Overview
Background
A/Prof Stephen Bell is a senior social scientist, advisor and international development research consultant with 23 years’ experience tackling global health challenges in settings across South-East Asia, Africa, Western Pacific and Europe. He works respectfully with not-for-profits, public institutions, businesses and community organisations, using innovative, inclusive, people-centred approaches to identify sustainable solutions to critical health challenges and accelerate health equity.
As Principal Research Fellow and ‘Theme Lead - Social Science and Global Health’ at the Burnet Institute, Steve’s role includes:
- Research on young people's sexual, reproductive and maternal health, including adolescent-responsive health services and systems, contraceptive innovation, safe abortion, enabling socio-structural environments, and the intersections of health and climate change;
- Providing methodological expertise, technical support and mentoring in social science, co-design and community-based, community-led research practice across the Institute’s global health programs and business development across working groups and programs;
- Supporting a growing regional network of youth research, advocacy and thought leadership hubs across Asia and the Pacific;
- Managing and delivering consultancy, advisory and research work for institutional partners.
Steve’s work brings together lived experience, socio-ecological systems thinking and social theory to understand what works (or not) in global health and social development. He has researched and published widely on HIV, sexual and reproductive health, maternal health, neglected tropical diseases, TB and Indigenous health. He is particularly interested in understanding the socio-structural determinants of health and social inequities, and injustices associated with marginalisation due to gender, sexuality, age and geography. He has published two edited collections on interpretive and community-led approaches in research, design, monitoring and evaluation: ‘Peer research in health and social development: international perspectives on participatory research’ (2021), and ‘Monitoring and evaluation in health and social development: interpretive and ethnographic perspectives’ (2016). With international colleagues, he is working on a third edited collection called, ‘Lived Experience: Critical Perspectives in a Changing World’. Steve is currently taking on new PhD students who are interested in undertaking research in any of these areas, so please do reach out to him for a chat!
Steve is Commissioner on The Lancet Global Health Commission on People-Centered Care for Universal Health Coverage, Technical Consultant (Strategy and Insights) with PSI, and Member of the International Editorial Board at Culture, Health & Sexuality. Steve has served as a Senior Advisor to the Boston Consulting Group, and has worked in senior research and consultancy roles with international governments, NGOs, UNAIDS, UNFPA and WHO.
Availability
- Associate Professor Steve Bell is:
- Available for supervision
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Human Geography, University of Leeds
- Masters (Coursework) of Sustainable Development, Royal Holloway, University of London
- Doctor of Philosophy of Social Science (Health Practice), Royal Holloway University of London
Research interests
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Socio-structural determinants of health and wellbeing
Critical qualitative enquiry; lived experiences research; operation of determinants of health; production of health inequities
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Community action, activism and resistance for social justice and health equity
Community-based participatory research; working with community researchers; understanding operations of power; social change; role of community organisations and collectives; theorising agency
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Sexual, reproductive and maternal health of young people
Youth-led co-design of services, programs and policies; qualitative research design; health and social risks; agency and action; sex-positive and rights-based approaches
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Community-based HIV research with key populations
Individual and collective agency; forms of solidarity and action; concepts of agency, vulnerability and social practice; community-led innovation in HIV testing, treatment and care
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Innovation in qualitative, participatory and ethnographic research
Community-led research; working with community researchers; longitudinal research design; photovoice; peer research; participatory video
Works
Search Professor Steve Bell’s works on UQ eSpace
2014
Conference Publication
Health service-based HIV testing and counselling: a review of European guidelines
Bell, S. and De Wit, J. (2014). Health service-based HIV testing and counselling: a review of European guidelines. HepHIV2014 Conference, Barcelona, Spain, 5 October 2014.
2014
Conference Publication
Extending bio-medical sexual health and safe motherhood interventions to young women in developing country contexts – challenges and opportunities
Bell, S. (2014). Extending bio-medical sexual health and safe motherhood interventions to young women in developing country contexts – challenges and opportunities. HHARD Conference, Sydney, NSW Australia, 20 February 2014.
2013
Journal Article
Social influences on young people's sexual health in Uganda
Bell, Stephen and Aggleton, Peter (2013). Social influences on young people's sexual health in Uganda. Health Education, 113 (2), 102-114. doi: 10.1108/09654281311298795
2012
Journal Article
Time to invest in a 'counterpublic health' approach: Promoting sexual health amongst sexually active young people in rural Uganda
Bell, Stephen A. and Aggleton, Peter (2012). Time to invest in a 'counterpublic health' approach: Promoting sexual health amongst sexually active young people in rural Uganda. Children's Geographies, 10 (4), 385-397. doi: 10.1080/14733285.2012.726066
2012
Journal Article
Integrating ethnographic principles in ngo monitoring and impact evaluation
Bell, Stephen A. and Aggleton, Peter (2012). Integrating ethnographic principles in ngo monitoring and impact evaluation. Journal of International Development, 24 (6), 795-807. doi: 10.1002/jid.2868
2012
Other Outputs
Review of literature – maternal and reproductive health in Bangladesh
Bell, S. (2012). Review of literature – maternal and reproductive health in Bangladesh. London, United Kingdom: Options Consultancy Services.
