Becky Freeman

Professor Becky Freeman is a distinguished academic at the University of Sydney's School of Public Health, where she serves as a Professor and leads the Prevention Research Collaboration. With twenty-five years of experience in tobacco control, she is internationally recognized for her expertise in program and policy best practices. She is also a member of the Charles Perkins Centre, contributing to interdisciplinary research on obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer prevention.

• University of Sydney, School of Public Health
• Prevention Research Collaboration
• Charles Perkins Centre member

Professor Freeman holds a BSc, MSc, and PhD. Prior to her Australian academic career, she worked for government and not-for-profit organizations in Canada and New Zealand, bringing extensive international experience to her research. Her primary research interests focus on tobacco control, examining how online and social media influence public health, and investigating the commercial determinants of health. She is an established authority on the potential of the Internet to circumvent tobacco advertising bans and has pioneered innovative research methods for tracking and analyzing online social media content. Her methodological approaches emphasize Prevention & Control and Qualitative Research, with particular attention to media studies, obesity & overweight, and public health policy.

Professor Freeman's publication record demonstrates consistent scholarly output with clear thematic focus. Recent work shows increasing attention to e-cigarette regulation, youth vaping patterns, and digital marketing's intersection with public health policy. Her research often employs content analysis of social media platforms to examine tobacco and vape marketing tactics, with notable studies on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. She frequently collaborates with researchers across Australia and New Zealand, producing comparative policy analyses that inform public health interventions. Her work spans epidemiological studies, policy evaluations, and qualitative investigations into industry tactics.

• Tobacco advertising circumvention via digital platforms
• E-cigarette marketing strategies on social media
• Youth vaping trends and policy impacts
• Commercial determinants of health
• Public health policy evaluation methods
• Qualitative research methodologies

As an academic supervisor, Professor Freeman mentors research students including Kamara, who is examining marketing restrictions across the digital environment for healthier food systems. Her research has been supported by numerous grants focused on tobacco control policy evaluation and digital health communication. She actively engages with policymakers to translate research findings into practical public health interventions.

Professor Freeman leads the Prevention Research Collaboration, which brings together multidisciplinary researchers to address complex public health challenges through evidence-based policy recommendations. Her team conducts rigorous analyses of tobacco industry tactics and develops innovative methods for monitoring online health-related content. She maintains active involvement in national health policy discussions, particularly regarding electronic nicotine delivery systems regulation.