Overview
Background
Associate Professor Meredith Harris is a researcher in the field of mental health services research and evaluation. She is a Principal Research Fellow with the School of Public Health at the University of Queensland, based at the Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research.
Meredith holds qualifications in psychology, policy and applied social research, and public health. She has over 25 years of experience in the management and administration of research projects, including systematic literature reviews, cross-sectional and longitudinal studies, studies based on epidemiological survey data, and evaluations of health programs and interventions using observational, quasi-experimental and experimental research designs.
Meredith's current role is with the Analysis and Reporting Component of the Australian Mental Health Outcomes and Classification Network (AMHOCN), which leads the design, analysis and reporting of the National Outcomes and Casemix Collection (http://www.amhocn.org/). In this role, she is leading a range of projects designed to improve the measurement of patient- and service-level outcomes in Australia's specialised public sector mental health services.
Availability
- Associate Professor Meredith Harris is:
- Available for supervision
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor (Honours) of Arts, Macquarie University
- Masters (Coursework), Macquarie University
- Masters (Coursework) of Public Health, University of Sydney
- Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland
Research interests
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Investigating clinical and psychosocial outcomes of mental health treatment services and models
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Evaluating primary mental health care reforms
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Understanding population patterns of health service utilisation for mental health problems
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Using epidemiological and policy analyses to inform mental health service planning decisions
Research impacts
Meredith has led several major research projects that have directly informed mental health policy and service planning. For example, she undertook two empirical mental health planning studies that developed service planning targets for public sector mental health services and community support services funded by the Queensland government. The recommendations from these studies were taken up directly in the subsequent Queensland Mental Health Plan 2007-17 and informed the Queensland Department of Communities’ Supporting Recovery: Mental Health Community Services Plan 2011-2017.
She has led or contributed to a number of projects related to initiatives implemented under the National Mental Health Strategy. For example, she was an investigator on several components of a government-funded evaluation of the Better Access initiative; particularly, she led Component B which involved an in-depth analysis of patterns of use of mental health services delivered subsidised via the Medicare Benefits Schedule. The evaluation contributed evidence that has been widely used in ongoing national debate about access, equity and outcomes associated with this major national mental health reform, and informed refinements to the program guidelines.
Meredith’s research has involved novel applications of epidemiological survey data to answer policy-relevant questions about the performance of Australia’s mental health system. Using these data, for example, she published the first study to quantify minimally adequate treatment for affective and anxiety disorders in the Australian mental health system, the first published independent evaluation of a major primary mental health care initiative (the Better Access program), and the first study to examine the match between practice guideline recommendations and treatment of subthreshold depression in Australian primary care settings. Collectively, these studies have contributed to ongoing debates and efforts to understand the impact of policy and service impacts of measures of disease burden related to mental disorders.
Works
Search Professor Meredith Harris’s works on UQ eSpace
2025
Journal Article
Barriers to 12-month treatment of common anxiety, mood, and substance use disorders in the World Mental Health (WMH) surveys
Viana, Maria Carmen, Kazdin, Alan E., Harris, Meredith G., Stein, Dan J., Vigo, Daniel V., Hwang, Irving, Manoukian, Sophie M., Sampson, Nancy A., Alonso, Jordi, Andrade, Laura Helena, Borges, Guilherme, Bunting, Brendan, Caldas-de-Almeida, José Miguel, de Girolamo, Giovanni, de Jonge, Peter, Gureje, Oye, Haro, Josep Maria, Karam, Elie G., Kovess-Masfety, Viviane, Moskalewicz, Jacek, Navarro-Mateu, Fernando, Nishi, Daisuke, Piazza, Marina, Posada-Villa, José, Scott, Kate M., Vladescu, Cristian, Wojtyniak, Bogdan, Zarkov, Zahari, Kessler, Ronald C. ... Aguilar-Gaxiola, Sergio (2025). Barriers to 12-month treatment of common anxiety, mood, and substance use disorders in the World Mental Health (WMH) surveys. International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 19 (1) 6. doi: 10.1186/s13033-024-00658-2
