The population health role of academic health centres: a multiple-case exploratory study in Australia and England

•This cross-country comparative study explored the population health role of AHCs in Australia and England.•AHC designation schemes oriented towards biomedical and clinical research/practice discourage a population health role.•Misaligned incentives between AHC organisational partners inhibit cross-organisational collaboration and systems reform.•Pathways to impact in AHCs are obscured by imprecise and contested operational concepts.•Future research should address these impediments to a population health role in AHCs.