Aaron Davis

Research Interests

Architecture Design Health services and systems Public Health Public participation and community engagement Urban planning and health

Teaching Strengths

Research Methodologies
Social Sustainability
Co-design
Community Engagement
Design Processes

APrf Aaron Davis

Senior Lecturer

School of Architecture and Built Environment

College of Creative Arts, Design and Humanities

Available For Media Comment.

Aaron is Associate Professor of Design and Health with a teaching and research focus on co-design, community engagement, strategic design, and complex collaborations. Aaron has specialist expertise in the relationship between our physical environments and health outcomes, and is passionate about improving health outcomes through systems design. Aaron has developed a range of frameworks for participant-centred co-design planning and evaluation, and is very interested in how design-based strategies can improve how we do collaborative research. 

Aaron’s research focuses on co-design processes and is shaping policy globally. His research has been adopted in Australasian Health Facility Design Guidelines, and by Health Cascade, a European Commission project on co-creation in healthcare. Aaron's expertise are in-demand, with international keynotes, and funded travel to work with global public health leaders. He is also a sought after co-design facilitator and collaborator with projects attracting over $16M in research funding as a CI across Category 1, 2, 3 and 4 sources in the past four years. 

Date Type Title Institution Name Country Amount
2024 Teaching Award Unstoppable Mid-Career Teaching and Learning Award University of South Australia Australia -
2024 Research Award Unstoppable Early Career Researcher Award University of South Australia Australia -
2024 Award Best Health and Wellbeing Program Australian Workplace Health & Safety Awards Australia -
2023 Teaching Award Innovation in Teaching Award University of South Australia Australia -
2022 Award European Healthcare Design Research Award Royal College of Physicians United Kingdom -
2016 Fellowship Fellow of the Salzburg Global Seminar Salzburg Global Seminar Austria -

Date Institution name Country Title
2015 - 2019 University of South Australia Australia Doctor of Philosophy
2013 - 2015 University of South Australia Australia Master of Architecture
2012 - 2014 University of South Australia Australia Master of Sustainable Design
2009 - 2011 University of South Australia Australia Bachelor of Architectural Studies
2005 - 2008 University of Adelaide Australia Bachelor of Music

