Associate Professor Alex Macmillan
Contact Details
- Phone
- +64 3 479 7196
- alex.macmillan@otago.ac.nz
- Position
- Associate Professor
- Department
- Department of Preventive and Social Medicine (Dunedin)
- Qualifications
- MB ChB MPH(Hons) PhD FNZCPHM
- Research summary
- Environmental health: Integrating human and environmental wellbeing in urban planning
- Teaching
PUBH 733 Environment and Health
Research
Alex Macmillan is an Associate Professor in Environmental Health. She trained in Medicine and is a Public Health Physician. Her research focuses on the links between urban environments, sustainability and health. Her main interests are in translating evidence about sustainability and health into policy by bringing together policy, community and academic knowledge and modelling future policy options. Particular areas of interest are transport, urban planning and housing policies. Alex is also involved in community based epidemiological research to understand the impacts of changing urban environments. She is an honorary senior research associate at the Bartlett School of Graduate Studies, University College London.
Current research projects include:
- Te Ara Mua - Future Streets: An intervention study to make the streets of Mangere Central safer and more attractive for walking and cycling, and to study the effects on health and wellbeing.
- Integrated decision-making about housing, energy and wellbeing: Using participatory system dynamics modelling with over 30 different stakeholders in UK housing policy to understand the integrated costs and benefits of policies to decarbonise housing.
bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/graduate/research/complex-built-environment-systems/environmental-performance/HEW/hew-integrated-decision
Publications
Drew, J., Cleghorn, C., Macmillan, A., & Mizdrak, A. (2020). Healthy and climate-friendly eating patterns in the New Zealand context. Environmental Health Perspectives, 128(1), 017007. doi: 10.1289/ehp5996
Bennett, H., Macmillan, A., Jones, R., Blaiklock, A., & McMillan, J. (2020). Should health professionals participate in civil disobedience in response to the climate change health emergency? Lancet, 395(10220), 304-308. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(19)32985-x
Macmillan, A., Smith, M., Witten, K., Woodward, A., Hosking, J., Wild, K., & Field, A. (2020). Suburb-level changes for active transport to meet the SDGs: Causal theory and a New Zealand case study. Science of the Total Environment, 714, 136678. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.136678
Hawley, G., Macmillan, A., Field, A., Hodgson, R., Witten, K., Kearns, R. A., & McKerchar, C. (2020). The normative influence of adults on youth access: Challenges and opportunities in the context of shifts away from car-dependence. Journal of Transport & Health, 16, 100841. doi: 10.1016/j.jth.2020.100841
Harrison, S., Macmillan, A., & Rudd, C. (2020). Framing climate change and health: New Zealand's online news media. Health Promotion International, 35, 1320-1330. doi: 10.1093/heapro/daz130
Drew, J., Cleghorn, C., Macmillan, A., & Mizdrak, A. (2020). Healthy and climate-friendly eating patterns in the New Zealand context. Environmental Health Perspectives, 128(1), 017007. doi: 10.1289/ehp5996
Journal - Research Article
Bennett, H., Macmillan, A., Jones, R., Blaiklock, A., & McMillan, J. (2020). Should health professionals participate in civil disobedience in response to the climate change health emergency? Lancet, 395(10220), 304-308. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(19)32985-x
Journal - Research Article
Macmillan, A., Smith, M., Witten, K., Woodward, A., Hosking, J., Wild, K., & Field, A. (2020). Suburb-level changes for active transport to meet the SDGs: Causal theory and a New Zealand case study. Science of the Total Environment, 714, 136678. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.136678
Journal - Research Article
Hawley, G., Macmillan, A., Field, A., Hodgson, R., Witten, K., Kearns, R. A., & McKerchar, C. (2020). The normative influence of adults on youth access: Challenges and opportunities in the context of shifts away from car-dependence. Journal of Transport & Health, 16, 100841. doi: 10.1016/j.jth.2020.100841
Journal - Research Article
Harrison, S., Macmillan, A., & Rudd, C. (2020). Framing climate change and health: New Zealand's online news media. Health Promotion International, 35, 1320-1330. doi: 10.1093/heapro/daz130
Journal - Research Article
Macmillan, A. K., Mackie, H., Hosking, J. E., Witten, K., Smith, M., Field, A., … Baas, P. (2018). Controlled before-after intervention study of suburb-wide street changes to increase walking and cycling: Te Ara Mua-Future Streets study design. BMC Public Health, 18, 850. doi: 10.1186/s12889-018-5758-1
Journal - Research Other
Mackie, H., Macmillan, A., Witten, K., Baas, P., Field, A., Smith, M., … Woodward, A. (2018). Te Ara Mua - Future Streets suburban street retrofit: A researcher-community-government co-design process and intervention outcomes. Journal of Transport & Health, 11, 209-220. doi: 10.1016/j.jth.2018.08.014
