Associate Professor Steve Bell
Associate Professor

Steve Bell

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Background

A/Prof Steve Bell is a senior social scientist at the Burnet Institute and has 22 years’ experience across South-East Asia (India, Nepal), Africa (Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe) and Western Pacific (Australia, Indonesia, PNG, Fiji) Regions. 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.

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, so please do reach out to him at the Burnet Institute for a chat!

He holds associate professorial appointments at UNSW Sydney and The University of Queensland, is a Member of the International Editorial Board at Culture, Health & Sexuality, has been a Senior Advisor to the Boston Consulting Group, and has worked in research and consultancy roles with international governments, NGOs, UNAIDS, UNFPA and WHO.

Availability

Associate Professor Steve Bell is:
Available for supervision

Fields of research

Anthropology Anthropology not elsewhere classified Applied sociology, program evaluation and social impact assessment Biomedical and Clinical Sciences Development studies Gender studies Gender studies not elsewhere classified Health Sciences Health and community services Health equity Health geography Health promotion Health services and systems Health services and systems not elsewhere classified Health systems Human Society Human geography Implementation science and evaluation Indigenous Studies Intersectional studies Other Indigenous data, methodologies and global Indigenous studies Pacific Peoples health and wellbeing Pacific Peoples society and community Public health Public health not elsewhere classified Rural and remote health services Social change Social determinants of health Social geography Social program evaluation Social theory Social work Sociological methodology and research methods Sociology Sociology of gender Sociology of health Sociology of inequalities

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Human Geography, University of Leeds
  • Masters (Coursework) of Sustainable Development, unknown
  • Doctor of Philosophy of Social Science (Health Practice), Royal Holloway University of London

Research interests

  • Socio-structural determinants of health and wellbeing

    Critical qualitative enquiry; lived experiences research; operation of determinants of health; production of health inequities

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • Innovation in qualitative, participatory and ethnographic research

    Community-led research; working with community researchers; longitudinal research design; photovoice; peer research; participatory video

Search Professor Steve Bell’s works on UQ eSpace

126 works between 2005 and 2024
All (126) Journal Article (57) Book Chapter (6) Conference Publication (32) Book (2) Other Outputs (29)

121 - 126 of 126 works

2007

Journal Article

Conceptualizing agency in the lives and actions of rural young people

Robson, Elsbeth, Bell, Stephen and Klocker, Natascha (2007). Conceptualizing agency in the lives and actions of rural young people. Global Perspectives On Rural Childhood and Youth: Young Rural Lives, 135-148.

Conceptualizing agency in the lives and actions of rural young people

2007

Journal Article

'The child drums and the elder dances'? Girlfriends and boyfriends negotiating power relations in rural Uganda

Bell, Stephen (2007). 'The child drums and the elder dances'? Girlfriends and boyfriends negotiating power relations in rural Uganda. Global Perspectives On Rural Childhood and Youth: Young Rural Lives, 179-191.

'The child drums and the elder dances'? Girlfriends and boyfriends negotiating power relations in rural Uganda

2007

Journal Article

Power and place for rural young people

Punch, Samantha, Bell, Stephen, Costello, Lauren and Panelli, Ruth (2007). Power and place for rural young people. Global Perspectives On Rural Childhood and Youth: Young Rural Lives, 205-218.

Power and place for rural young people

2006

Conference Publication

Young people’s experiences of societal vulnerability: Linking gender, age and sexual norms with sexual health

Bell, S. (2006). Young people’s experiences of societal vulnerability: Linking gender, age and sexual norms with sexual health. Postgraduate Symposium, Department of Geography, Royal Holloway, London, United Kingdom, 27 September 2006.

Young people’s experiences of societal vulnerability: Linking gender, age and sexual norms with sexual health

2005

Conference Publication

‘The child drums and the elder dances?’ Girlfriends and boyfriends negotiating power relations in rural Uganda.

Bell, S. (2005). ‘The child drums and the elder dances?’ Girlfriends and boyfriends negotiating power relations in rural Uganda. . Royal Geographical Society Conference 2005, London, United Kingdom, 1 September 2005.

‘The child drums and the elder dances?’ Girlfriends and boyfriends negotiating power relations in rural Uganda.

2005

Conference Publication

Young Rural Lives: Reflections on Agency, and Power Relations and Processes

Bell, S. (2005). Young Rural Lives: Reflections on Agency, and Power Relations and Processes. Royal Geographical Society Conference 2005, London, United Kingdom, 1 September 2005.

Young Rural Lives: Reflections on Agency, and Power Relations and Processes

Availability

Associate Professor Steve Bell is:
Available for supervision

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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:

    1. 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
    2. Understanding and tackling the broad array of socio-structural determinants of health and wellbeing
    3. Design, implementation and evaluation of adolescent-responsive health services
    4. Innovation in community-located, community-led models of health care and support, including self-care approaches
    5. 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

Enquiries

For media enquiries about Associate Professor Steve Bell's areas of expertise, story ideas and help finding experts, contact our Media team:

communications@uq.edu.au