Associate ProfessorJoanna Harnett

Associate Professor Joanna Harnett is a researcher whose work spans traditional and complementary medicine and gastrointestinal health, with a strong focus on improving both the quality and the quality use of complementary medicines. She leads multidisciplinary teams investigating clinical and public health questions related to complementary medicine product and practitioner use. Her research explores how Australians use complementary medicines and how their safety, effectiveness, and integration within mainstream healthcare can be optimised.

She has published national surveys in 2016 and 2022 examining the prevalence, patterns, health literacy, and disclosure practices around complementary medicine product use. This work aims to inform policy, health professional and consumer education, and approaches to safer integration of complementary therapies. She also conducts research to support health professionals in navigating complementary medicine within clinical practice. This includes studies exploring pharmacists’ roles in promoting safe and appropriate use, and the quality and regulation of complementary medicine products. Her research further extends into understanding how complementary medicine practitioners manage common health concerns. This includes investigations into their approaches to cardiovascular and mental health care, and the management of sleep disorders from the provider’s perspective. Across her program of work, Associate Professor Harnett is committed to advancing evidence‑informed, patient‑centred, and culturally safe approaches to the use of traditional and complementary medicines in contemporary healthcare.

In parallel, she has built a stream of research investigating associations between the gastrointestinal microbiome and health and disease. She has led PhD students and collaborated with multidisciplinary teams on a diverse range of projects investigating the intestinal microbiome and evaluating the effects of probiotics and prebiotics in health. Her work includes studies on probiotics in coeliac disease, the impact of probiotic supplementation on infection resistance and sleep quality in elite athletes, and the effects of prebiotics on constipation. These projects contribute to a growing evidence base on gut health and its relationship to broader wellbeing.