Madhan Balasubramanian
Senior Lecturer
College of Business, Government and Law
Dr. Madhan Balasubramanian is a transdisciplinary health systems and health workforce researcher with over 15 years of experience in healthcare management, public health, and advanced research methodologies. His work has garnered national and international recognition. To date, he has published more than 60 peer-reviewed articles, contributed to three government reports, and secured over $2 million in competitive research funding as a Chief Investigator (CI). He is a Senior Lecturer and Deputy Director of Health and Aged Care Management Programmes. Madhan also serves as the Business Research Lead within the College of Business, Government, and Law. In this role, he oversees strategy and operationalises research initiatives across the Business discipline, working closely with the Dean of Research and other centre/institute/discipline research leads. He strives to build a thriving research culture by fostering interdisciplinary collaborations and providing strong leadership to academic staff and HDR students.
Madhan completed his PhD at the University of Adelaide (2015) and held a prestigious NHMRC Sidney Sax Fellowship (public health and health services) at the University of Sydney and Kings College London (2017-21). He was also an Endeavour Fellow involved in research on global organisations, based in Geneva (2016). Between 2008-09, he completed an Australia-India Council Fellowship based at the School of Population Health, the University of Queensland. He completed his Masters of Health Service Management with Honours at Griffith University, Australia (2004-05). He has a primary qualification in oral health and completed his Bachelor of Dental Surgery in 2003. He has also be conferred with Fellow status by the Australian College of Health Service Management and International College of Dentists (both in 2024).
Fellowships, Scholarships and Awards [~ $564,298]
2017- NHMRC Sidney Sax Early Career Research Fellowship ($423,768)
2015-16 Endeavour Research Fellowship ($24,500)
2013-14 NHMRC Dental Health Services Research PhD Supporting Scholarship ($10,580)
2010-13 PhD Postgraduate Research Scholarship ($85,750)
2008-09 DFAT Australia-India Council Junior Fellowship ($12,000)
2005 Eberhard Wenzel Scholarship for International Public Health (scroll of honour and $2000)
2004 Griffith Award for Academic Excellence (scroll of honour)
Grants and consultancies [~ $1.75 million)
2023-24 Balasubramanian M, Jacob R, Khadka J, Shafei AA, Gordon S. Capacity building for health and aged care: networks of influence and leadership. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Australia Awards Fellowship. $247,761
2023-24 Balasubramanian M, Esmaeili H, Brand V, Shafei AA, Brommeyer M, Alothmany R. Innovations in health and aged care. DFAT Council of Arab Australia Relations. $52,100
2023-24: Balasubramanian M, Bogomolova S, Khadka J, Zhu R, Gordon J, Harris C. Innovative care models for the prevention of dental, vision and hearing conditions among culturally and linguistically diverse older adults availing home care services in Australia: investigating the disease burdern. Flinders Foundation - $25,000
2021-22: V Lin, Carlton AL, Short SD, Balasubramanian, M, Bourgeault I & Leslie K WHO Funding, Grantee, World Health Organisation. Global design, reform and implementation of health regulatory systems - $159,264 USD.
2019-23: Wilson, A, Huckel Schneider, C, Norris, S. Holden A, Balasubramanian M. NSW Health Funding, New South Wales Health. Evaluation of the Primary School Mobile Dental Program - $549,566.
2019-20: Holden A, Leadbeatter D, Balasubramanian, M, Sohn, W. Consumer involvement in the design and delivery of professional competency examinations and assessments - $25,000
2017-21: Balasubramanian, M. Gallagher JE, Short SD. NHMRC. NHMRC Sidney Sax Early Career Research Fellowship. Strengthening health workforce integration - $423,768 [not included in the total for grants; counted in fellowships]
Editorial appointments
2020- Editorial Board Member, BMC Health Services Research; Q1 Medicine, Health Policy
2021- Associate Editor, Fronters in Pubic Health (Ageing and Public Health); Q1 Medicine, Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Professional appointments
2022 Immediate Past President, Network for Practice-Based Research, International Association for Dental Research. Vice President (2019) President (2020-22); Board Member, Consitution Committee, International Associate for Dental Research
Please visit Research Tab for more information on publications, projects and other outputs. Teaching Tab for teaching responsibilities.
Students, please visit the Research supervision Tab and further information on Student Projects and Research Opportunities. Any queries or further information please direct to madhan.balasubramanian@flinders.edu.au
Madhan brings experience teaching at four Australian Universities (Universities of Sydney, Adelaide, New England, and Griffith), and two overseas institutions (Kings College London, the United Kingdom and Osmania University, India). He is involved in public health, health services management, health research methods and health policy programs. Madhan has supervised or mentored seven postgraduate students to completion.
Madhan serves as an Editorial Board Member of BMC Health Services Research and Associate Editor for Frontiers in Public Health (Ageing). He has edited special issues for Nature and MDPI journals. He is immediate past President of the Network for Practice-Based Research, and current Board member of the Constitution Committee at the International Association for Dental Research. Madhan was previously SA Branch Councillor of the Australasian College of Health Service Executives. Madhan has served as a panel member of NHMRC investigator and ideas grants for the last 3 yrs.
He gives guest lectures on health workforce, migrants, disadvantaged communities and integrated care on a regular basis for non-profits, charity and community organisations. (please contact by email if interested)
- Allied Health
- Community/Public health
- Health management, policy and ethics
- Human resources
- Future Health Workforce
- Health Systems Re-Design
- Oral Health Inequity
Student Projects and Research Opportunities
Madhan is open to inquiries regarding student research and project opportunities, particularly focusing on the health workforce. He is a prominent researcher in Australia dedicated to addressing health workforce challenges. His research spans across five key areas: migrant health professionals, integrated care models, health practitioner regulation, practice activity, and health workforce modeling. Madhan welcomes inquiries on any aspects related to the aforementioned areas.
In addition to his primary focus, Madhan also concentrates on older adults, disadvantaged populations, rural and remote communities, with a previous emphasis on oral health. Currently, he is involved in studies related to interdisciplinary collaboration and teamwork, encompassing various health professionals and diseases.
Madhan extensively engages in research methodologies such as national surveys, electronic health record analysis, data linkage, prognostic/predictive modeling, and pluralistic methods. His aim is to deliver research and academic outcomes that are thorough, well-planned, well-executed, clearly articulated, and possess high reliability and validity. He possesses expertise in both qualitative and quantitative research methods and has the proficiency to systematically guide students throughout their research endeavors. Madhan has successfully supervised and mentored seven Higher Degree by Research (HDR) students to completion. Presently, he supervises five PhD students at Flinders University and provides external supervision to two students (University of Sydney and Maastritch University).
Sturt Rd, Bedford Park
South Australia 5042
South Australia | Northern Territory
Global | Online
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