Journal - Research Article
Field, A., Wild, K., Woodward, A., Macmillan, A., & Mackie, H. (2018). Encountering bikelash: Experiences and lessons from New Zealand communities. Journal of Transport & Health, 11, 130-140. doi: 10.1016/j.jth.2018.10.003
Journal - Research Article
Wild, K., Woodward, A., Field, A., & Macmillan, A. (2018). Beyond ‘bikelash’: Engaging with community opposition to cycle lanes. Mobilities, 13(4), 505-519. doi: 10.1080/17450101.2017.1408950
Journal - Research Article
Macmillan, A., & Jones, R. (2018). Government climate and health equity priorities must prompt a deeper re-think of health and healthcare for the 21st century. New Zealand Medical Journal, 131(1481), 9-12. Retrieved from https://www.nzma.org.nz/journal
Journal - Research Other
Macmillan, A., & Woodcock, J. (2017). Understanding bicycling in cities using system dynamics modelling. Journal of Transport & Health, 7, 269-279. doi: 10.1016/j.jth.2017.08.002
Journal - Research Article
Smith, M., Hosking, J., Woodward, A., Witten, K., Macmillan, A., Field, A., … Mackie, H. (2017). Systematic literature review of built environment effects on physical activity and active transport: An update and new findings on health equity. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition & Physical Activity, 14(1), 158. doi: 10.1186/s12966-017-0613-9
Journal - Research Article
Macmillan, A., Davies, M., Shrubsole, C., Luxford, N., May, N., Chiu, L. F., … Chalabi, Z. (2016). Integrated decision-making about housing, energy and wellbeing: A qualitative system dynamics model. Environmental Health, 15(Suppl. 1), 37. doi: 10.1186/s12940-016-0098-z
Journal - Research Article
Macmillan, A., Roberts, A., Woodcock, J., Aldred, R., & Goodman, A. (2016). Trends in local newspaper reporting of London cyclist fatalities 1992-2012: The role of the media in shaping the systems dynamics of cycling. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 86, 137-145. doi: 10.1016/j.aap.2015.10.016
Journal - Research Article
Macmillan, A., & Mackie, H. (2016). Optimising low carbon mobility for health and equity. In D. Hopkins & J. Higham (Eds.), Low carbon mobility transitions. Wolvercote, UK: Goodfellow. doi: 10.23912/978-1-910158-64-7-3272
Chapter in Book - Research
Macmillan, A., Connor, J., Witten, K., Kearns, R., Rees, D., & Woodward, A. (2014). The societal costs and benefits of commuter bicycling: Simulating the effects of specific policies using system dynamics modeling. Environmental Health Perspectives, 122(4), 335-344. doi: 10.1289/ehp.1307250
Journal - Research Article
Shrubsole, C., Macmillan, A., Davies, M., & May, N. (2014). 100 unintended consequences of policies to improve the energy efficiency of the UK housing stock. Indoor & Built Environment, 23(3), 340-352. doi: 10.1177/1420326X14524586
Journal - Research Article
Raerino, K., Macmillan, A. K., & Jones, R. G. (2013). Indigenous Māori perspectives on urban transport patterns linked to health and wellbeing. Health & Place, 23, 54-62. doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2013.04.007
Journal - Research Article
Lindsay, G., Macmillan, A., & Woodward, A. (2011). Moving urban trips from cars to bicycles: Impact on health and emissions. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 35(1), 54-60. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-6405.2010.00621.x
Journal - Research Article
Dhar, D., Macmillan, A., Lindsay, G., & Woodward, A. (2009). Carbon pricing in New Zealand: Implications for public health [Viewpoint]. New Zealand Medical Journal, 122(1290). Retrieved from http://journal.nzma.org.nz/journal/122-1290/3483/content.pdf
Journal - Research Other
Macmillan, A., & Lindsay, G. (2009). The price of Texas Tea: Oil, that is [Editorial]. New Zealand Medical Journal, 122(1296). Retrieved from http://journal.nzma.org.nz/journal/122-1296/3641/content.pdf
Journal - Research Other
Metcalfe, S., Woodward, A., Macmillan, A., Baker, M., Howden-Chapman, P., Lindsay, G., Hales, S., … Jaine, R., … Edwards, R., … for the New Zealand Climate and Health Group. (2009). Why New Zealand must rapidly halve its greenhouse gas emissions. New Zealand Medical Journal, 122(1304). Retrieved from http://journal.nzma.org.nz/journal/122-1304/3827/content.pdf
Journal - Research Article
Macmillan, A., & Woodward, A. (2008). Revisiting Ivan Illich: Equitable transit in the climate changed cities of Aotearoa. In Re-thinking urban environments and health. (pp. 1-9). Wellington, New Zealand: Public Health Advisory Committee. Retrieved from http://nhc.health.govt.nz/archived-publications/phac-publications-pre-2011/re-thinking-urban-environments-and-health
Chapter in Book - Research
Connor, J., & Macmillan, A. (2005). The hazards of driving to work [Editorial]. New Zealand Medical Journal, 118(1227). Retrieved from http://journal.nzma.org.nz/journal/118-1227/1786/content.pdf
Journal - Research Other