Year Citation
2026 Saa, J. P., Lipson-Smith, R., White, M., Davis, A., Kerr, R., & Bernhardt, J. (2026). Rehabilitation Environments: New Insights to Guide Stroke Inpatient Service Redesign. Stroke, 57(1), 210-218.
DOI
2026 Wilson, M. V., Davis, A., Braithwaite, F. A., Arnold, J. B., Gwilt, I., Campbell, S., . . . Stanton, T. R. (2026). "My lived experience was valued": Co-designing 'OA Champions' - a pain science-informed peer mentorship program for people with knee osteoarthritis.. J Pain, 40, 106193.
DOI
2026 Nordin, S., Davis, A., Légaré, F., Jones, A., Meijering, L., & Elf, M. (2026). Designing Meaningful Engagement for Older Adults: An Evaluation of Participation in a Five-Day Co-Design Sprint.. Health Expect, 29(1), e70555.
DOI Europe PMC1
2026 Hoffmann, N., Howlett, C. A., Little, K., Gwilt, I., Rebuli, M. A., Brooker, P. G., & Davis, A. (2026). Digital Episodic Future Thinking Intervention (Luminaut): CoDesign and Iterative Development Study. Jmir Human Factors, 13, 20 pages.
DOI
2026 Davis, A., Shiggins, C., Lipson-Smith, R., Davey, J., White, M., & Bernhardt, J. (2026). Improving access to co-design through remote, adapted, and asynchronous approaches: a case study of the Neuroscience Optimised Virtual Environments Living Lab (NOVELL). CoDesign, 1-20.
DOI
2026 Cain, T., Curtis, R., Singh, B., Smith, A., Brinsley, J., Maher, C., & Davis, A. (2026). Exploring plausible futures for artificial intelligence in rural healthcare: insights from participatory foresight methods. Frontiers in Digital Health, 8.
DOI
2026 Manuel, K., Davis, A., Little, K., Peng, F., Gwilt, I., Laver, K., . . . Crotty, M. (2026). Model of care to promote recovery in older people with long COVID: findings from interviews and a co-design workshop. BMJ Open, 16(5), e109911-1-e109911-12.
DOI
2025 Chastin, S. F. M., Smith, N., Agnello, D. M., An, Q., Altenburg, T. M., Balaskas, G., . . . Wadell, K. (2025). Principles and attributes of evidence-based co-creation: From naïve praxis toward a trustworthy methodology - A Health CASCADE study. Public Health, 248, 7 pages.
DOI Scopus2 WoS2 Europe PMC1
2025 Longworth, G. R., Agnello, D. M., Chastin, S., Davis, A., Hidalgo, E. S., Baselga, S. V., . . . Giné-Garriga, M. (2025). Evaluating the co-creation process in public health interventions: the PROSECO framework. Public Health, 245, 5 pages.
DOI Scopus11 WoS11 Europe PMC6
2025 Szeto, K., Davis, A., Arnold, J., Gwilt, I., Forrest, A., Heyne, I., . . . Maher, C. (2025). Stepping toward implementation using co-design: development of hospital protocols and resources for using wearable activity trackers in a hospital service. Frontiers in Digital Health, 7(1520991), 1-14.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1
2025 Kerr, R., Lipson Smith, R., Davis, A., White, M., Lam, M., Bernhardt, J., . . . Yang, T. (2025). Economic argument for innovative design from valuing patient-centered stroke rehabilitation. Herd-Health Environments Research & Design Journal, online(3), 1-25.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1 Europe PMC1
2025 Lipson Smith, R., Davis, A., White, M., Pflaumer, L., Davey, J., Churilov, L., . . . Bernhardt, J. (2025). Design Ideas for inpatient stroke rehabilitation facilities: Living Lab findings. HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal, 18(4), 85-110.
DOI Scopus2 WoS2 Europe PMC1
2025 Wilson, M. V., Davis, A., Braithwaite, F. A., Arnold, J. B., Ninnes, P., Wing, M., . . . Stanton, T. R. (2025). Co-design of novel resources for pain science education implementation: PainPLaN (Personalised Learning and Navigation to pain education resources).. Pain, 166(11), e606-e622.
DOI Scopus2 WoS2 Europe PMC1
2025 Mellow, M. L., Blake, H. T., Ferguson, T., Robins, B., Dumuid, D., Olds, T., . . . Smith, A. E. (2025). ‘Small Steps’ towards improving 24-hour time-use behaviours to decrease the risk of dementia: protocol for a personalised, web-based randomised controlled trial in community-dwelling older adults. BMJ Open, 15(11), 14 pages.
DOI Scopus2 WoS2
2025 Blake, H. T., Davis, A., Mellow, M. L., Hull, M., Robins, B., Laver, K., . . . Smith, A. E. (2025). Co-design of a digital 24-hour time-use intervention with older adults and allied health professionals. Frontiers in Digital Health, 7(1544489), 14 pages.
DOI Scopus5 WoS6 Europe PMC2
2024 Seale, B., Davis, A., Lawson, J., Smith, L., Watson, J., & Henderson Wilson, C. (2024). Nature-based design in stroke rehabilitation environments: a scoping review. Health Environments Research and Design Journal, 17(4), 186-211.
DOI Scopus8 WoS7 Europe PMC5
2024 Leake, H. B., Heathcote, L. C., Ferencz, N., Birnie, K. A., Davis, A., Karran, E. L., . . . Moseley, G. L. (2024). Co-design and evaluation of pain science messages on social media with adolescents with a history of chronic pain. The Journal of Pain, 25(9, article no. 104580), 1-16.
DOI Scopus4 WoS3 Europe PMC3
2024 Longworth, G. R., De Boer, J., Goh, K., Agnello, D. M., McCaffrey, L., Zapata Restrepo, J. R., . . . Giné Garriga, M. (2024). Navigating process evaluation in co-creation: a Health CASCADE scoping review of used frameworks and assessed components. BMJ Global Health, 9(7), 1-14.
DOI Scopus23 WoS23 Europe PMC19
2023 Wong, S., Davis, A., Selby, P. R., Khoo, R., Gwilt, I., Stocker, S. L., . . . Reuter, S. E. (2023). Application of user-centered co-design principles to address barriers in therapeutic drug monitoring.. Therapeutic drug monitoring, 45(3), 368-375.
DOI Scopus4 WoS4 Europe PMC5
2023 Braithwaite, F. A., Arnold, J., Davis, A., Gwilt, I., MacIntyre, E., Morris, S., . . . Stanton, T. R. (2023). Osteoarthritis consumers as co-researchers: identifying consumer insights to improve osteoarthritis management by co-designing translational research solutions. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, 31(7), 944-953.
DOI Scopus7 WoS7 Europe PMC5
2023 Saa, J. P., Lipson Smith, R., White, M., Davis, A., Yang, T., Wilde, J., . . . Bernhardt, J. (2023). Stroke inpatient rehabilitation environments: aligning building construction and clinical practice guidelines through care process mapping. Stroke, 54(11), 2946-2957.
DOI Scopus13 WoS9 Europe PMC7
2023 Davis, A., Tuckey, M., Gwilt, I., & Wallace, N. (2023). Understanding co-design practice as a process of "welldoing". International Journal of Art & Design Education, 42(2), 278-293.
DOI Scopus14 WoS12
2023 Kakoschke, N., Cox, D. N., Ryan, J., Gwilt, I., Davis, A., Jansons, P., . . . Brinkworth, G. (2023). Disrupting future discounting: a commentary on an underutilised psychological approach for improving adherence to diet and physical activity interventions. Public health nutrition, 26(5), 1088-1093.
DOI Scopus8 WoS9 Europe PMC7
2023 Chua, A., Gwilt, I., & Davis, A. (2023). A flexible third-place, design research enquiry during the pandemic. Design for Health, 7(2), 286-295.
DOI
2023 Gu, N., Soltani, S., London, K., Pablo, Z., & Davis, A. (2023). Stakeholders' perceptions of digital collaboration in delivering a mixed-use housing development project: a case study in Australia. Buildings, 13(9), 1-25.
DOI Scopus5 WoS5
2022 Laver, K., Davis, A., Gwilt, I., Dalistan, R., Lane, R., & Block, H. (2022). Self-assessment of the home environment to plan for successful ageing: report from a digital health co-design workshop. PLOS Digital Health, 1(7), 1-10.
DOI Scopus3 WoS4 Europe PMC3
2022 Bernhardt, J., Lipson Smith, R., Davis, A., White, M., Zeeman, H., Pitt, N., . . . Elf, M. (2022). Why hospital design matters: a narrative review of built environments research relevant to stroke care. International Journal of Stroke, 17(4), 370-377.
DOI Scopus54 WoS44 Europe PMC33
2022 Hayward, K., & Davis, A. (2022). Science visualization: approaches and resources for making communication simple but not simplistic. Stroke, 53(9), E431-E434.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1 Europe PMC1
2021 Tay, B. S. J., Cox, D. N., Brinkworth, G. D., Davis, A., Edney, S. M., Gwilt, I., & Ryan, J. C. (2021). Co-design practices in diet and nutrition research: an integrative review. Nutrients, 13(10, article no. 3593), 1-22.
DOI Scopus41 WoS41 Europe PMC35
2021 Lipson Smith, R., Pflaumer, L., Elf, M., Blaschke, S. M., Davis, A., White, M., . . . Bernhardt, J. (2021). Built environments for inpatient stroke rehabilitation services and care: a systematic literature review. BMJ, 11(8, article no. e050247), 1-11.
DOI Scopus39 WoS33 Europe PMC22
2021 Tay, B. S. J., Edney, S. M., Brinkworth, G. D., Cox, D. N., Wiggins, B., Davis, A., . . . Ryan, J. C. (2021). Co-design of a digital dietary intervention for adults at risk of type 2 diabetes. BMC Public Health, 21(2071), 1-12.
DOI Scopus27 WoS25 Europe PMC23
2021 Wallace, N., Davis, A., & Gwilt, I. (2021). Wellbeing through participation: creativity and co-design as processes of "welldoing". NiTRO: Non Traditional Research Outcomes, 35, 1-6.
2021 Davis, A., Gwilt, I., Wallace, N., & Langley, J. (2021). Low-contact co-design: considering more flexible spatiotemporal models for the co-design workshop. Strategic Design Research Journal, 14(1), 124-137.
DOI Scopus62
2019 Davis, A. (2019). Understanding the value of co-creation processes in the built environment. Charrette, 5(2), 8-21.

