May news from the Alliance
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May reflections from the Alliance
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The Australian Global Health Alliance acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the lands on which we live, work and gather. We wish to pay our respects to Elders past, present and future and to First Nations Peoples globally.
We welcome the outcome of the Federal Election last Saturday, in particular the new government’s renewed commitment to climate change, to the Uluru Statement of the Heart in full and working in partnership with our neighbours in the Pacific and South East Asia to tackle the pandemic recovery and health challenges. We look forward to continuing a respectful and productive dialogue with all ministries relevant to global health over the coming years, in particular on the vision to partner respectfully in our region. We were buoyed to see the largest number of women ever elected to parliament, as well as the largest number of First Nations representatives. We look forward to working with this new government to deliver impact in global health.
This last month has been busy and the Alliance has been supporting the work of the Indo-Pacific Centre for Health Security and their roundtable consultations on the Second Phase of the Health Security Initiative. There are a number of thematic deep-dives still to come, and you can find details of those sessions here.
As we write this, the 75th World Health Assembly is being held in Geneva, Switzerland, in person for the first time since the outset of the pandemic. The theme of this year’s assembly is ‘Health for peace, peace for health’, fitting as our world is increasingly threatened by conflict, inequities, the climate crisis and pandemics.
Yesterday was National Sorry Day, a day to acknowledge the trauma and loss of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were forcibly removed from their families, known as the Stolen Generations. We commit towards a process of healing for our First Nations communities, including addressing the determinants of health that continue to bear stark health gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
Today, is the beginning of National Reconciliation Week, which runs each year from 27th May to 3rd June. This year’s theme, ‘Be Brave, Make the Change’ challenges us all to tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation so we can make change for all. We encourage you to read this 2021 article from University of Wollongong lecturer and proud Yorta Yorta woman, Dr Summer May Findlay on how non-Indigenous people engage in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander space, and reflect on where you fit: Tokenistic, ally, or accomplice?
Congratulations to Alliance Bronze Sponsor Burnet Institute, who last week announced a new partnership with Moderna to develop mRNA vaccines in Melbourne for a range of emerging and neglected infectious diseases. Australia’s global health community continues to take a leading role in tackling health and equity challenges in our region and beyond, and this new partnership will pave the way for accelerated development pathways for life-saving and game-changing vaccine innovations.
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A child dies of malaria every minute: Urgent investment in Pacific needed
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On World Malaria Day (25 April) Pacific Friends of Global Health called on the federal government to urgently invest in the battle to fight malaria in the Pacific and South East Asia, with cases and deaths on the rise.
Despite years of steady progress, the fight against the disease has stalled. This has been made worse as a result of the world diverting its attention and resources to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pacific Friends of Global Health Chair, Professor Brendan Crabb AC, said funding has plateaued and the next Australian Government must contribute more to bring the world and our region back on track.
“The annual global death rate from the disease has almost halved over the last 20 years and Australia has helped achieve that extraordinary success. However, low-income countries have experienced a resurgence, particularly in our region,” Professor Crabb said.
“Papua New Guinea has the highest malaria transmission rates outside of Africa and the COVID-19 pandemic has only put further strain on the country’s health systems.
“767 million people are at risk in the Western Pacific alone. Globally, the disease kills one child every minute.
“Malaria is treatable and curable, and until now, the fight against malaria was one of humanity’s biggest public health successes. But even before COVID, we were losing ground. We can’t afford to take our foot off the accelerator.
Read full statement
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Roundtable Discussions on Future Programming Priorities in Health Security for the Indo-Pacific Region
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The Indo-Pacific Centre for Health Security is currently exploring future programming priorities in health security. It is anticipated that this will build on achievements to date with a particular focus on the avoidance and containment of infectious disease threats with the potential to cause social and economic harms on a national, regional or global scale.
Roundtable discussions will provide an opportunity to reflect on Australia's investment in health security to date and to commence dialogue on future health security programming priorities for our region.
Upcoming roundtable discussions will be held in:
- Darwin, NT
- Brisbane, QLD
- Perth, WA
Thematic Deep Dives are part of the series of discussions on future programming and will provide the opportunity for in-depth discussions on a particular topic. These virtual discussions are open to current partners and interested partners/organisations.
