Gary Jones

My research and field practice have contributed towards measurable improvements in health outcomes, policy frameworks and community resilience for vulnerable populations including people living with HIV in conflict zones, migrants and asylum seekers, internally displaced persons and youth in urban poverty.

I co-authored the revised IASC Guidelines on Addressing HIV in Humanitarian Settings, the definitive UN framework guiding national and international responses to HIV in crises. I was the lead author for a comprehensive toolkit on health and wellness in emergency settings and integrating migration into national health interventions, now used by UN agencies, governments, and NGOs globally. I developed an online interactive module for understanding HIV, STIs, health, stigma and resilience in crisis settings.

• Grant management Operational research, knowledge translation and programme design for two country Global Fund grants classified as ‘best performing’ (WHO), delivering HIV, TB, health and education outcomes in Somalia, Yemen and North Korea under conflict conditions.
• Sexual and gender-based violence Research on sexual violence in conflict settings (including Ukraine 2022–2024) has added to the stock of evidence underpinning AU and UN advocacy and peacekeeping policy.
• HIV meta-analysis Co-authored a systematic review on HIV testing disruptions during COVID-19, informing service repositioning strategies across health systems.
• Migrant health Co-authored EU-wide research on HIV among migrants in precarious circumstances, directly informing European health policy and the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.
• Reconciliation Embedding Indigenous education equity into institutional policy through a Stretch Reconciliation Action Plan at Central Queensland University.
• Health equity Developed a health equity framework for migrants living or in transit in the EEC focussing on chronic disease and mitigation of stigma and discrimination in the context of HIV and STI.

Building capacity across four continents through mentoring, training, and teaching. Including, design and delivery of peer-led care systems reaching internally displaced communities across Sudan and South Sudan, initiating protection programmes for street-connected youth in Khartoum and led conflict resolution initiatives across Somalia and the Horn of Africa.

In Queensland, I provide strategic advice on community health and wellbeing (Maisha Bora), supporting integration of African refugees (Africa Association) and serve on boards focused on child welfare (Slum Child Foundation, Kenya) and women’s peace (Women’s Peace Institute, South Sudan).