Philip Burgess

Professor Philip Burgess is a leading academic in mental health services research and evaluation at the School of Public Health, University of Queensland, where he focuses on improving patient- and service-level outcomes in specialized public sector mental health care. He is based at the Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research and leads projects for the Australian Mental Health Outcomes and Classification Network (AMHOCN).

• Bachelor (Honours) of Arts, University of Melbourne
• Masters (Coursework), University of Melbourne
• Doctor of Philosophy, University of Melbourne

His research explores population patterns of mental health service utilization, evaluation of mental health care reforms, epidemiological and policy analyses for service planning, and clinical outcomes of public sector mental health treatment. Recent work includes epidemiological studies on co-occurring mental and substance use disorders, suicide prevention reforms, and disparities in cancer screening among mental health service users.

His publications from 2024–2025 focus on mental health prevalence, policy implications, and healthcare access disparities. Notable projects include the National Outcomes and Casemix Collection (NOCC) and evaluations of the Better Access initiative.

Professor Burgess has supervised PhD students, including Meredith Harris (2022), Harvey Whiteford and Wayne Hall (2014), and served as associate advisor for a 2011 thesis on cost-effectiveness in Thailand. Past funding includes grants from the Department of Health and Ageing and the University of Melbourne.