Prevention Research Collaboration

We conduct research that is relevant and appropriate for policy and for informing public health. The PRC has a reputation for co-creating knowledge with health practitioners and policy-makers, developing innovative evaluation research methods, and providing evidence with practical application to public health policy.

Prevention Research Support Program (PRSP) 

As a recipient of the NSW Health’s Prevention Research Support Program (PRSP), the PRC is conducting prevention and early intervention research that aligns with NSW Health priorities. The PRSP funding supports research infrastructure and strategies to build research capability and translate evidence from research into policy and practice. The PRSP program encompasses six thematic areas related to chronic disease risk factors prevention and control:

• Implementing and evaluating interventions at scale
• Analytic methods and systems modelling to inform prevention
• Embedding prevention in health services
• Building evaluation and scaled-up capacity of prevention workforce
• Consumer and community perspective in prevention planning, implementation and evaluation
• Evidence syntheses to inform research translation and implementation

Academic leaders: Professor Philayrath Phongsavan, Professor Ben Smith

Physical Activity Nutrition Obesity Research Group (PANORG)

PANORG is funded by NSW Ministry of Health to conduct policy-relevant evidence reviews, research and evaluation to support health promotion and obesity prevention initiatives in NSW. The group works closely with the Centre for Population Health, Ministry of Health.

Providing evidence advice, supporting evidence-based policy, conducting applied research and evaluation, and building workforce capacity in the promotion of physical activity, healthy eating and prevention of overweight and obesity in NSW.

Academic leaders: Professor Philayrath Phongsavan, Dr Bronwyn McGill

The Australian Systems Approach to Physical Activity (ASAPa)

Progress to date has involved engagement with policymakers nationwide to help map and understand physical activity related policies, programs and prevalence measures, to identify gaps and opportunities for strengthening action.

Academic leaders: Professor Melody Ding, Professor Ben Smith, Emeritus Professor Adrian Bauman, Adjunct Professor Bill Bellew, Tracy Nau

Determining if an intervention worked, why it worked, for whom and in what conditions, are critical for advancing the evidence base and for informing public health policy and practice. The PRC has distinctive skills in evaluating complex interventions (eg scaled-up programs, natural experiments), population- and system-level prevention and health promotion programs.  This includes conducting evaluation research of major policy changes and new initiatives, such as the NSW Get Healthy Information & Coaching Service, NSW Quitline, Make Healthy Normal, and Get Healthy @ Work amongst others.

We have led research to systematically investigate elements of practitioner, organisational and systemic capacity that influence evaluation practice and use within Australian prevention agencies. This has informed the development of the Evaluation Practice Analysis Survey, which is a tool for assessing evaluation capacity and practice.

Academic leaders:  Professor Ben Smith, Professor Philayrath Phongsavan, Emeritus Professor Adrian Bauman, Dr Melanie Crane, Dr Blythe O’Hara, Dr Margaret Thomas

We are at the forefront of developing innovative public health methods around implementation and delivery research, and frameworks for scalability of interventions to maximise impact and public health reach. This body of work has been embedded into practical research guides and tools for health professionals embarking in translational research activities.

The Prevention Research Collaboration is currently involved in a number of research programs focusing on:

• implementation and scaling up of prevention programs;
• developing a systems approach to promote physical activity at the population level; and 
• evaluation of scaled up interventions.

Academic leaders: Dr Karen Lee, Professor Andrew Milat, Emeritus Professor Adrian Bauman

Our work focuses on improving population health through high quality epidemiological, measurement and surveillance research. We ask epidemiological questions of large cross-sectional and complex longitudinal data linked to routinely-collected medical records data, biobanks, and non-health data (e.g. GPS, transport data, social media) to examine trends and changes in the relationships between chronic disease, health status, and behavioural risk factors.

Academic leaders: Professor Melody Ding, Professor Philayrath Phongsavan, Emeritus Professor Adrian Bauman

The PRC has made exceptional contributions through its world-leading physical activity and health research, especially to understand the many health benefits of increasing physical activity.

We are committed to understanding the systems around physical activity and mobilising multiple sectors to tackle physical inactivity at the policy and structural levels.

This is recognised in the PRC academics developing and leading the Lancet Physical Activity Series 2012, 2016, and 2021.

Our current research programs in this space include:

• SPARTAN (PRC Researchers Co-lead the Sport and Physical Activity Research and Teaching Network (SPARTAN)
• SPRINTER
• ASAP
• Healthy Ageing in PA

Academic leaders: Professor Melody Ding, Dr Katherine Owen, Professor Philayrath Phongsavan

We are Australian and international leaders in vaping and tobacco control policy research. Our work focuses on countering the commercial influence and interference of the tobacco and vaping industries on public health. Our research exposing tobacco industry advertising and promotion on social media in the face of comprehensive advertising bans has led to regulation and policy changes both in Australia, and internationally. We are a lead partner on the Generation Vape research study. We are also frequent commentators in the news media and government expert advisors on tobacco and vaping control topics.

