Dr Paula Binks

Senior Research Fellow and Deputy Lead, Viral Hepatitis Research Program

Qualifications:

PhD, Charles Darwin University, 2025; Bachelor of Nursing, Queensland University of Technology, 2005; Bachelor of Science, Flinders University, 1998;

Approved level of HDR supervision at Charles Darwin University:

Principal for PhD and Masters by Research, Associate for PhD and Masters by Research

Location:

Adelaide

Biography:

Dr Paula Binks is a Senior Research Fellow and Deputy Lead of the Viral Hepatitis Research Program at Menzies School of Health Research. Her research is dedicated to improving outcomes for First Nations people living with viral hepatitis, liver disease, and liver cancer in northern Australia.

Her PhD examined hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the Northern Territory and demonstrated the importance of early diagnosis, culturally safe care, and expanding access to surveillance through “one-stop-shop” models. This work showed a marked improvement in early detection of HCC, with two-thirds of cases identified through routine surveillance delivered by Hep B PAST “liver one-stop-shop” clinics—an increase from approximately 10% prior to implementation. It also demonstrated a threefold improvement in survival following liver cancer diagnosis.

Dr Binks has played a key role in the development and implementation of the Hep B PAST model of care, which is successfully closing the gap in the prevention, detection, and management of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across the Northern Territory and northern Australia. This work has informed national clinical guidelines and policy and is endorsed for scale-up in the Fourth National Hepatitis B Strategy 2023–2030.

Her work is grounded in strong partnerships with Aboriginal communities and health services across more than 20 remote communities, with a focus on co-design, health literacy, and workforce development. She led the translation and evaluation of the Hep B Story app into 11 Aboriginal languages and developed a translation model now used to support culturally appropriate health communication.

Dr Paula Binks
Email
Research Themes
  1. Binks, P., Gurruwiwi, G.G., Dhurrkay, R.G., Mariyalawuy, S.M., Ross, C., Hosking, K., Tate-Baker, J., Marshall, C., McKinnon, M., Vintour-Cesar, E., Sullivan, R., Davis, J.S., Hefler, M., & Davies, J. (2024). "Talking about something no one wants to talk about" - navigating hepatitis B-related work in remote Australian Aboriginal communities: A decade of learning and growth. Discover Health Systems, 3, 13. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s44250-024-00075-9
  2. Binks, P., Ross, C., Gurruwiwi, G.G., Wurrawilya, S., Alley, T., Vintour-Cesar, E., Hosking, K., Davis, J.S., Hefler, M., & Davies, J. (2024). Adapting and translating the "Hep B Story" App the right way: a transferable toolkit to develop health resources with, and for, Aboriginal People. Health Promotion Journal of Australia. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/hpja.858
  3. Binks, P., Venkatesan, S., Everitt, A., Gurruwiwi, G.G., Dhurrkay, R.G., Bukulatjpi, S. M., Ross, C., Alley, T., Hosking, K., Vintour-Cesar, E., McKinnon, M., Sullivan, R. P., Davis, J. S., Hefler, M., & Davies, J. (2024). An evaluation and refinement of the “Hep B Story” app, tailored to meet the community’s cultural needs. BMC Health Serv Res, 24(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-024-11149-y
  4. Davies, J., Smith, E. L., Littlejohn, M., Edwards, R., Sozzi, V., Jackson, K., McGuire, K., Binks, P., Cowie, B. C., Locarnini, S., Davis, J. S., & Tong, S. Y. C. (2019). Towards genotype-specific care for chronic hepatitis B: The first 6 years follow up from the CHARM cohort study. Open Forum Infectious Diseases, 6(11), ofz469.
  5. Hla, T. K., Bukulatjpi, S. M., Binks, P., Gurruwiwi, G. G., Dhurrkay, R. G., & Davies, J. (2020). A "one stop liver shop" approach improves the cascade-of-care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians living with chronic hepatitis B in the Northern Territory of Australia: results of a novel care delivery model. Int J Equity Health, 19(1), 64. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-020-01180-w
  6. Hosking, K., Binks, P., De Santis, T., Wilson, P. M., Gurruwiwi, G. G., Bukulatjpi, S. M., Vintour-Cesar, E., McKinnon, M., Nihill, P., Fernandes, T.-A., Greenwood-Smith, B., Batey, R., Ross, C., Tong, S. Y. C., Stewart, G., Marshall, C., Gargan, C., Manchikanti, P., Fuller, K., Tate-Baker, J.,  Stewart, S., Cowie, B., Allard, N., MacLachlan, J. H., Qama, A., Boettiger, D., Davis, J.S., Connors, C., & Davies, J. (2024). Evaluating a novel model of hepatitis B care, Hep B PAST, in the Northern Territory of Australia: results from a prospective, population-based study. The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific, 48, 101116. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanwpc.2024.101116
  7. Hosking, K., De Santis, T., Vintour-Cesar, E., Wilson, P. M., Bunn, L., Gurruwiwi, G. G., Wurrawilya, S., Bukulatjpi, S. M., Nelson, S., Ross, C., Binks, P., Schroder, P., Davis, J. S., Taylor, S., Connors, C., Davies, J., & Hep, B. P. p. (2023). "The most culturally safe training I've ever had": the co-design of a culturally safe Managing hepatitis B training course with and for the Aboriginal health workforce of the Northern Territory of Australia. BMC Health Serv Res, 23(1), 935. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-023-09902-w

  8. Hosking, K., de Santis, T., Vintour-Cesar, E., Merrdi Wilson, P., Bunn, L., Gurruwiwi, G. G., Wurrawilya, S., Bukulatjpi, S. M., Nelson, S., Ross, C., Stuart-Carter, K.-A., Ngurruwuthun, T., Dhagapan, A., Binks, P., … Davies, J. (2024). “Putting the power back into community”: A mixed methods evaluation of a chronic hepatitis B training course for the Aboriginal health workforce of Australia’s Northern Territory. PLOS ONE, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0288577

  9. Howell, J., Combo, T., Binks, P., Bragg, K., Bukulatjpi, S., Campbell, K., Clark, P. J., Carroll, M., Davies, J., de Santis, T., Muller, K., Nguyen, B., Olynyk, J., Shackel, N., Valery, P., Wigg, A., George, J., & Roberts, S. (2024). Overcoming disparities in hepatocellular carcinoma outcomes among First Nations Australians: A strategic plan for action. Medical Journal of Australia. https://doi.org/10.5694/mja2.52395
  10. Yuen, L. K. W., Littlejohn, M., Duchene, S., Edwards, R., Bukulatjpi, S., Binks, P., Jackson, K., Davies, J., Davis, J. S., Tong, S. Y. C., & Locarnini, S. (2019). Tracing Ancient Human Migrations into Sahul Using Hepatitis B Virus Genomes. Mol Biol Evol, 36(5), 942-954. https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msz021

Click here to view more publications by Paula Binks on PubMed. 

  1. MEDIA RELEASE | Leading Northern Territory program triples liver cancer survival rates for Aboriginal Territorians
  2. MEDIA RELEASE | Landmark study reveals hepatitis B risks for First Nations people in the NT
  3. MEDIA RELEASE | Nationally recognised hepatitis B tool now available in 11 languages
  4. Innovative Models of Care (IMOC) Program – Hep B PAST PLUS
  5. Hepatitis B DNA Helps Trace History and Movement of First Australians
  6. Hepatitis B virus sheds light on ancient human population movements into Australia
  7. Chronic hepatitis B elimination partnership launched
  8. Katherine Times | Making hepatitis B information more widely available to Indigenous communities
  9. ABC online | Elcho Island researchers bound for Alaska