Upcoming thematic discussions will include:
- Laboratory strengthening
- Field epidemiology training
- Vector-borne diseases and vector control - Tuesday 14 June 2:00-3.30pm Click here to register.
- Outbreak response and preparedness - Tuesday 31 May 2022 1pm-2.30pm Click here to register.
- One Health
- Community engagement
- PDPs, Product Development and Deployment - Tuesday 14 June 9:00-10.30pm Click here to register.
Further details on dates/times/locations of the roundtables and thematic deep dives are forthcoming. Check here regularly for updates.
Previous roundtable discussions and deep dives include:
- Sydney, NSW - 20 April 2022
- Melbourne, VIC - 11 May 2022
- GEDSI - 12 May 2022
- Infection Prevention and Control (AMR) - 16 May 2022
- Immunisation - 18 May 2022
- Data for decision making and surveillance - 24 May 2022
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Burnet Institute partners with Moderna to develop novel mRNA vaccines
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Burnet Institute is to partner with world-leading mRNA vaccine manufacturer Moderna, through their cutting-edge mRNA Access program, to develop novel mRNA vaccines for a range of emerging and neglected infectious diseases aimed at improving the health of communities globally.
The COVID-19 pandemic has underlined the important role of mRNA vaccines, and innovative scientific thinking is now needed to tackle many of the other high-burden infectious diseases, including malaria which is responsible for the death of half a million people, mostly children, each year.
Under the partnership agreement Moderna will provide expertise in designing mRNA vaccines for Burnet’s validated novel candidates in malaria, SARS-CoV-2 and hepatitis C.
Burnet’s Vaccine Initiative (BVI) research team will provide vaccine antigens to be modified and optimised by Moderna and returned to the Institute as mRNA candidates ready to test in pre-clinical models. Should the results prove promising, Moderna will consider extending the partnership to help progress these candidates through clinical trials.
Professor Brendan Crabb AC, Director and CEO of Burnet Institute called the partnership with Moderna’s mRNA Access program a potential ‘game-changer’ for communities needing vaccines to prevent the devastating impact of infectious diseases. “When the world looked to science to address the pandemic threat of COVID-19, the success of mRNA and other COVID-19 vaccine platforms undoubtedly saved tens of millions of lives. We are excited that the mRNA technology may also help solve the quest to find game-changing, high-efficacy malaria and hepatitis C vaccines, as well as improving our understanding of the SARS-CoV-2 virus,” Professor Crabb said.
“Developing vaccines traditionally has taken a decade or more, but we now know that needn’t be the case. Through this partnership and drawing on Moderna’s expertise in mRNA vaccine development we will be able to accelerate that development pathway.”
Read full announcement
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Unitaid marks 15th anniversary, celebrates greater equity in global health
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In advance of its 15th anniversary, Unitaid has announced the impact of its efforts to create better, faster, more equitable health responses.
In the past 15 years, Unitaid has unlocked access to more than 150 advances in health technologies, transforming care for the more than 100 million people each year who benefit from the products.
These include: the best and most widely used HIV treatments; the first-ever medicines for treating children with HIV and TB and preventing malaria; screen-and-treat solutions for cervical cancer; and all tools currently used in malaria prevention.
Unitaid has also taken a leadership role in the COVID-19 response as a key member of the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A), helping deliver the most coordinated global health effort of the past century.
With a total budget of less than 1% of the global investment needed for TB, HIV and malaria combined, Unitaid-supported products will generate more than US$5 billion in savings by 2030.
Unitaid delivers this impact by identifying breakthrough health products and addressing the barriers that limit their wide-scale use.
Read full statement
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Global study highlights menstrual stigma, with conversations key to change, UWA researcher says
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New research shows periods "produce a range of adverse personal impacts" for people around the world, with shame and stigma exacerbating the burden of menstruation.
The study was completed across various institutes, including the University of Western Australia. It compiled data from more than 10,000 people from high and low-income countries.
