Joshua Trigg

Dr Joshua Trigg is a Lecturer in Public Health at Flinders University's College of Medicine and Public Health. He is an active researcher with expertise in psychological and population health research, focusing on health risk factors, risk attitudes, and motivators of risk behaviours.

Education:

• PhD (Psychology)
• BPsycSci(Hon) (First Class)

Dr Trigg's research focuses on tobacco control, vaping and e-cigarette use, alcohol consumption patterns, health risk behaviours, health promotion effectiveness, and wellbeing domains. His work combines quantitative and qualitative methods to examine motivators and inhibitors of risk behaviors, particularly in emergency contexts and public health settings. Previously with Cancer Council South Australia, he researched tobacco and alcohol use attitudes and community perceptions of culturally focused tobacco cessation messaging.

His recent publications demonstrate a clear trend toward addressing the growing public health concern of vaping, particularly among youth and its relationship with mental health. His work bridges academic research with practical public health applications, often focusing on how to effectively communicate health risks and support behavior change.

Scientific Awards:

• NHMRC CRE Achieving the Tobacco Endgame Early-Mid Career Researcher Award for Outstanding Leadership Runner-up (2022)
• Opal Award for Engaged Research and Innovation, CQUniversity (2019)
• Research Thesis Prize for Academic Excellence, CQUniversity (2019)
• Opal Award for Engaged Research and Innovation, CQUniversity (2015)

Dr Trigg serves as Honours Program Coordinator for Public Health and is actively involved in research supervision. He has secured significant research funding, including a Medical Research Future Fund grant ($854,636, 2023-2026) and multiple NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence grants focused on achieving the tobacco endgame. His professional engagement includes roles as Board Member of Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco Oceania, National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction Tobacco & E-cigarette Expert Group, Associate Editor of Health Promotion Journal of Australia, and membership on the Flinders Human Research Ethics Committee.

He is actively engaged with multiple research initiatives including the FHMRI Health Equity Impact Program as an Associate Investigator. His work connects academic research with practical public health applications through collaborations with government health bodies, nonprofits, and various community organisations across Australia.