Patrick John Harris

Dr. Patrick John Harris is a Senior Research Fellow and lead at the Centre for Health Equity Training, Research and Evaluation, co-located between the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and the South Western Sydney Local Health District. His work bridges public health, urban planning, and policy analysis, focusing on equity-driven solutions for infrastructure, climate adaptation, and intersectoral governance.

• Research Focus: Health equity, healthy public policy, urban infrastructure, land use planning, climate governance, impact assessment
• Teaching: Coordinates the Policy Studies component of UNSW's Master of Public Health program and delivers global workshops on impact assessment, program logic, and realist evaluation.

Dr. Harris has secured over Aus$10 million in funding from organizations like NHMRC, ARC, and CIHR, including a 2015-2019 NHMRC Early Career Fellowship. He guest-edits Springer Nature's Cities, Infrastructure and Health collection and authored a 2023 book Illuminating Policy for Health (Palgrave MacMillan).

Key Research Trends include:

• Equity monitoring in urban policy
• Cross-sectoral governance for health
• Financial strain and pandemic recovery
• Climate resilience in Western Sydney
• Health impacts in transport and housing policy
• Critical realism as methodological framework

Scientific Awards:

• 2024 South Western Sydney LHD Translational Research Winner
• 2024 South Western Sydney LHD Contributing to Evidence Runner-up
• 2023 South Western Sydney Quality Awards Finalist
• 2020 UNSW South Western Sydney Clinical Campuses Research Centre of the Year
• 2010 International Association of Impact Assessment Institutional Award
• 2010 Australian Health Promotion Association Ray James Memorial Award

Supervision & Grants: Mentors PhD candidates like Glen Ramos (Pandemic Preparedness) and has completed supervision of Brendan Clifford (Housing and Homelessness). His Aus$10M+ grants address active transport infrastructure, pandemic response systems, housing support, and chronic disease prevention.

Policy Engagement: Served as Public Expert Witness for NSW Parliament on climate policy, energy supply, and planning laws. Active in the International Society of Urban Health and Greater Sydney Heat Taskforce.