Year Citation
2024 Zabar, M., Peng, F., Davis, A., Kueh, C., & Gwilt, I. (2024). Co-design for sustainable youth mental health in Australia. In K. Niedderer (Ed.), Source details - Title: Design for Dementia, Mental Health and Wellbeing: Co-Design, Interventions and Policy (pp. 37-49). Routledge.
DOI
2022 Davis, A., Wallace, N., Gwilt, I., Leditschke, A., & Khoo, R. (2022). Co-designing the future in complex systems. In Proceedings of Drs (Vol. 2022). Design Research Society.
DOI
2022 Javadi, N., Gwilt, I., & Davis, A. (2022). Potential benefits of designing Immersive technologies to reduce anxiety in the perioperative patient journey. In Proceedings of Drs (Vol. 2022). Design Research Society.
DOI Scopus1
2022 Gwilt, I., & Davis, A. (2022). Making data: the next generation. In I. Gwilt (Ed.), Source details - Title: Making Data: Materializing Digital Information (pp. 239-246). UK: Bloomsbury Visual Arts.
DOI Scopus1
2022 Gwilt, I., Davis, A., Mignone, J., Smith, R. T., & Chua, A. (2022). Augmenting environmental graphics in healthcare spaces. In E. Edmunds, & C. Vear (Eds.), Source details - Title: Augmented reality art: from an emerging technology to a novel creative medium (3rd ed. ed., pp. 191-208). Switzerland: Springer.
DOI
2021 Langley, J., Wallace, N., Davis, A., Gwilt, I., Knowles, S., Partridge, R., . . . Ankeny, U. (2021). COVID co-design does not *HAVE* to be digital! Why 'which platform should we use?' should not be your first question. In O. Williams (Ed.), Source details - Title: COVID-19 and Co-production in Health and Social Care Research, Policy and Practice (pp. 85-95). UK: Policy Press.
Scopus13

