Julia Anaf

Dr Julia Anaf is an NHMRC Grant-Funded Researcher B at the University of Adelaide, working within the School of Social Sciences in the Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Economics. She is currently employed part-time on the NHMRC Investigator Grant 'Restoring the Fair Go: which policies and practices are likely to reverse growing health inequities post Covid-19?' where she leads the privatisation theme investigating health impacts from privatization and outsourcing of public sector roles to private entities, including large global consultancy and accounting firms.

Dr Anaf's research focuses on the social, political and economic determinants of health and health equity, with particular expertise in the commercial determinants of health. Her work examines how commercial actors drive health outcomes and equity through their systems, practices, and pathways. She has contributed significantly to establishing a research agenda on the health impacts of transnational corporations and has conducted health impact assessments of corporations in fast food, extractives, and alcohol industries across Australia and Southern Africa. Her research employs critical theory frameworks and health impact assessment methodologies to analyze corporate practices through a health equity lens.

Her recent publications demonstrate strong trends in analyzing the health implications of corporate practices, privatization, and outsourcing. Over the past few years, she has published extensively on topics including the health impacts of transnational corporations, commercial determinants of health, privatization of government services, and the influence of global consultancy firms on public health policy. Her work bridges academic research with practical policy applications, making significant contributions to understanding how commercial forces shape population health outcomes.

Dr Anaf has made notable contributions to policy discussions, including helping to convene a Citizen's Jury that provided recommendations to government for improved regulation of the fast-food sector. Her research has direct implications for health policy development and regulatory frameworks aimed at addressing corporate influences on population health.