Professor Caroline Miller

Professor Caroline Miller is the Director of the Health Policy Centre at SAHMRI. She is also an NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow 2 at the University of Adelaide. Caroline is qualified in Psychology, Economics and Public Health.

The Health Policy Centre undertakes research in public health prevention - specialising in tobacco and vaping, food policy and obesity prevention, alcohol and social marketing and communication for health behaviour change.

Caroline has specialised in tobacco control for 30 years. She was one of a select group of scientists advising the Australian Government on world-leading tobacco plain packaging laws. She led elements and contributed to the larger research program which underpinned the law, and its defence against international legal challenges. She established and leads the Tobacco Control Research + Evaluation program which undertakes population monitoring, research and evaluation in all aspects of tobacco control, including vaping. She advises governments locally and internationally in preventive health.

Caroline leads an NHMRC-funded program of public health research in food policy and obesity prevention, with a specialist focus on ultra-processed foods, sugar sweetened and non-sugar sweetened beverages. She has specialist expertise in labelling and is currently investigating added sugar labels and consumer warning labels for beverages. The Centre also has research interests in weight-related stigma.

The Centre has specialist expertise in health communication and social marketing campaigns. Caroline's doctoral studies were in social marketing. The Centre brings decades of experience in tobacco control campaigns, and recent experience in obesity prevention and in alcohol and maternal health, evaluating the National alcohol and pregnancy Every Moment Matters campaign.

During COVID-19, the Centre stood-up a COVID-19 Analytics Unit providing rapid evidence syntheses, mathematical modelling and strategic advice to support Australian responses to COVID-19.

Previously the Centre has undertaken research investigating the unmet psychological needs and help-seeking in adolescents; psychosocial needs of people who have been diagnosed with cancer; and Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) in cancer.

Caroline leads SAHMRI’s Community and Consumer Engagement strategy.

She is President of the Public Health Association of Australia, Board Member of Obesity Australia, and member of NHMRC-MRFF Public Health and Health Services Committee. She was member of the Preventive Health SA Establishment Advisory Council.

Career highlights (selected):

• Over 140 peer-reviewed publications and 600 reports for government.

• CIA on $20m of competitive funding, with $38m awarded overall

• Fellowships:

  • NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow (EL2)
  • NHMRC CDF1 (past)
  • Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellow (past)
  • Cancer Council Principal Research Fellow (past)

• Awards:

  • Doctoral Research Medal for PhD in Medicine (Public Health)
  • Executive Dean's Award for Research Excellence (mid-career)
  • Public Health Association President's Award

• Commitees:

  • NHMRC-MRFF Public Health and Health Services Committee
  • Australian Government Expert Advisory Committees on Tobacco
  • Cancer Australia Research and Data Advisory Committee
  • Australian Government Expert Committee on Tobacco Packaging (past)
  • Preventive Health SA Establishment Advisory Council
  • Chair, Cancer Council Australia and National Heart Foundation Tobacco Issues Committee (past)
  • Research Advisory Committee, National Breast Cancer Foundation (past)