2025
Journal Article
Patterns and predictors of 12-month treatment of common anxiety, mood, and substance use disorders in the World Mental Health (WMH) surveys: treatment in the context of perceived need
Stein, Dan J., Vigo, Daniel V., Harris, Meredith G., Kazdin, Alan E., Viana, Maria Carmen, Hwang, Irving, Kessler, Timothy L., Manoukian, Sophie M., Sampson, Nancy A., Alonso, Jordi, Andrade, Laura Helena, Benjet, Corina, Bruffaerts, Ronny, Bunting, Brendan, Cardoso, Graca, Chardoul, Stephanie, de Girolamo, Giovanni, de Jonge, Peter, Gureje, Oye, Haro, Josep Maria, Karam, Elie G., Kovess-Masfety, Viviane, Moskalewicz, Jacek, Navarro-Mateu, Fernando, Nishi, Daisuke, Posada-Villa, Jose, Scott, Kate, Stagnaro, Juan Carlos, Vladescu, Cristian ... Zaslavsky, Alan M. (2025). Patterns and predictors of 12-month treatment of common anxiety, mood, and substance use disorders in the World Mental Health (WMH) surveys: treatment in the context of perceived need. International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 19 (1) 10. doi: 10.1186/s13033-025-00661-1
2025
Journal Article
Effective Treatment for Mental and Substance Use Disorders in 21 Countries
Vigo, Daniel V., Stein, Dan J., Harris, Meredith G., Kazdin, Alan E., Viana, Maria Carmen, Munthali, Richard, Munro, Lonna, Hwang, Irving, Kessler, Timothy L., Manoukian, Sophie M., Sampson, Nancy A., Kessler, Ronald C. and and the World Mental Health Survey Collaborators (2025). Effective Treatment for Mental and Substance Use Disorders in 21 Countries. JAMA Psychiatry, 1-11. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2024.4378
2025
Journal Article
The sense of safety theoretical framework: a trauma-informed and healing-oriented approach for whole person care
Lynch, Johanna M., Stange, Kurt C., Dowrick, Christopher, Getz, Linn, Meredith, Pamela J., Van Driel, Mieke L., Harris, Meredith G., Tillack, Kate and Tapp, Caley (2025). The sense of safety theoretical framework: a trauma-informed and healing-oriented approach for whole person care. Frontiers in Psychology, 15 1441493, 15. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1441493
2024
Journal Article
Policy implications of the 2020–22 Australian study of mental health and wellbeing
Teesson, Maree, Whiteford, Harvey, Bower, Marlee, Smout, Scarlett, Burgess, Philip, Harris, Meredith G., Pirkis, Jane, Diminic, Sandra, Baillie, Andrew, Slade, Tim and Chapman, Cath (2024). Policy implications of the 2020–22 Australian study of mental health and wellbeing. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 48674241292961. doi: 10.1177/00048674241292961
2024
Journal Article
Co-occurring mental and substance use disorders in Australia 2020–2022: Prevalence, patterns, conditional probabilities and correlates in the general population
Sunderland, Matthew, Vescovi, Joshua, Chapman, Cath, Arya, Vikas, Harris, Meredith, Burgess, Philip, Marel, Christina, Mills, Katherine, Baillie, Andrew, Teesson, Maree and Slade, Tim (2024). Co-occurring mental and substance use disorders in Australia 2020–2022: Prevalence, patterns, conditional probabilities and correlates in the general population. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 48674241284913. doi: 10.1177/00048674241284913
2024
Journal Article
The epidemiology of mental and substance use disorders in Australia 2020–22: Prevalence, socio-demographic correlates, severity, impairment and changes over time
Slade, Tim, Vescovi, Joshua, Chapman, Cath, Teesson, Maree, Arya, Vikas, Pirkis, Jane, Harris, Meredith G., Burgess, Philip M., Santomauro, Damian, O’Dean, Siobhan, Tapp, Caley and Sunderland, Matthew (2024). The epidemiology of mental and substance use disorders in Australia 2020–22: Prevalence, socio-demographic correlates, severity, impairment and changes over time. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 48674241275892. doi: 10.1177/00048674241275892
2024
Journal Article
Suicidal ideation, suicide plans and suicide attempts among Australian adults: Findings from the 2020–2022 National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing
Arya, Vikas, Burgess, Philip, Diminic, Sandra, Harris, Meredith G., Slade, Tim, Sunderland, Matthew, Tapp, Caley, Vescovi, Joshua and Pirkis, Jane (2024). Suicidal ideation, suicide plans and suicide attempts among Australian adults: Findings from the 2020–2022 National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 48674241256753. doi: 10.1177/00048674241256753
2024
Other Outputs
Evaluation services for the SANE pilot for people with complex mental health needs: Final report
Boyle, Fran, Diminic, Sandra, Chatterton, Mary Lou, Salom, Caroline, Dean, Julie H., Huang, Yanshu, Lee, Yong Yi, Harris, Meredith, Yousef, Noor, Lohan, Aditi, Juckel, Jennifer and Marrington, Shelby (2024). Evaluation services for the SANE pilot for people with complex mental health needs: Final report. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: The University of Queensland.