UWA lead researcher Dani Barrington said social stigma was a huge barrier to menstrual health across the board. "This stigma, it's all-encompassing around the world, and it's having really negative impacts on people, even in countries where they can afford to buy menstrual products," Dr Barrington said. "If we are going to sustainably achieve good menstrual health for everyone, we must do more than throw free pads at the problem."
Full story on ABC News Southern
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What are the Challenges for Nossal Institute's One Health partners?
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Recent outbreaks of zoonoses, such as avian influenza and monkeypox, have highlighted the urgent need to develop One Health approaches. The Nossal Institute for Global Health has been leading the Collaboration on One Health Economic Research for Systems (COHERES) project to support this development in three Mekong countries.
After two years of remote collaboration, researchers from the Nossal Institute recently travelled to Phnom Penh, Cambodia to meet the Cambodian team and discuss progress with local partners.
Prof. Barbara McPake lead the delegation, which included Prof. Peter Annear, Ms. Katherine Gilbert, and Dr Justin McKinley. The Nossal Team hosted a three-day workshop with local partners from One Health sectors: animal health, human health, and the environment. The members of these sectors engaged with the Nossal team to validate findings that emerged from data analysis, provided local context to the data through conversation and workshop activities, and progressed the emerging findings to help translate them into meaningful policy dialogue in the near future.
Read more on the challenges and solutions discussed.
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Different stroke symptoms could be making them harder to spot early in women: George Institute
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New research shows that although the ‘classic’ early signs of a stroke such as problems with movement and speech occur in both women and men, women are more likely to have more generalised symptoms, like confusion and weakness.
But data was too limited to be able to say whether these differences are resulting in delays to diagnosis or a misdiagnosis in women.
Stroke occurs when there is a sudden loss of blood supply to a localised area of the brain and is the second major cause of disability globally. Women experience worse post-stroke disability and are more than three times as likely to be institutionalised after a stroke than men.
Lead author Dr Sultana Shajahan from The George Institute for Global Health said that early diagnosis is vital in the management of acute stroke, but previous studies have shown that women are more likely to experience delays, resulting in worse outcomes.
“One of the possible reasons for a delay could be sex differences in stroke symptoms when first presenting to a healthcare professional, but there is a limited number of studies that have analysed these sex differences,” she said.
Read more
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Global Fund and Partners Urge Increased Investment Towards Ending World’s Deadliest Diseases, Welcome First Private Sector Pledge
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Ahead of the Global Fund’s Seventh Replenishment Conference, the Global Fund and partners called on all players in the private sector – philanthropists, foundations, and corporations – for a step-change in their commitment to ending AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria and building resilient health systems that contribute to a safer world.
Comic Relief US, an organization committed to breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty, immediately answered global leaders’ call at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos by announcing a US$10 million pledge to the Global Fund – becoming the first private organization to announce a financial commitment to the Global Fund’s Seventh Replenishment. The Gates Foundation committed to match this donation on a 2:1 matching agreement, resulting in US$30 million towards ending HIV, tuberculosis and malaria.
“We are very grateful to Comic Relief US and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for their continued commitment to our life-saving work,” said Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund. “Both organizations have been longstanding partners at the forefront of the fight against HIV, tuberculosis and malaria and building stronger health systems.”
Advocates in Australia, including the Australian Global Health Alliance and Pacific Friends of Global Health are calling on the Australian Government to step up its support of the Global Fund by pledging at least $450 million at the Seventh Replenishment to be held later this year.
Read more
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Institute for Health Transformation’s Dr Christina Zorbas recognised for outstanding contributions to public health research
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Dr Christina Zorbas’s contributions to public health research have been recognised by the Victorian Government who in April awarded her the Premier’s Award for Health and Medical Research in Public Health.
The Premier’s Awards for Health and Medical Research, established in 1995 by the Victorian Government in partnership with the Australian Society for Medical Research, recognise the exceptional contributions and capabilities of Victoria’s early-career health and medical researchers.
A member of the Global Obesity Centre (GLOBE) at the Institute for Health Transformation (IHT), Dr Zorbas’ work seeks to address the affordability of healthy diets for people on low incomes.