2012
Other Outputs
Review of literature – maternal and reproductive health in Zambia
Bell, S. (2012). Review of literature – maternal and reproductive health in Zambia. London, United Kingdom: Options Consultancy Services.
2012
Other Outputs
Review of literature – maternal and reproductive health in India
Bell, S. (2012). Review of literature – maternal and reproductive health in India. London, United Kingdom: Options Consultancy Services.
2012
Journal Article
Young people and sexual agency in rural Uganda
Bell, Stephen A. (2012). Young people and sexual agency in rural Uganda. Culture, Health and Sexuality, 14 (3), 283-296. doi: 10.1080/13691058.2011.635808
2012
Other Outputs
PEER Research to improve reproductive health services in rural Bhopal, India
Bell, S., Grellier, R., Vaid, M., Shrivastava, R., Bhat, S. and Grewal, M. (2012). PEER Research to improve reproductive health services in rural Bhopal, India. London, United Kingdom: Options Consultancy Services Limited.
2012
Other Outputs
Demand side financing and coping strategies for institutional deliveries
Bell, S (2012). Demand side financing and coping strategies for institutional deliveries. London: Options Consultancy Services Limited.
2012
Other Outputs
Revising facility health committee training on the drug revolving fund/sustainable drug supply
Grellier, R, Bell, S and Rowlands, P (2012). Revising facility health committee training on the drug revolving fund/sustainable drug supply. London: Options Consultancy Services Limited.
2012
Other Outputs
Prevention of maternal death from unwanted pregnancy. PEER Research to improve reproductive health services in Solwezi, North Western Province, Zambia
Bell, S., Peleka, V., Falanga, M. and Phiri, F. (2012). Prevention of maternal death from unwanted pregnancy. PEER Research to improve reproductive health services in Solwezi, North Western Province, Zambia. London, United Kingdom: Options Consultancy Services Limited.
2011
Other Outputs
Young people and sexual agency in rural Uganda
Bell, Stephen and Aggleton, Peter (2011). Young people and sexual agency in rural Uganda. Brighton, United Kingdom: University of Sussex. doi: 10.13140/RG.2.2.27607.78243
2011
Other Outputs
Using ethnography in monitoring and impact evaluation – a new approach
Bell, Stephen and Aggleton, Peter (2011). Using ethnography in monitoring and impact evaluation – a new approach. Brighton, United Kingdom: University of Sussex. doi: 10.13140/RG.2.2.30406.98880
2011
Other Outputs
Social influences on young people’s sexual health in Uganda
Bell, Stephen and Aggleton, Peter (2011). Social influences on young people’s sexual health in Uganda. Brighton, United Kingdom: University of Sussex. doi: 10.13140/RG.2.2.27607.78243
2011
Conference Publication
Integrating ethnographic principles in NGO monitoring and impact evaluation
Bell, S. (2011). Integrating ethnographic principles in NGO monitoring and impact evaluation. Development Studies Association/European Association of Development Research and Training Institute Annual Conference, York, United Kingdom, 19-22 September 2011.
2011
Other Outputs
Counterpublic health programming with sexually active young people
Bell, S. and Aggleton, P. (2011). Counterpublic health programming with sexually active young people. Brighton, United Kingdom: Sussex University.
2011
Other Outputs
Girl Hub: A State of the Nation report about girls in Rwanda
Bell, S. and Payne, R. (2011). Girl Hub: A State of the Nation report about girls in Rwanda. London, United Kingdom: Restless Development.
2011
Other Outputs
Voices from the Community: Access to Health Services A Rapid Participatory Ethnographic Evaluation and Researh (PEER) Study, Nepal
Thomas, D, Bell, S, Dahal, K, Grellier, R, Jha, C, Prasai, S and Subedi, HN (2011). Voices from the Community: Access to Health Services A Rapid Participatory Ethnographic Evaluation and Researh (PEER) Study, Nepal. Kathmandu, Nepal: Government of Nepal .
Supervision
Availability
- Associate Professor Steve Bell is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Available projects
-
Young people and global health across Asia and the Pacific
Steve’s work brings together lived experience, socio-ecological systems thinking and social theory to understand what works (or not) in global health and social development. He has researched and published widely on HIV, sexual and reproductive health, maternal health, neglected tropical diseases, TB and Indigenous health. He is particularly interested in understanding the socio-structural determinants of health and social inequities, and injustices associated with marginalisation due to gender, sexuality, age and geography. He has also published two books on interpretive and community-led approaches in research, design, monitoring and evaluation: ‘Peer research in health and social development: international perspectives on participatory research’ (2021), and ‘Monitoring and evaluation in health and social development: interpretive and ethnographic perspectives’ (2016). He is currently taking on new PhD students in these areas, with particular interest examining young people's experiences of global health across Asia and the Pacific. Please reach out for a chat if you're interested in any of the following topics:
- Solutions-oriented approaches, led by young people – as researchers, advocates, health experts and agents of change – that will enable a step-change in youth-centred health care
- Understanding and tackling the broad array of socio-structural determinants of health and wellbeing
- Design, implementation and evaluation of adolescent-responsive health services
- Innovation in community-located, community-led models of health care and support, including self-care approaches
- Understanding the impacts of climate on young people’s health and health service provision, and young people’s work to adapt to or mitigate the effects of climate change on their lives, families and communities
Media
Enquiries
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