Year Citation
2025 Saa, J., Lipson-Smith, R., White, M., Davis, A., Kerr, R., & Bernhardt, J. (2025). Rehabilitation environments-New insights for an optimized stroke rehabilitation service. In INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF STROKE Vol. 20 (pp. 1 page). SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD.
2022 Davis, A., Wallace, N., Gwilt, I., & Tuckey, M. R. (2022). Valuing Processes and Outcomes: A framework for planning co-design in complex systems of health design. In ARCH22 ‘Enabling health, care and well-being through design research' 5th Architecture Research Care and Health conference (pp. 1-8). US: TU Delft Open.
DOI
2021 Davis, A., & Gwilt, I. (2021). Insight: a co-design approach to understanding energy on a university campus. In 14th International Conference of the European Academy of Design: Safe Harbours for Design Research (pp. 338-349). Brazil: Blucher.
DOI
2020 Gwilt, I., & Davis, A. (2020). Revealing the hidden: using a co-design approach to explore on campus energy use through the representation of consumption data. In J. F. Boujut (Ed.), Proceedings of The Sixth International Conference on Design Creativity 2020 (pp. 133-143). UK: The Design Society.
DOI Scopus3
2019 Davis, A., Gwilt, I., & Andrew, J. (2019). Match Studio together in the wild: from dialectic contestation to dialogic collaboration. In J. Hakkila (Ed.), Around the Campfire: Resilience and Intelligence: Cumulus Conference Proceedings (pp. 361-375). Finland: University of Lapland.
2018 Davis, A., & Andrew, J. (2018). From rationalism to critical pragmatism: revisiting Arnstein's ladder of public participation in co-creation and consultation. In Proceedings of the State of Australian Cities National Conference: SOAC 2017 (pp. 1-9). Australia: Australian Policy Online.
DOI
2017 Davis, A., & Andrew, J. (2017). Co-creating urban environments to engage citizens in a low-carbon future. In Procedia engineering Vol. 180 (pp. 651-657). Netherlands: Elsevier.
DOI Scopus16 WoS12
2017 Davis, A. (2017). Understanding the value generated by a co-creation approach to the built environment. In J. Anderson (Ed.), Architecture Connects: Association of Architectural Educators 4th International Peer Reviewed Conference Proceedings (pp. 5-15). UK: Oxford Brookes University.