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Are we pulling the right policy levers to address Africa’s shortage of healthcare workers? George Institute
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Return-of-service schemes - which fund the education of health sciences students provided they return to work in their local communities for a period of time after qualifying - have been used to address healthcare worker shortages across South Africa.
But are they a good investment? A team of researchers from The George Institute and UNSW, Sydney, set out to try and answer this question. Read more.
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COVAX calls for urgent action to close vaccine equity gap
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Nearly 18 months after the first administration of a COVID-19 vaccine, incredible progress has been made – with lower-income countries administering billions of COVID-19 vaccines in a historic global rollout that is unprecedented in terms of speed, scale and demographics reached. Yet despite this progress, and the easing of global supply constraints, inequities between lower and higher-income countries are continuing to cost lives and are prolonging the pandemic by increasing the threat posed by the emergence of new, potentially more dangerous variants of the virus.
Only 16% of people in low-income countries have received a single vaccine dose – compared to 80% in high-income countries. In certain lower-income countries, many of the most at-risk people in society – healthcare workers, the elderly and those with underlying health conditions – are going unprotected while young, healthy adults receive booster doses in wealthier countries.
The world must act urgently to close this equity gap. COVAX calls on countries to set ambitious targets for implementation and on all partners to ensure countries have the resources needed to accelerate and expand national strategies.
Read in full
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Abbott Scholarships available for the Joint Australasian HIV&AIDS + Sexual Health Conferences
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Abbott Rapid Diagnostics has sponsored two scholarships for healthcare workers and professionals working in HIV and SRH from the Pacific Island Countries and Territories, Papua New Guinea, and Timor-Leste. The scholarship includes all costs related to travel and conference attendance, and does not require an abstract to be submitted in order to be eligible.
Applications can be made by filling out this form by Friday 3rd June 2022.
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Australian-first model estimates significant healthcare savings from reduced time spent sitting | Institute for Health Transformation
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From reducing risk of illness and disease, to potentially saving our healthcare system millions of dollars, a new model developed by Institute for Health Transformation members has shown that reducing sitting time has benefits for many Australians.
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ACIPC Member Louise Laurie Joins COVID-19 Response in Kiribati
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Recently, Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control (ACIPC) member Louise Laurie was deployed to support the COVID-19 response in Kiribati.
Louise’s deployment was organised as part of the College’s partnership with the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN). The GOARN partnership provides support upon request to prevent and control outbreaks and public health emergencies and help countries strengthen their operations and build capacity at the local level.
Over a two-month period, Louise worked in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Medical Services and the Pacific Community (SPC) to provide technical assistance on IPC during the first wave of COVID-19 community transmission. Since the initial surge in COVID-19 cases, WHO and partners have been working to support the COVID-19 response in Kiribati and other Pacific Island countries and areas. In Kiribati, the Ministry of Health and Medical Services and WHO, in collaboration with other stakeholders, have mobilised experts for deployments, provided tailored technical support, delivered personal protective equipment, medicines and other supplies and strengthened the capacity of healthcare workers and other stakeholders to support the Government-led response.
Louise’s expert assistance is one of 69 individual deployments to support the COVID-19 response in WHO’s Western Pacific Region through GOARN. Read what Louise had to say about their experience in the ACIPC newsletter
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We need to know more about women’s experiences of pregnancy and lactation following bariatric surgery | Deakin University
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A scoping review from Centre for Quality and Patient Safety researchers at the Institute for Health Transformation has highlighted a lack of evidence of women’s experiences following bariatric surgery.
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Uncovering the possibilities and challenges of ending malaria in the Asia Pacific | APLMA
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The Asia-Pacific region is close to eliminating malaria, but to “finish the job” there must be a focus on the most vulnerable communities, said Sarthak Das, CEO at the Asia Pacific Leaders Malaria Alliance in a Q&A discussion with Devex.
According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, some 2.31 billion people remain at high risk of malaria in the region. Yet the malaria narrative for Asia-Pacific tends to only focus on the successful progress, which leaves out voices from those people still at risk, Das explained.
