Rate My Professor Graham Brown

Professor Graham Brown is a Professorial Research Fellow and Professor at the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society (ARCSHS), housed within the School of Psychology and Public Health at La Trobe University. He holds a PhD from Curtin University in Perth, Australia. With more than thirty years of experience, Professor Brown has worked extensively in HIV community-based organisations and health promotion-related research. His career encompasses community-led health promotion, social change initiatives, and evaluation practices, where he has demonstrated a strong commitment to translating research findings into practical applications. He possesses expertise in areas such as gay and lesbian health.

Professor Brown's research leadership focuses on strengthening peer-led and lived or living experience-led organisations, as well as exploring clinical, community, and peer service partnerships to enhance the quality of life for people living with HIV. He is a key member of the ARCSHS leadership team and leads research teams dedicated to building evidence for effective community responses, including the roles of non-governmental organisations, community development, and peer-based programs. His current work applies systems thinking and concepts from complex adaptive systems to better understand and bolster community and peer-led programs in populations affected by HIV, hepatitis C, and within LGBTQ+ communities. Notably, he led the W3 Project, a collaboration between ARCSHS researchers and peer organisations, which developed the W3 Framework for evaluating peer work in Australia's public health responses to HIV and hepatitis C. This initiative, funded by the Australian Government Department of Health, spanned multiple phases from 2013, including framework development, piloting, and a national study on peer-led programs' evidence and impact. Key publications include 'Tackling structural stigma: a systems perspective' (2022), contributions to HIV Futures reports on quality of life among people living with HIV in Australia, and works on networks in flux examining power and influence in the Victorian HIV and hepatitis C sector. Professor Brown's contributions have advanced participatory research and peer-led approaches in public health.