Year Citation
2025 Authors: Davis A, Ferguson B, DeLosAngeles D, Bailey L, Alford K. Title: Future Stories Generation Kit. Extent: 5 PDFs, that when printed combine into a card game, contained by an A3 game mat..
2024 Authors: DeLosAngeles D, Ferguson B, Davis A, Brandalac F, Pesce R, Park K, Alford K. Title: Museum Of Health Futures. Extent: An exhibition covering approx 96 metres squared.
2018 Authors: Davis A, McFadyen R, Kitchingman A. Title: International Federation of Hospital Engineering Building Award 2018. Extent: 68 pages.

Year Citation
2025 Kakoschke, N., Howlett, C. A., Little, K., Gwilt, I., Rebuli, M., Brooker, P. G., & Davis, A. (2025). A co-design approach to the iterative development of Luminaut: A digital Episodic Future Thinking intervention (Preprint).
DOI

Grant funded projects include: 

Cat-1 ARC

  • Enhancing intergenerational connections to support Australian CALD communities. ARC Discovery (2026-28)
  • Cultivating Systemic Safety and Inclusion to Prevent Workplace Sexual Harassment. ARC Linkage (2024-27)

Cat-1 MRFF

  • Medication safety needs rounds: reducing medication-induced harm in aged care homes. MRFF Dementia Ageing and Aged Care Mission (2025-27)
  • INcorporating co-design and sysTEms thinking to GeneRate, implement and evaluATE an improved model of care for youth with chronic pain (INTEGRATE). MRFF EPCDRI & PHCRI Multidisciplinary Models of Primary Care Grant (2025-27)
  • An Osteoarthritis Pain Science Education Intervention to Optimise Care for Total Knee Replacement Surgery (OPTIMISE). MRFF Clinical Trials Activity (2025-27)
  • Less Pain, Better Futures. Shifting consumer expectations, community norms and clinical outcomes for people living with chronic pain. MRFF 2023 Maternal Health and Healthy Lifestyles Grant Opportunity. (2024-27)

Cat-1 NHMRC

  • Levelling the Playing Field: A Scalable Community-wide Strategy to Improve Equity. NHMRC 2023 Partnership Projects PRC1 (2024-28)
  • Dialling Up Health: a Non-Inferiority Trial of an AI Enhanced Telephone Lifestyle Counselling Service. MRFF + Government of South Australia (2024-27)

Cat-2

  • Treasury Data Standards Review. Department of Treasury, Government of Australia (2025)
  • Thriving at work together. Central Adelaide Local Health Network (2025)
  • VITAL Project for Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. Health Translation South Australia MRFF Catalyst Grant Scheme (2025-26)
  • Co-designing innovative rehabilitation environments for persons with stroke. Forte Visiting Researcher Scheme (incoming). Government of Sweden (2025)
  • Apartment Design, Historic & Character Area Design and Demographics & Housing Choice Research Project. Government of South Australia Planning and Land Use Services (2024)
  • Independent Health Check (Dark Patterns). Department of the Treasury, Government of Australia (2024)
  • Co-designing a smartphone application to promote future-oriented thinking, CSIRO (2023)
  • Strategic Planning Workshop: Sustainability and RMC Board Strategic Foresight Workshop. Riverland Murray Coorong Local Health Network (2022-23)
  • Co-design of a user-focussed prototype intervention. CSIRO Australia (2020-21)