2024
Journal Article
Factors associated with satisfaction and perceived helpfulness of mental healthcare: a World Mental Health Surveys report
Harris, Meredith G., Kazdin, Alan E., Munthali, Richard J., Vigo, Daniel V., Stein, Dan J., Viana, Maria Carmen, Aguilar-Gaxiola, Sergio, Al-Hamzawi, Ali, Alonso, Jordi, Andrade, Laura Helena, Bunting, Brendan, Chardoul, Stephanie, Gureje, Oye, Hu, Chiyi, Hwang, Irving, Karam, Elie G., Navarro-Mateu, Fernando, Nishi, Daisuke, Orozco, Ricardo, Sampson, Nancy A., Scott, Kate M., Vladescu, Cristian, Wojtyniak, Bogdan, Xavier, Miguel, Zarkov, Zahari and Kessler, Ronald C. (2024). Factors associated with satisfaction and perceived helpfulness of mental healthcare: a World Mental Health Surveys report. International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 18 (1) 11. doi: 10.1186/s13033-024-00629-7
2024
Journal Article
Persons with mental disorders and suicidality in crisis or high-risk situations involving police negotiation: a systematic review
Clugston, Bobbie, Meurk, Carla, Harris, Meredith, Burgess, Philip and Heffernan, Ed (2024). Persons with mental disorders and suicidality in crisis or high-risk situations involving police negotiation: a systematic review. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 31 (1), 57-75. doi: 10.1080/13218719.2023.2175066
2023
Journal Article
Patterns, predictors, and patient-reported reasons for antidepressant discontinuation in the WHO World Mental Health Surveys
Kazdin, Alan E., Harris, Meredith G., Hwang, Irving, Sampson, Nancy A., Stein, Dan J., Viana, Maria Carmen, Vigo, Daniel V., Wu, Chi-Shin, Aguilar-Gaxiola, Sergio, Alonso, Jordi, Benjet, Corina, Bruffaerts, Ronny, Caldas-Almeida, José Miguel, Cardoso, Graça, Caselani, Elisa, Chardoul, Stephanie, Cía, Alfredo, de Jonge, Peter, Gureje, Oye, Haro, Josep Maria, Karam, Elie G., Kovess-Masfety, Viviane, Navarro-Mateu, Fernando, Piazza, Marina, Posada-Villa, José, Scott, Kate M., Stagnaro, Juan Carlos, Ten Have, Margreet, Torres, Yolanda ... WHO World Mental Health Survey collaborators (2023). Patterns, predictors, and patient-reported reasons for antidepressant discontinuation in the WHO World Mental Health Surveys. Psychological Medicine, 54 (1), 1-12. doi: 10.1017/s0033291723002507
2023
Journal Article
Age of onset and cumulative risk of mental disorders: a cross-national analysis of population surveys from 29 countries
McGrath, John J, Al-Hamzawi, Ali, Alonso, Jordi, Altwaijri, Yasmin, Andrade, Laura H, Bromet, Evelyn J, Bruffaerts, Ronny, de Almeida, José Miguel Caldas, Chardoul, Stephanie, Chiu, Wai Tat, Degenhardt, Louisa, Demler, Olga V, Ferry, Finola, Gureje, Oye, Haro, Josep Maria, Karam, Elie G, Karam, Georges, Khaled, Salma M, Kovess-Masfety, Viviane, Magno, Marta, Medina-Mora, Maria Elena, Moskalewicz, Jacek, Navarro-Mateu, Fernando, Nishi, Daisuke, Plana-Ripoll, Oleguer, Posada-Villa, José, Rapsey, Charlene, Sampson, Nancy A, Stagnaro, Juan Carlos ... Zaslavsky, Alan M. (2023). Age of onset and cumulative risk of mental disorders: a cross-national analysis of population surveys from 29 countries. The Lancet Psychiatry, 10 (9), 668-681. doi: 10.1016/s2215-0366(23)00193-1
