About us
Who we are
The Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society (ARCSHS) is a leading research and knowledge translation centre housed in the School of Psychology and Public Health at La Trobe University.
Founded in 1993, we have expertise in the areas of sex and sexual health, gender and sexuality, family violence, and alcohol and other drug consumption, as well as numerous other aligned topics.
We also have extensive experience developing the capability of health and human services to integrate evidence into practice.
Located on the La Trobe University Bundoora campus in Melbourne, ARCSHS is a community of nearly 50 academic, knowledge translation and professional support staff from diverse backgrounds and disciplines.
We have a longstanding and successful higher degree research program – with 15–20 students – where we support future generations of researchers to build their skills to work in areas relevant to our purpose.
Why we are here
Our purpose is to create and translate knowledge that enables inclusion, equity, health and wellbeing, particularly as they relate to sex, gender, sexuality and relationships.
Through our research and knowledge translation work, we support better understandings of, and solutions for, social problems facing communities in Australia and the world today.
What we do
Research: we conduct innovative research in diverse disciplines. We use a range of methodologies and approaches to generate critical new knowledge that shapes thought, practice, policy and law.
Knowledge translation: we bring research to practice by translating evidence into actionable insights for policymakers, legislators, practitioners and communities. This helps them to identify and implement strategies to promote inclusion, equity, health and wellbeing.
Key research themes
Our key research themes are:
- LGBTIQ health and wellbeing
- Blood-borne viruses and other stigmatised conditions
- Sexual health and wellbeing
- Alcohol and other drug consumption
- Family, domestic and sexual violence
Strategic planning
The ARCSHS Strategic Plan 2025-2029 [PDF FILE 2600KB] presents a roadmap for the Centre for the next four years, including building expertise, increasing impact, advancing our already substantial knowledge translation and further enabling stakeholders to partner with us and benefit from our work.
Annual reports
Our annual reports form a comprehensive record of the Centre's activities, including research, projects, publications, events, training, impact, advocacy and more. Our most recent ARCSHS Annual Report 2024 [PDF, 7MB] is now available to download.
Past annual reports:
- ARCSHS Annual Report 2023 [PD, 13.9MB]
- ARCSHS Annual Report 2022 [PDF 14.4 MB]
- ARCSHS Annual Report 2021 [PDF 10.3 MB]
Explore older ARCSHS annual reports and strategic plans
ARCSHS Leadership Team
Director: Professor Adam Bourne
Professor Adam Bourne has been Director of ARCSHS since the start of 2024. A globally renowned scholar in LGBTIQ+ health and wellbeing research, he also holds considerable expertise in HIV, sexual health and AOD use research. Adam holds senior appointments on numerous state and commonwealth government advisory bodies and works to ensure impact across the breath of work at the Centre.