“It's crucial we remember that elimination doesn't happen as a region unless it happens across the entire region,” he said. “Looking across Asia-Pacific, there are areas of high endemicity in countries where modest levels of control must be attained before preparing for elimination.” Read full discussion
Photo by: DFAT. A patient getting a check up at the Susa Mama health clinic, Port Moresby General Hospital, Papua New Guinea.
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An egg a day helps maintain Vitamin D levels in winter – study | Deakin University
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New research from the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN) has found that eating a single egg a day can help prevent vitamin D deficiencies during the winter months.
The study is the first to investigate the relationship between eating commercially available free range eggs and blood vitamin D levels in winter in young and middle aged Australian adults. The research team, led by Professor Robin Daly, organised a randomised controlled trial of 51 adults aged 25-40 years, who were divided into three groups and asked to consume either two, seven or 12 eggs per week for 12 weeks.
Prof Daly said the findings indicated that weekly consumption of seven eggs was an effective dietary approach to optimise vitamin D levels during the winter months as the sunlight hours decline. The researchers also observed that there were no significant adverse effects on blood lipids (i.e. cholesterol) and that participants found it relatively easy to eat the eggs as part of their daily diets. Read more here.
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George Institute researchers to receive over four million dollars in Medical Research Future Fund grants
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A team of researchers from The George Institute for Global Health have been awarded over $2.2 million to conduct a new trial to see if a drug used to treat diabetes can improve outcomes for people with advanced stages of kidney disease. Read more.
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Understanding the barriers to surgery: Nossal Institute
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Understanding the barriers people face in accessing life-changing surgery is essential to delivering equitable health services.
The Nossal Institute for Global Health has been appointed by Interplast and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) to analyse the impact of disability and gender on access to surgery and other specialist health services in six Pacific countries. Read more.
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Homebirth programs a safe option for low-risk pregnancies | Institute for Health Transformation
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Publicly funded homebirth programs are a safe option for women experiencing low-risk pregnancies, according to new research from the Centre for Quality and Patient Safety at Deakin University’s Institute for Health Transformation (IHT).
The study of outcomes of mother than 800 women referred to a publicly funded homebirth service over a ten year period has found that women who birthed at home were less likely to require suturing and more likely to have previously had a baby.
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What's On in Global Health?
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- 22-28 May: World Health Assembly
- 22-26 May: World Economic Forum, Davos
- 27 May-3 Jun: National Reconciliation Week
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- 31 May: World No-Tobacco Day
- 5 June: World Environment Day
- 20 June: World Refugee Day
- 26-28 June: G7 Leaders Summit, Germany
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Regional Child and Adolescent TB forum | Friday 27 May, 9am-5.30pm AEST | WHO Collaborating Centre for TB and the Centre of Research Excellence in TB Control | In person or Online | Details and registration
The WHO Collaborating Centre for TB and the Centre of Research Excellence in TB Control are excited to host an upcoming forum for:
- People in Australia and the Asia Pacific Region with an interest in child and adolescent TB to be informed of, and to reflect on, challenges and new developments in the field
- To showcase Regional research, capacity building and program development/support work
- To encourage knowledge exchange and research collaboration
- To strengthen Regional networks and leadership
Cervical Screening: Universal Access to Self-Collection & Optimising the Screening Experience for People with an Intellectual Disability | Tuesday 7 June 2022, 6-7pm AEST | Australian Centre for the Prevention of Cervical Cancer | For more information or to register please contact hsaunders@acpcc.org.au
Australia is on track to be the first country in the world to eliminate cervical cancer. But this will only happen if we address the cervical screening equity gaps for those who are under or never screened, including people with an intellectual disability. In this webinar we will cover:
- Cervical Screening changes effective from 1 July 2022: universal access to self-collection and what that means for you and your patients.
- How to support patients with an intellectual disability to participate in cervical screening and optimise their screening experience.
Speakers: Professor Deborah Bateson, Medical Director at Family Planning NSW and Clinical Professor at The University of Sydney
Meeting the Cancer Screening Needs of the LGBTQA+ Community | Wednesday 22 June 2022, 6-7pm AEST | Australian Centre for the Prevention of Cervical Cancer | Online | For more information or to register please contact hsaunders@acpcc.org.au
The LGBTIQA+ Community experiences a number of barriers that may deter them from accessing routine cancer screening services. In this webinar we will cover:
- Clinical considerations for breast, cervical, bowel and prostate cancer screening for LGBTQA+ people
- How you can provide and promote safe and inclusive cancer screening services for the LGBTQA+ community.