Cat-3

  • NOVELL Redesign – Transforming stroke rehabilitation environments. Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health (2022-27)
  • VITAL Project for Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. Arthritis Australia (2025-26)
  • Minda community engagement and master plan. Minda Incorporated (2024-25)
  • OA  Champions: Co-creating and feasibility testing a novel peer mentorship community-based intervention for people with osteoarthritis. The Hospital Research Foundation 2023 Innovations in Ageing Well (2024-25)
  • Future of Health Museum: A 2024 World Health Day Exhibition. World Health Organisation (2024)
  • Centennial Park Masterplan - Brief and Scope of Work, Centennial Park Cemetary Authority (2023-24)
  • Leveraging human centred design to develop a model of care for older people with Post COVID Condition, Flinders Foundation: The Hospital Research Foundation Group (2023-24)
  • Project WERC Go Forward - New co-design prototype. Woolworths Group Limited (2023)
  • Post-Occupancy Evaluation of St Albans Housing. Alistair Swayn Foundation. (2023)
  • Theo Murphy Initiative Think Tank: A co-design exploration of academic recognition. Australian Academy of Sciences. (2021-22)
  • Whole Mouth Health (WMH) Co-design project. FDI World Dental Federation. (2020-26)

Cat-4 CRC

  • Low Carbon Smart Homes Pilot - Review Research Framework. CRC Race for 2030 (2023)
  • Energy Masters, ARENA and CRC-RACE. (2024-28) 

Courses I teach

  • ARCH 6002 Advanced Environments and Technologies
  • ARCH1020 Environmental Design and the Sensory Body

Programs I'm associated with

  • DBAE - Bachelor of Architectural Studies
  • DMAE - Master of Architecture
  • DMSP - Master of Design

Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
2025 Co-Supervisor A community wide intervention to improve equity of uptake of a universal sports voucher program - Doctorate Full Time Ms Catherine Emma Simpson
2025 Co-Supervisor Creating safe and inclusive workplaces together: more than (just) policies and training? - Doctorate Full Time Ms Charlotte Lindo
2025 Principal Supervisor A precision co-design approach for tailoring a whole of community pain education intervention in rural Australia - Master Full Time Mr Oliver Davis
2025 Co-Supervisor The power of community: Exploring community-based interventions to promote self-management of chronic osteoarthritic pain - Doctorate Full Time Miss Hannah Grace Jones
2024 Co-Supervisor Optimising outcomes for people with osteoarthritis after knee joint replacement surgery: A neurotype inclusive approach - Doctorate Full Time Mrs Caroline Eleanor Vaughan Taylor
2024 Co-Supervisor A Novel Approach to Codesign for Sustainable Youth Mental Health in Australia - Doctorate Part Time Ms Mady Zabar
2024 Co-Supervisor Improving the clinical implementation of pain science education - Doctorate Part Time Miss Monique Wilson
2022 Co-Supervisor Designing data for immersive cultural experiences and events - Doctorate Full Time Richie Khoo
2022 Co-Supervisor Responsible Housing: Creating a strategy to facilitate holistic sustainable development in the Australian housing industry - Doctorate Part Time Ms Madeleine Elyse Hughes Parkyn
2022 Co-Supervisor Responsible Housing: Creating a strategy to facilitate holistic sustainable development in the Australian housing industry - Doctorate Part Time Ms Madeleine Elyse Hughes Parkyn

Date Role Board name Institution name Country
2023 - ongoing Member WHO Taskforce on Health Promoting Built Environments International Network of Health Promoting Hospitals & Health Services Netherlands
2023 - 2024 Member Expert Panel on Sub-acute rehabilitation and aged care Health Planning Units Australasian Health Infrastructure Alliance Australia
2022 - ongoing Member National Enabling Access Committee Australian Institute of Architects Australia

Date Role Membership Country
2022 - ongoing Member Australian Institute of Architects -

Date Role Editorial Board Name Institution Country
2025 - ongoing Board Member Design for Health Royal College of Art United Kingdom
2024 - ongoing Board Member Co-Design Taylor & Francis Belgium

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