Behavioural science has the power to help overcome some of the world’s biggest challenges, leading public health experts have said at the launch of a new centre.

The Melbourne Centre for Behaviour Change in Australia will provide an integrated approach to all aspects of behaviour change, harnessing research and education to produce sustainable, durable changes in behaviours, policies, and practices to enhance lives, livelihoods, and environments.

Located at the University's Parkville campus, Melbourne Centre for Behaviour Change members and partners form a vital component of the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences’ research and industry engagement slate.

Behaviour change science is a multi-faceted discipline that seeks to improve understandings of the underlying mechanisms of human behaviour in order to affect positive change. The field has considerable potential to be used in the arsenal of public health communication and policymaking.

“The pandemic presented us with an opportunity for greater action on prevention. The Melbourne Centre for Behaviour Change will play a pivotal role in bringing together diverse stakeholders to develop practical and effective behaviour change strategies that are rooted in the latest evidence from our field,” said Professor Susan Michie, Director of the University College London Centre for Behaviour Change, and Chair of the World Health Organization’s Behavioural Insights and Sciences Technical Advisory Group.

Image caption- L-R: Victoria University Deputy Vice-Chancellor People & Organisation Professor Peter Radoll; Melbourne Centre for Behaviour Change (MCBC) Director Professor Iain Walker; MCBC Deputy Director Associate Professor Michelle Jongenelis; University College London Centre for Behaviour Change Director Professor of Health Psychology Susan Michie; Victorian Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton; Public Health Association of Australia CEO Professor Terry Slevin; Head of School Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences Professor Rob Hester.