Speakers: Associate Professor Ruth McNair AM, practicing General Practitioner and Honorary Associate Professor, University of Melbourne
Health in Crisis – caring for children and adolescents in humanitarian emergencies | Thursday 9 June 2022 | Melbourne Children's Global Health | Online | Register
Presented by Dr Hamish Graham. Children and young people living in contexts of war, displacement, and natural disasters face many challenges to their health, safety and wellbeing – some unique, and many magnified by their environment. While traditional humanitarian response efforts prioritise the major infectious and nutritional killers of young children, emerging evidence recognises the need for broader attention to the needs and capacities of children and young people and better integration in response efforts. Hamish Graham shares his experiences working with WHO to develop operational guidance for health managers serving children and young people in humanitarian settings.
Health Systems Assessment in Humanitarian Crises | 20 June - 1 July 2022 | Geneva Centre for Humanitarian Studies | Online | Details
The primary purpose of this intensive executive short course, based on the book published by Professor Blanchet Applied Systems Thinking for Health Systems Research, is to familiarize participants with a health systems approach to healthcare for communities in low and middle countries affected by humanitarian crises through practical, interactive examples and case studies, and taught by experts with humanitarian expertise in low- and middle-income countries during or after humanitarian crises.
This is the only course specifically focused on health system assessment in humanitarian crises and built on the latest available evidence.
Global Health Security Conference 2022 | 28 June - 1 July 2022 | Suntec Convention & Exhibition Centre, Singapore | Register
To find out more about Global Health Security Conferences, join the mailing list, or view the draft program.
Blood borne virus testing course | Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control | Course commencing 1 July 2022 | Fee - $350 | More information
The course has been designed for healthcare practitioners involved in undertaking testing in all healthcare settings including midwifery, acute care, community health, women’s health, correctional health, rural and remote health, refugee health, sexual health, and infection prevention and control practitioners.
During the course you will learn about:
- Epidemiology, transmission, management options and prevention of HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C
- Different tests available to correctly diagnose, testing intervals post exposure and window periods for testing
- Post incident pre- and post-test discussion for both the recipient and the source following the incident
- The personal impact and medical consequences of HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C
- Conducting a risk assessment for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C
- Strategies and resources for effective health promotion and prevention education
- Basic counselling skills including listening, questioning, reflecting and summarising
2nd Australasian COVID-19 Conference | 21-22 July 2022 | Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park, Australia.
Our conference theme is “Taking stock of our COVID toolkit”: researchers from an array of disciplines, specialist clinicians, epidemiologists and community members have developed new and harnessed existing tools to comprehensively address prevention, treatment and management of COVID-19/SARS-COV-2 and evolving challenges presented. Visit the conference website.
Global Entrepreneurship Summer School | Social Entrepreneurship Akademie | 29 July - 6 August 2022 | Virtual | Details
GESS offers a unique opportunity to young people to make an impact and create change in an international community. Social Entrepreneurship is the tool of choice. We run the program in cooperation with the entrepreneurship centers of leading universities in Munich, Shanghai, Querétaro (Mexico) and Cape Town.
Through this virtual program, students from diverse disciplines and backgrounds are challenged to develop entrepreneurial solutions to societal challenges. This isn’t just another Zoom call – it’s an exciting, emotional and memorable experience that brings together people from around the world. This virtual learning journey includes hands-on and interactive methods to create a life-changing experience and foster lifelong connections between participants.
IPAN Infant Nutrition Course | Intake now, next intake August 2022 | Self-guided Course |
Nutrition experts from the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN) run a free, self-paced Infant Nutrition course to support new parents, health professionals and students using the latest evidence to encourage healthy eating from infancy. The course runs year-round to allow more flexibility. Find out more here.