2023
Journal Article
Development and evaluation of a risk algorithm predicting alcohol dependence after early onset of regular alcohol use
Bharat, Chrianna, Glantz, Meyer D., Aguilar‐Gaxiola, Sergio, Alonso, Jordi, Bruffaerts, Ronny, Bunting, Brendan, Caldas‐de‐Almeida, José Miguel, Cardoso, Graça, Chardoul, Stephanie, de Jonge, Peter, Gureje, Oye, Haro, Josep Maria, Harris, Meredith G., Karam, Elie G., Kawakami, Norito, Kiejna, Andrzej, Kovess‐Masfety, Viviane, Lee, Sing, McGrath, John J., Moskalewicz, Jacek, Navarro‐Mateu, Fernando, Rapsey, Charlene, Sampson, Nancy A., Scott, Kate M., Tachimori, Hisateru, ten Have, Margreet, Vilagut, Gemma, Wojtyniak, Bogdan, Xavier, Miguel ... Degenhardt, Louisa (2023). Development and evaluation of a risk algorithm predicting alcohol dependence after early onset of regular alcohol use. Addiction, 118 (5), 954-966. doi: 10.1111/add.16122
2023
Journal Article
Early impacts of the ‘National Suicide Prevention Trial’ on trends in suicide and hospital admissions for self-harm in Australia
Page, Andrew, Pirkis, Jane, Bandara, Piumee, Oostermeijer, Sanne, Hall, Teresa, Burgess, Philip M., Harris, Meredith and Currier, Dianne (2023). Early impacts of the ‘National Suicide Prevention Trial’ on trends in suicide and hospital admissions for self-harm in Australia. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 57 (10), 1384-1393. doi: 10.1177/00048674231166330
2023
Journal Article
Determinants of effective treatment coverage for posttraumatic stress disorder: findings from the World Mental Health Surveys
Stein, Dan J., Kazdin, Alan E., Munthali, Richard J., Hwang, Irving, Harris, Meredith G., Alonso, Jordi, Andrade, Laura Helena, Bruffaerts, Ronny, Cardoso, Graça, Chardoul, Stephanie, de Girolamo, Giovanni, Florescu, Silvia, Gureje, Oye, Haro, Josep Maria, Karam, Aimee N., Karam, Elie G., Kovess-Masfety, Viviane, Lee, Sing, Medina-Mora, Maria Elena, Navarro-Mateu, Fernando, Posada-Villa, José, Stagnaro, Juan Carlos, ten Have, Margreet, Sampson, Nancy A., Kessler, Ronald C., Vigo, Daniel V., Aguilar-Gaxiola, Sergio, Al-Hamzawi, Ali, Altwaijri, Yasmin A. ... on behalf of the WHO World Mental Health Survey Collaborators (2023). Determinants of effective treatment coverage for posttraumatic stress disorder: findings from the World Mental Health Surveys. BMC Psychiatry, 23 (1) 226, 1-12. doi: 10.1186/s12888-023-04605-2
2023
Other Outputs
Evaluation of services for the SANE Australia pilot for people with complex mental health needs: Interim Report
Boyle, F.M., Diminic, S., Chatterton, M.L., Maravilla, J., Dean, J.H., Harris, M., Lee, Y.Y., Marrington, S., Yousef, N. and Salom, C. (2023). Evaluation of services for the SANE Australia pilot for people with complex mental health needs: Interim Report. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland.
