4(6), 1-6. [More Information]
show 3 more
2014
- Smith-Merry, J., Gillespie, J., Hancock, N., Yen, I. (2014). Integrating care for chronic mental ill-health: the Partners in Recovery Western Sydney Study. International Journal of Integrated Care, 14(9), URN:NBN:NL:UI:10-1-116630.
- Smith-Merry, J., Walton, M. (2014). Research governance as a facilitator for ethical and timely research? Learning from the experience of a large government-funded multisite research project. Australian Health Review, 38(3), 295-300. [More Information]
- Smith-Merry, J., Caple, A. (2014). Safety, Risk and Mental Health: Decision-Making Processes Prescribed by Australian Mental Health Legislation. Journal of Law and Medicine, 21(3), 661-681.
show 3 more
2013
- Warburton, J., Smith-Merry, J., Michaels, C. (2013). Delivering Community Services in a New World of Volunteering: A Case Study from Sydney, Australia. International Journal of Public Administration, 36(11), 798-806. [More Information]
- Sturdy, S., Freeman, R., Smith-Merry, J. (2013). Making Knowledge for International Policy: WHO Europe and Mental Health Policy, 1970-2008. Social History of Medicine, 26(3), 532-554. [More Information]
- Moran, F., Merom, D., Smith-Merry, J., Davis, G., Kilbreath, S. (2013). Physical activity behaviour in older people living in retirement villages. APA Conference 2013 'New Moves', Melbourne: Australian Physiotherapy Association.
show 2 more
2012
- Smith-Merry, J. (2012). Experiential knowledge in action: Consulting practitioners for policy change. Policy and Society, 31(2), 131-143. [More Information]
- Walton, M., Smith-Merry, J., Healy, J., McDonald, F. (2012). Health Complaint Commissions in Australia: Time for a national approach to data collection. Australian Review of Public Affairs, 11(1), 1-18.
- Freeman, R., Smith-Merry, J., Sturdy, S. (2012). Rhizomic Regulation: Mobilising Knowledge for Mental Health in Europe. In Joao Barroso, Luis Miguel Carvalho (Eds.), Knowledge and Regulatory Processes in Health and Education Policies, (pp. 13-50). Lisbon: EDUCA.
show 1 more
2011
- Smith-Merry, J., Freeman, R., Sturdy, S. (2011). Implementing recovery: an analysis of the key technologies in Scotland. International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 5(11), 1-12. [More Information]
- Smith-Merry, J., Freeman, R., Sturdy, S. (2011). Les transformations du systeme de sante mentale: l'exemple de l'Ecosse [Transformation of a mental health system: the case of Scotland]. Revue Sociologie Sante, 34(1), 143-164.
2008
- Smith-Merry, J. (2008). Improving mental health and wellbeing in Scotland: A model policy approach. Australian e-Journal for the Advancement of Mental Health, 7(3), 176-185. [More Information]
- Smith-Merry, J., Freeman, R., Sturdy, S. (2008). Organising Mental Health in Scotland. Mental Health Review Journal, 13(4), 16-26. [More Information]
2007
- Smith-Merry, J., Gillespie, J., Leeder, S. (2007). A pathway to a stronger research culture in health policy. Australia and New Zealand Health Policy, 4, 1-7. [More Information]
- Smith-Merry, J. (2007). Critical discourse analysis for nursing research. Nursing Inquiry, 14(1), 60-70. [More Information]
2006
- Smith-Merry, J. (2006). Governing the mother: access to reproductive technologies. In Greg Marston & Catherine McDonald (Eds.), Analysing social policy: a governmental approach, (pp. 177-194). Cheltenham, UK ; Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar Publishing.
- Wang, J., Smith-Merry, J., Leeder, S. (2006). Should Older People Be Regularly Screened for Vision and Hearing by Primary Health Care Providers? Geriatrics and Ageing, 9(3), 183-189.
2005
- Smith-Merry, J., Mitchell, P., Wang, J., Leeder, S. (2005). A health policy for hearing impairment in older Australians: what should it include? Australia and New Zealand Health Policy, 2(1), 1-7. [More Information]
- Smith-Merry, J. (2005). When morality gets in the way? Public policy debates around reproductive technologies. Just Policy, 38, 48-50.
2003
- Warburton, J., Smith-Merry, J. (2003). Out of the generosity of your heart: are we creating active citizens through compulsory volunteer programs for young people in Australia. Social Policy and Administration, 37(7), 772-786.
- Smith-Merry, J. (2003). Suitable mothers': lesbian and single women and the 'unborn' in Australian parliamentary discourse. Critical Social Policy, 23(1), 63-88.
Selected Grants
2024
- Implementation of the Australian Physical Activity Clinical Practice Guideline for people with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury, Hassett L, Sherrington C, Haynes A, Smith-Merry J, Gilroy J, Cameron I, Raghunandan R, Brady B, Department of Health and Aged Care (Federal)/MRFF - Traumatic Brain Injury
- Fixing the NDIS: cost, effectiveness and access for psychosocial disability, Smith-Merry J, Australian Research Council (ARC)/Industry Laureate Fellowship
2023
- Rewarding Research 2024, Smith-Merry J, Faculty of Medicine and Health/FMH Rewarding Research Success
show more
In the media
Jen regularly features in the media to discuss mental health, adverse events and disability, particularly the development and impact of the NDIS.