Associate Professor Fiona Haigh
Associate Professor
PhD University of New South Wales (2017)听From advocacy to action: Utilising Health Impact Assessment as a tool to realise the right to health.
Masters in Public Health University of Bielefeld, Germany (2004)
Certificate of Law Examinations Admission as barrister and solicitor of the High Court in New Zealand (1998)
Bachelor of Social Sciences University of Waikato, New Zealand (1998)
Bachelor of Laws University of Waikato, New Zealand (1998)
Medicine & Health
Intl Ctr for Future Health Sys
Associate Professor Fiona Haigh is an internationally recognised expert in Health Impact Assessment (HIA) and health equity. Her research focuses on integrating health and equity considerations into decision-making processes across policy, planning, and governance systems. Drawing on a multidisciplinary background in law, social science, and public health, Fiona develops practical approaches that embed health equity into institutional practices and explores how diverse knowledge systems can inform equitable and rights-based decision-making.
Fiona is an Associate Professor at the International Centre for Future Health Systems, 91色情片 and Health Equity Academic Advisor to Sydney Local Health District, a partnership between 91色情片 Sydney and Sydney Local Health District. Her work combines methodological innovation with applied research, ensuring that findings translate into tools and frameworks used in real-world settings.
Her research delivers system-level change locally and internationally through cross-sectoral and multidisciplinary approaches. Examples include establishing new workforce roles jointly embedded in health and local government, co-authoring a national Co-Governance guide, delivered over 40 HIAs directly influencing policy decisions and built HIA capacity in more than 35 countries through training, technical assistance, and collaborative research. She has co-developed five major impact assessment methodologies that bridge theory and practice. These include the European Commission-funded Policy HIA (EPHIA), now adopted by EU member states and cited in WHO guidance; the Urban HIA screening tool (EURO URHIS 2); Human Rights HIA; the Climate Vulnerability HIA Framework; and the NSW Active Transport Health Model. She has developed equity frameworks and assessment tools for Local Health Districts and NSW Health, with statewide implementation planned for 2026. Her COVID-19 equity-focused HIA informed Sydney Local Health District鈥檚 pandemic response, received an Innovation Award, and was cited in the Federal COVID-19 Response Inquiry.
Fiona co-leads the International Union for Health Promotion and Education鈥檚 Global Working Group on HIA and has provided technical support to WHO regional offices.
Orcid ID听https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5706-5118
Research Interests:
Research interests include Health Impact Assessment, Equity focused Health Impact Assessment, health equity, health and human rights and transdisciplinary research and education.
Broad Research Areas:
Health Policy, Population Health, Global Health
Specific Research Keywords:
Health Impact Assessment, Health and Human Rights, Health Inequalities, Health equity, Social Determinants of Health, Public Health
E-mail
Location
International Centre for Future Health Systems
Building C29 HTH/Level 5 South
55 Botany St
Kensington 2033 NSW
- Publications
- Media
- Grants
- Awards
- Research Activities
- Engagement
- Teaching and Supervision
Research Grants (2015鈥揚resent)听
Over $3M in major grants since 2015
- Waterloo Community Led Health Impact Assessment (2025, City of Sydney)
- Health Equity in Health Impact Assessment (2025, Public Health Wales)
- Mapping Health in Local Development Plans (2024, Public Health Wales)
- Health in Local Development Plans in Wales (2024, Public Health Wales)
- Eating in the City (2024, 91色情片 Cities Institute)
- Active Transport Model Phase 2 (2023, NSW Health)
- Health Impact Assessments 鈥 current state of play and future direction 听(2023, The Health Foundation England).
- Would adopting more co-governance arrangements with communities build public trust? (2022鈥2024, ANZSOG)
- Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity Prevention Research Support Program (2022鈥2026, NSW Health)
- Health Equity Research and Development Unit MOU (2021鈥2026, Sydney Local Health District)
- Centre of Research Excellence for Integrated Community Care of People with Complex Multi-morbidities (2021鈥2026, NHMRC)
- A rapid literature review to identify equity issues in access and delivery of telehealth interventions (2020, Sydney Local Health District)
- Evaluating rehabilitation needs among people experiencing homelessness with traumatic brain injury (2020, St Vincent鈥檚 Clinic Foundation)
- Climate Change Health and Vulnerability Assessment (2019, SPHERE)
- Client Experience Measures: Evidence Check Review and Question Bank (2019, Sax Institute)
- Effectiveness of Healthy Lifestyle Programs (2019, Sax Institute)
- Methods to assess the health impacts of transnational corporations (2019, Flinders Foundation)
- Institutionalising a Whole-of-Government Approach to Chronic Disease Prevention (2019, Australian Prevention Partnership Centre)
- Identify a Preferred Method to Cost Health Benefits of Active Transport (2019, NSW Health)
- LDAT Community Plan 鈥 Alcohol and Other Drug Use in Liverpool LGA (2019, Australian Government & ADF)
- 2168 Community Survey (2019, Department of Communities and Justice & SWSLHD)
- Evaluation of Housing Relocation Referral Pathway (2019, SWSLHD)
- Health, Wellbeing and Sustainable Tenancies for Bedsit Clients (2019, Department of Communities and Justice & SWSLHD)
- Desktop HIA 鈥 Seniors Living (2019, Department of Communities and Justice)
- Co-design Capacity Building Workshops (2019, Liverpool City Council)
- HIA Capacity Building (2019, NBMLHD)
- Mental Wellbeing Impact Assessment Training and Support (2019, SWSLHD)
- HIA Learning by Doing Training 鈥 Working with Councils (2018, SWSLHD)