Academic leaders:  Associate Professor Becky Freeman, Dr Bronwyn McGill, Dr Christina Watts

We research how people interact with their social and physical environment, specifically how the social, economic, and built environment influence physical activity behaviour, food choices and obesity.

This includes undertaking studies using a diverse range of representative cross-sectional and longitudinal data to examine retirement and health behaviour, psychological health, social connections, cardiovascular disease and mortality.

Our research includes evaluating natural experiments, in particular whether renewal of public spaces leads to changes in residents’ physical activity behaviour, their sense of community connection and safety.

Academic leaders: Professor Melody Ding, Professor Philayrath Phongsavan, Professor Ben Smith, Associate Professor Michelle Lim, Dr Karine Manera, 

Our research in mass media and social media as health communications tools provides crucial evidence to support strategic use of these approaches in prevention work.

We have worked with research and government partners to develop evaluation frameworks and provide advice to research bodies, community organisations and government groups on how to use mass media and social media effectively in their interventions and communications.  We also lead research into the use of media to undermine health outcomes.

Academic leaders: Professor Philayrath Phongsavan, Associate Professor Becky Freeman, Dr Blythe O’Hara, Dr James Kite

EPOCH CRE aims to reduce the prevalence of obesity and obesity-related behaviours in the first five years of life, and their future impact. There is a diverse team of experts from around Australia and the world to bridge the current gaps in research, practice and policy and help improve the health outcomes for children as they grow into adulthood.

The EPOCH CRE’s research work is organised as four inter-related research Streams:

• Analysing interventions to prevent obesity in early childhood;
• Advancing assessment of obesity-related behaviours;
• Economic evaluation of early childhood obesity prevention
• Translation of evidence into policy and practice

For more details: www.earlychildhoodobesity.com

Academic leaders: Professor Louise Baur

Our researchers and PhD students teach core and elective subjects in public health and non-communicable diseases in the Master of Public Health program, a prestigious postgraduate degree offered by the Sydney School of Public Health.

• Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
• Chronic Disease Prevention and Control
• Real World Public Health Program Evaluation
• Public Health Capstone
• Climate Change and Public Health
• Tobacco Control in the 21st Century
• Public Health Advocacy
• Public Health Dissertation

PRC experts contributed to the development and launch of the Mass Open Online Course in chronic disease prevention. This course showcases the Centre’s expertise in prevention and health promotion, including areas such as nutrition, physical activity and obesity.

PRC also conducts training and capacity workshops for a diverse range of policymakers, researchers and practitioners. With the Australian Prevention Partnership Centre. PRC ran several online and face-to-face workshops on 'Complex program evaluation for public health'.

In addition to this, PRC conducts several program evaluation workshops for NSW Ministry of Health staff and for public health and Aboriginal health trainees. Through our work with the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre on Physical Activity, Nutrition and Obesity, we conducted online training workshops for international prevention practitioners and reached participants in over 40 countries.

• Professor Philayrath Phongsavan
• Professor Ben Smith
• Emeritus Professor Adrian Bauman AO
• Professor Louise Baur AO
• Professor Andrew Milat
• Professor Don Nutbeam
• Professor Melody Ding
• Associate Professor Becky Freeman
• Associate Professor Michelle Lim
• Dr Margaret Thomas, Senior Research Fellow
• Dr Blythe O’Hara, Senior Research Fellow
• Dr Katherine Owen, Senior Research Fellow
• Dr Melanie Crane, Senior Research Fellow
• Dr Stephanie Partridge, Senior Research Fellow
• Dr Philip Clare, Research Fellow
• Dr Bronwyn McGill, Research Fellow
• Dr James Kite, Senior Lecturer
• Dr Binh Nguyen-Duy, Research Fellow
• Dr Yvonne Laird, Research Fellow
• Dr Karine Manera, Research Fellow
• Dr Karen Lee, Research Fellow
• Dr Sarah Marshall, Research Fellow
• Dr Susan Luo, Research Fellow
• Dr Zoe Szewczyk, Research Associate
• Adjunct Associate Professor Bill Bellew
• Adjunct Associate Professor Anne Grunseit
• Adjunct Research Fellow Dr Lindsey Reece
• Lisa Avery, Office Manager, Operations
• Cathie Kiernan, Administration Officer
• Abby Smith, PhD Candidate
• Daniel Surkalim, PhD Candidate
• Eve House, PhD Candidate
• Lucy Corbett, PhD Candidate/Research Officer
• Neta Hagani, PhD Candidate
• Nicole Halim, Research Officer
• Robert Palmer, PhD Candidate
• Shiho Halim, PhD Candidate