Shona Bates

Dr Shona Bates is a Research Fellow at the International Centre for Future Health Systems (ICFHS) at UNSW Sydney, with over a decade of experience in policy research and evaluation. She specializes in analyzing how services are organized and experienced by diverse populations, particularly in healthcare and public administration contexts. Her work integrates qualitative methods and transaction cost economics to evaluate policies and programs, focusing on effective service delivery models and equity outcomes.

Dr Bates has contributed to the ICFHS's research initiatives while collaborating across disciplines at UNSW on commissioned studies addressing public service efficiency and health system effectiveness. Her research spans primary care optimization, disability policy, hybrid service provision, and intersectionality in policy frameworks. She has published widely in journals such as the Medical Journal of Australia and Health Policy and Planning, with a focus on global health inequity, service delivery innovation, and governance models.

Key areas of expertise include public sector management, health systems strengthening, and social policy design. Her recent studies have explored co-commissioning models in healthcare, supported decision-making for people with disabilities, and the impact of hybrid service delivery in human services. Dr Bates' work emphasizes translating research into actionable policy recommendations to enhance service accessibility and equity.