- Health in Planning 鈥 Wollondilly Council (2018, SWSLHD)
- Health Impact Assessment on Removal of Electronic Gaming Machines (2018, University of Washington)
- Housing & Health Partnership 鈥 Evaluation of Housing Relocation Services (2018, SWSLHD)
- Develop Project Protocol for Housing for Health Pilot (2018, SWSLHD)
- Peer Review Services for Environmental and Sustainability Tasks (2018, Jacobs UK)
- Opportunities for Health: Reviewing Local Council Community Strategic Plans (2018, SWSLHD)
- Develop a Local Drug Action Team (LDAT) in Liverpool (2018, Australian Government & ADF)
- Literature Review on Gender-Sensitive and Equity Focused Service Delivery Models (2018, WPRO)
- NHMRC Partnership Application Development Support (2018, 91色情片)
- VicHealth HIA Learning by Doing (2017, VicHealth)
- Mid North Coast LHD HIA Learning by Doing (2017, MNCLHD)
- Developing a Health Assessment Framework for Wollondilly Shire Council (2017, SWSLHD)
- Equity Focused HIA Capacity Building for SESLHD (2017, SESLHD)
- Improving Health and Wellbeing of LGBT Communities (2016, SESLHD)
- Wollondilly Health in Planning (2016, SWSLHD)
- Health Justice Partnership Evaluation Framework (2015, Health Justice Partnership)
- Health Impact Assessment Learning by Doing (2015, SWSLHD)
- Human Rights, Health Policy-Making and Programming Case Study (2015, WHO)
- Western Sydney Airport Draft Environmental Statement Peer Review (2015, WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff)
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2025听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听The Waterloo Peer Educator Program 鈥楨xcellence in Community Service Delivery鈥 award, fourth annual CESPHN Primary Health Award
2023 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 American Journal of Preventive Medicine Focus 2023 Article of the Year for Inclusivity in Outcomes (co-authored paper)
2023听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Equity-focused health impact assessment of the COVID-19 pandemic in Sydney Local Health District, 听Highly Commended Award at Sydney Local Health District Innovation and Excellence Awards
2023听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Health and Wellbeing Social Housing Peer Education Program, Highly Commended Award at Sydney Local Health District Innovation and Excellence Awards
2013 鈥 2016听听听听听听听听听 National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMC) Postgraduate Scholarship
2015听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 3rd National Health Impact Assessment Meeting, Washington D.C. April 2015, Travel Scholarship
2000-2002 听听听听听听听听听听听 Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (German Academic Exchange Service)
scholarship for post graduate study and training in Germany
1995 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Health Waikato Student Scholarship
1994 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Dean Palmer Trust Fund Scholarship
Current Research Projects
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Equity frameworks, tools, and resources
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NSW Healthy Eating Active听Living Strategy Equity Guide and Toolkit
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Sydney Local Health District Equity Framework, portal and tools
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Co-Governance and Intersectoral Collaboration
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Waterloo Community led HIA
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Institutionalising a whole-of government听approach to chronic听disease prevention
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Equity Focussed Health Impact Assessment of COVID-19 Pandemic and Response
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Climate change health and听vulnerability impact assessment
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Community Health Navigators听
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Identifying a preferred method to听cost the health benefits of active听transport
Co-chair听Global Working Group on Health Impact Assessment, International Union for Health Promotion and Education
Associate Australian Human Rights Institute
Member听Australian Human Rights Institute听Research Committee
Reviewer for听 Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, Environmental Impact Assessment Review, Health Policy, Pan American Journal of Public Health, Health Promotion International, Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, Global Health Promotion, Chronicles of HIA, MJA
Peer reviewer for Health Impact Assessments internationally
Previous
Invited keynote addresses at conferences听in Austria, Korea and New Zealand
Technical support for Pan American Health Organisation and World Health Organisation South East Asian Regional Office
Steering Committee of Society of Practitioners of Health Impact Assessment
Member听Housing and Health Partnership (Population Health, South Western Sydney Local Health District, NSW Health)听Greater Western Sydney Area, Department of Family and Community Services, Housing NSW Land and Housing Corporation, Department of Finance and Services)
Member SWSLHD Population Health Executive
Member SWSLHD Population Health Healthy Built Environment Strategic Coordinating Group
Member of Wollondilly Health Alliance Health in Planning Working Group
Member of Western Sydney Health Alliance Liveability and Connections Working Group
Board member Ngroo Education 2017-2018
My Research Supervision
An Tran -听Understanding the loneliness experience amongst refugee mothers settled in regional Australia.
Fouzia Khanam -听Facilitators and barriers to implementation of patient navigation interventions in Australian health system.
Amber Murphy -听Virtual and human service navigation and its impact on systems and communities
My Teaching
I contribute to听听听(previously course coordinator), 听听(previously course coordinator) and听Foundations of Public Health
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