About PAHL

Who we are

The PAHL group was formed at the University of Western Australia in 2012 by Ben Jackson and James Dimmock. Ben and James now work alongside others to oversee the group, which includes members from around Australia. PAHL works closely with researchers, students, industry, government, the non-profit sector, and the media. You can learn more about PAHL in this PAHL Group video.

What we do

PAHL’s mission is to harness the ‘power of people’ in promoting mental and physical health in people from all walks of life. To achieve this, we:

• Conduct research that advances our understanding of a range of health issues
• Develop, deliver, and evaluate community health promotion programs and interventions
• Work to ensure that PAHL’s programs are embedded long-term in communities

We work on issues such as resilience, behaviour change, confidence, motivation, social support, and communication. We use this work to help people lead happier and healthier lives – among other things, we help people lose weight, improve their mental health, make better dietary choices, be more physically active, and feel less stressed at work and home. We help people from young children right through to the elderly, and we work with government, industry, and non-profit partners to achieve our goals.

PAHL creates, delivers, and supports successful community programs across Australia. In terms of the group’s academic contribution, in the last 5 years alone, PAHL has been responsible for over 70 published research articles and book chapters, and a popular (and award-winning) book on effective techniques for persuasion, messaging, and communication.

PAHL values

PAHL is a values-driven group. Work within the group and alongside others is underpinned by the following values:

• COMMUNITY - We value building inclusive, collaborative, and long-term relationships
• RESPECT - We work with integrity and fairness, and with trust in others
• IMPACT - Our work makes a positive difference to people's physical and mental health
• CHALLENGE - We are willing to tackle difficult problems

Senior PAHL members (from left to right): Ben Jackson, James Dimmock and Brian Law