21st International Conference on Emergency Medicine | 14-19 June 2022 | Online or in person at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
IEEE standards association has launched the “Dignity, Inclusion, Identity, Trust, and Agency” (DIITA) Industry Connections Program to consider causes of exclusion which can be addressed by advancing technology for humanity through standardization and related solutions. Within the program, the Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Workstream identify barriers to gender equality and social inclusion with a focus on technical standards for affordability and accessibility that support the progress of practical technologies to address these barriers. The key question that we address: How to integrate GESI considerations in the development of technical standards with the view to incorporating GESI in system design, as well as policy and planning? At this webinar, we will present the work of the GESI workstream, and discuss how standards can help create including energy technologies for future transitions. Register Here.
Preventing Cervical Cancer Conference 2022 | 16-18 November 2022 | Sofitel Hotel Melbourne and virtual | Details
PCC2022 is being held on 16-18 November at the Sofitel Hotel in Melbourne. The Conference will be a hybrid face-to-face and virtual event hosted by The Australian Centre for the Prevention of Cervical Cancer and partners from the NHMRC-funded Centre of Research Excellence in Cervical Cancer Control (C4) and the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance. The theme of the conference is innovation and equity in the elimination of cervical cancer. An exciting panel of speakers at the vanguard of elimination efforts will share their experiences and knowledge across the cervical cancer prevention spectrum, including awareness, vaccination, screening, and treatment of pre-cancers. Dialogue and exchange of ideas through panel discussions and networking will be a key feature of PCC2022.
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What's trending: Good reads, videos and podcasts
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🎧Pod save the world: Bill Gates on preventing the next pandemic Hosts talk about the latest in Ukraine, including Ukrainian attacks on targets in Russia, Biden’s $33 billion aid request, and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov’s insane attempt to blame the jews for the Holocaust. Then they cover the upcoming election in the Philippines, France’s resurgent left, Saudi Arabia, a former CIA agent turned life coach, QAnon runs for congress and more humiliation for Tory party MPs.
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📖Homebirth programs a safe option for low-risk pregnancies
Publicly funded homebirth programs are a safe option for women experiencing low-risk pregnancies, according to new research from the Centre for Quality and Patient Safety at Deakin University’s Institute for Health Transformation (IHT).
The study of outcomes of mother than 800 women referred to a publicly funded homebirth service over a ten year period has found that women who birthed at home were less likely to require suturing and more likely to have previously had a baby.
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📺 David Cooper Lecture | Julia Gillard in conversation with Tegan Taylor
Former Prime Minister Julia Gillard is now the Chair of the Wellcome Trust, a not-for-profit global organisation that supports science to solve urgent health challenges equitably. She joins journalist Tegan Taylor in conversation exploring how to leverage science and make advances in health available to everyone.
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📖Rejuvenating DFAT: increasing diversity and becoming less insular | The Lowy Institute
Writing in The Interpreter this month, Justin Brown built the case for rejuvenating the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. While author Yun Jiang agrees broadly with his diagnosis, they offer some alternative solutions to the problems he raised. As Brown has noted, the two major criticisms DFAT faces are that it lacks capability at formulating policy solutions and that it is insular from the rest of the public service.
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📖Complacency over COVID is costing us | Prof Brendan Crabb and Prof Mike Toole
Five weeks into an election campaign, there has been nary a mention by either major party about the greatest public health crisis in our lifetimes. The COVID-19 pandemic is being presented to the public as something that happened in the past. But the reality is very different, the pandemic is still with us and is hurting us badly.
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Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV)
Development of MMV’s strategic vision on global health trends 2024-2030
MMV is seeking a consultancy to assist in the development of its next strategic plan for the period 2024-2030. MMV developed a short-term plan (2022-23) during 2021, with the understanding that many elements of the global health environment are rapidly shifting due to the global calls to address climate change and diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Proposals due: 7 June 2022
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A unique opportunity is available for an outstanding PhD scholar to conduct research into global immunisation policy and delivery, with a focus on the Asia-Pacific region.
The scholarship is funded through a partnership with the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS), of the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network.
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The George Institute for Global Health
Location: Sydney
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Medicines Development for Global Health
Senior/Clinical Project Manager x 2
Location: Position 1 - African or European time zone preferred; Position 2 – Asia-Pacific time zone preferred
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