2023
Conference Publication
Early impacts of the ‘National Suicide Prevention Trial’ on trends in suicide and hospital admissions for self-harm in Australia
Page, A., Pirkis, J., Bandara, P., Oostermeijer, S., Burgess, P., Harris, M. and Currier, D. (2023). Early impacts of the ‘National Suicide Prevention Trial’ on trends in suicide and hospital admissions for self-harm in Australia. 32nd International Association for Suicide Prevention World Congress, Piran, Slovenia, 19-22 September 2023.
2022
Other Outputs
Evaluation of the Better Access initiative – final report
Pirkis, Jane, Currier, Dianne, Harris, Meredith, Mihalopoulos, Cathy, Arya, Vikas, Banfield, Michelle, Bassilios, Bridget, Buchanan, Ben, Butterworth, Peter, Brophy, Lisa, Burgess, Philip, Chatterton, Mary Lou, Chilver, Miranda, Eagar, Kathy, Faller, Jan, Fossey, Ellie, Ftanou, Maria, Gunn, Jane, Kruger, Ariel, Le, Long, Newton, Danielle, Roberts, Leo, Scurrah, Katrina, Scheurer, Roman, Spittal, Matthew, Tapp, Caley, van Gelder, Tim and Williamson, Michelle (2022). Evaluation of the Better Access initiative – final report. Canberra, ACT, Australia: Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care.
2022
Journal Article
Perceived helpfulness of service sectors used for mental and substance use disorders: Findings from the WHO World Mental Health Surveys
Harris, Meredith G., Kazdin, Alan E., Munthali, Richard J., Vigo, Daniel V., Hwang, Irving, Sampson, Nancy A., Al-Hamzawi, Ali, Alonso, Jordi, Andrade, Laura Helena, Borges, Guilherme, Bunting, Brendan, Florescu, Silvia, Gureje, Oye, Karam, Elie G., Lee, Sing, Navarro-Mateu, Fernando, Nishi, Daisuke, Rapsey, Charlene, Scott, Kate M., Stagnaro, Juan Carlos, Viana, Maria Carmen, Wojtyniak, Bogdan, Xavier, Miguel and Kessler, Ronald C. (2022). Perceived helpfulness of service sectors used for mental and substance use disorders: Findings from the WHO World Mental Health Surveys. International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 16 (1) 6, 6. doi: 10.1186/s13033-022-00516-z
Funding
Current funding
Supervision
Availability
- Associate Professor Meredith Harris is:
- Available for supervision
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Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Mental Health Service Planning in Australia
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Harvey Whiteford, Dr Sandra Diminic
Completed supervision
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2022
Doctor Philosophy
Australian Mental Health Court Liaison Services: developing an approach to performance measurement
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Philip Burgess
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2020
Doctor Philosophy
Exploring the characteristics and service needs of carers for adults with mental illness to inform mental health service planning
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Dan Siskind, Professor Harvey Whiteford
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2020
Doctor Philosophy
Who receives what, from whom, and to what effect at clinically operated, community-based residential mental health rehabilitation for Severe and Persistent Mental Illness in Australia?
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Dan Siskind, Professor Harvey Whiteford
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2019
Doctor Philosophy
Decision-analytic modelling to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of interventions to reduce the burden of major depression in Australia
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Harvey Whiteford
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2019
Doctor Philosophy
Cognitive remediation and social cognition interaction training:implementation and dessimination in a clinical setting
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Neal Ashkanasy, Dr Damian Santomauro, Professor Harvey Whiteford
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2019
Doctor Philosophy
Access to Allied Psychological Services (ATAPS): The performance of a major Australian primary mental health initiative
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Harvey Whiteford
Media
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