Belinda Townsend is Deputy Director of the Menzies Centre for Health Governance and Fellow at the School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet) at The Australian National University. She earned her PhD at Deakin University and works with the National Health and Medical Research Council’s Centre for Research Excellence.

Belinda’s PhD thesis examined the history, conflicts and transformations in the evolution of global medicines governance over the last seventy years. Her thesis traced a pattern of forum-shifting by governments, firms, and globally networked non-government organisations in a battle of power and resistance over the norms and rules that shape global medicines governance.

The conceptual frameworks and findings of this research have informed her recent work on trade policy. She has published on the impact of trade agreements on health with a focus on medicines policy and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.

Belinda has served as a resource person on trade and health for the Public Health Association of Australia and has presented for a variety of audiences including community organisations, public forums, academic experts and trade negotiators.

She is working with the National Health and Medical Research Council’s Centre for Research Excellence in the Social Determinants of Health Equity with Professor Sharon Friel and colleagues on a project investigating agenda setting in public policy.