A/Prof. Biljana ( Billie ) Bonevski

Biography

Current position and research interests. Dr Billie Bonevski is a Research Fellow supported by a Cancer Institute NSW Career Development Fellowship (2011-2014) to explore strategies for reducing tobacco-related health inequities. As a health behaviour scientist, her broad research interests include health behaviour change strategies, social inequities in health, community-based tobacco control, general practice research, and the effective communication of health messages.

Qualifications and training. Dr Bonevski completed a PhD from the University of Newcastle, Discipline of Behavioural Science in Relation to Medicine in 1997 after gaining a Psychology Honours (1st Class with WH Ward Prize for Best Applied Thesis) degree. Following her PhD she completed a WHO sponsored postdoctoral travel fellowship with the Imperial Cancer Research Fund at Oxford University and the Cochrane Collaboration’s Tobacco Addiction Review Group (both in the UK).

Grant history. To date, Dr Bonevski she has attracted over $3.7 million in competitive funding including four NHMRC grants, two as CIA. She is currently CIA on a NHMRC grant “RCT of a client-centred, case worker delivered smoking cessation intervention for socially disadvantaged population”, co-CI on a National Heart Foundation grant-in-aid “Randomised controlled trial of a personal financial incentive (PFI) intervention to reduce antenatal smoking in women receiving public antenatal care” and co-CI on an ARC Linkage grant for a RCT assessing a systems change smoking cessation intervention in hospitals.

Publications and citations. Dr Bonevski has published 36 papers in peer reviewed journals (17 as first author), including publications in high ranking journals International Journal of Cancer (JIF = 4.926), Preventive Medicine (JIF = 3.299), Cancer (JIF = 5.131), PLoS ONE (JIF = 4.411), Addiction (JIF = 4.145), MJA (JIF = 2.894), BMJ (JIF = 13.471) and the American Journal of Preventive Medicine (JIF = 4.110) and one book chapter. Her publications have been cited over 530 times (Scopus) and she has an h-index of 10.

Supervision & Mentoring. Currently supervising three full time PhD students (two as Principal one as co-Supervisor), Dr Bonevski has had two PhD completions in the last 5 years, and is co-supervising a research term for a GP Registrar with Sydney University.

Other related professional activities. In 2010, Dr Bonevski was an invited speaker in a symposium at the Society for Research in Nicotine & Tobacco (SRNT) on the topic of “Moving away from cigarettes as “portable therapy” for smokers with mental health problems: translating evidence into policy”. Other professional activities include Associate Editor of BMC Public Health, member of the Program Committee for the 2011 Oceania Tobacco Control Conference, and behavioural scientist for the National Skin Cancer Committee (Cancer Council Australia). In October 2011 Billie Bonevski and Professor Amanda Baker will be co-Chairing a symposium session at the Oceania Tobacco Control Conference entitled “Tackling tobacco in socially disadvantaged groups: interventions, programs, opportunities and progress”.

Relative to opportunity. Due to a career interruption between 2001-2006 for extended maternity leave, sick leave and family responsibilities, Dr Bonevski’s track record represents 10 years of research active years. Since returning to work in 2007 (0.6FTE 2007- June 2011), Billie has published 23 articles.

Five career-best publications.

1 Bonevski B, Sanson-Fisher R, Girgis A, Burton L, Cook P, Boyes A et al. Evaluation of an instrument to assess the needs of patients with cancer. Cancer. 2000;88:217-25.

2 Bonevski B, Sanson-Fisher RW, Campbell E, Reid ALA, Ireland M. A randomised controlled trial of a computer strategy to increase general practitioner preventive care. Preventive Medicine. 1999 29:478-486

3 Bonevski B, Girgis A, Magin P, Horton G, Brozek I, Armstrong B. Prescribing sunshine: A survey of general practitioners’ knowledge, attitudes and practices relating to the sun and vitamin D. International Journal of Cancer, Accepted 6 June 2011. DOI: 10.1002/ijc.26225

4 Bryant J, Bonevski B, Paul C, McElduff, P, Attia J. A meta-analysis of the effectiveness of behavioural smoking cessation interventions in selected disadvantaged groups. Addiction, Accepted April 2011. doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.2011.03467.x

5 Bonevski B, Walsh R, Paul C, Smith A. Equity should be given high priority in population tobacco control. BMJ 2011;343:doi:10.1136/bmj.d5008 (Published 12 August 2011).

Qualifications

• PhD (Medicine), University of Newcastle, 1997
• Bachelor of Arts (Honours), University of Newcastle, 1993
• Bachelor of Arts, University of Newcastle, 1992

Research

Research keywords

• Public Health
• cancer control

Languages

• Macedonian

Fields of Research

Centres and Groups

Centre

• Hunter Medical Research Institute
• PRC - Priority Research Centre for Health Behaviour
• PRC - Priority Research Centre for Health Behaviour
• PRC - Priority Research Centre for Translational Neuroscience and Mental Health (CTNMH)

Group

• Hunter Medical Research Institute - Public Health

Awards

Research Award.

Teaching

Teaching keywords

• health promotion