Newsletter | Term 3, 2025
Head of School update
It鈥檚 with mixed news that we bring the latest School of Population Health update to you.听
Sadly, one of our students, Vinay Chansomphou, recently passed away after receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis. A high-achieving and very engaged student, Vinay was determined to complete his double master鈥檚 degree in Public Health and Infectious Diseases Intelligence (Extension). Vinay听.听
We also acknowledge that it鈥檚 been a challenging time for our staff teaching in the undergraduate program, with the decision to disestablish the Bachelor of Public Health in 2026. Our thoughts are also with our public health colleagues at UTS. It鈥檚 more important than ever to continue the vital work of public health teaching and research.听
On a positive note, our staff, conferred title holders, students and HDRs have continue to excel across education and research, and you can read about some of our recent achievements in this newsletter. I鈥檇 like to thank all involved in our school for their efforts in education and research across 2025, and as we get closer to the end of the year, remind everyone of the importance of taking a break from work and study.
Finally, I鈥檇 like to extend our thanks to our partners in South Western Sydney Local Health District and NSW Health for hosting our Health Systems and Service Improvement Masterclass at Liverpool Hospital. These are high value opportunities for our students to learn from executives and leaders working in their areas of study. Photos below!
Professor James Wood
Head of School
November 2025
Awards, promotions & achievements
BYO Innovation Challenge Showcase
罢丑别听听is an immersive program that equips participants with essential tools, feedback, and mentorship to refine a medical or health solution. This year, SPH was represented in the BYO Challenge Pitching Showcase by finalist听Dr Jeffery Chan听(Learning Health and Implementation Platform, School of Population Health), and winners,听Joseph Zhu听and Justin Tao (Everywhere Health, School of Population Health & School of Computer Science). Congratulations, Joseph, Justin and Jeffery!
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Promotions
We鈥檙e pleased to share recent academic promotions in SPH 鈥撎Anne Hogden听补苍诲听Patricia Cullen听have been promoted to Associate Professor.
Please also join us in congratulating听Glen Ramos, SPH PhD Candidate, who has been elected as听.听
2025 School of Population Health award winners
The SPH annual awards recognise excellence in teaching, research, service and engagement. Our 2025 winners are:
- Peter Baume impactful partnerships award 鈥 Dr Lisa Sharwood
- ECR excellence award 鈥 Dr Carolyn Mazariego听
- Excellence in HDR mentoring award 鈥 A/Prof Anurag Sharma
- Alan Hodgkinson teaching excellence award 鈥 Katrina Blazek听
- Early career teaching award 鈥 Dr Esther Tordjmann and Dr Christine Linhart
- Learner engagement award 鈥 Dr Esther Tordjmann
- Outstanding service award (academic) 鈥 A/Prof Kathleen Falster
- Outstanding service award (professional) 鈥 Emily Hogden
- Higher degree research excellence award 鈥 Madeleine Powell
Education highlights
Harm reduction champions join SPH students in Advocacy Lab workshop
Leslie Copland, with Dr Rachel Rowe
In July, SPH students joined members of the Harm Reduction in Prisons Working Group and leading Australian drug policy researchers, Professor Alison Ritter and Dr Liz Barrett. The session involved a presentation of the campaign for harm reduction interventions to be offered in Australian prisons, including stakeholder analysis. Participants then brainstormed strategies and tactics to support injecting-related harm reduction in prisons, including Needle & Syringe Programs.
It was an exciting opportunity to contribute to the Harm Reduction in Prisons Working Group and to apply aspects of study to real-world policy problems. This workshop challenged us to think outside of the box for what continues to be an area of health policy where Australia鈥檚 human rights obligations to people in prison are not being met. The brainstorming activity resulted in a diverse list of possibilities, opportunities, and ideas to refresh the ongoing campaign.
The Advocacy Lab thanks Alison and Liz for their generous leadership. The ideas generated are being used to inform ongoing Advocacy Lab activities.
Student Translational Research Projects presented at conferences
Congratulations to students听Dyone Bettega听补苍诲听Jiv Muthunesan, who were invited to present their research projects (undertaken as part of听PHCM9153 Translational Research Project) at conferences in October. Dyone and Jiv are SPH Master of Health Leadership and Management students, and Health Management Interns in Western Sydney Local Health District. Dyone is also a postgraduate student representative on the 91色情片 Medine & Health Faculty Board.
Dyone presented her early research findings in a poster at the听Annual Scientific Meeting for the Society of Obstetric Medicine of Australia and New Zealand, in Auckland. Dyone won best poster prize for her research titled 鈥淣avigating pregnancy with congenital heart disease: A mixed-methods exploration of the perinatal healthcare needs of women with CHD鈥. She is completing this project supervised by听Dr Claire Deakin.
Jiv Muthunesan is completing a project听supervised by听Dr Ebony Lewis听and Dr Deakin, 鈥淭he role of smoking ceremonies in end of life care for Aboriginal patients and communities for providing culturally safe patient-centred care at Western Sydney Local Health District鈥. Jiv presented a poster on this work at the听Indigenous Wellbeing Conference听2025, in Brisbane.听
Impact and engagement
Medicines Intelligence Centre of Research Excellence Symposium
The Medicines Intelligence Centre of Research Excellence (MI-CRE) held its 5th听Annual Research Symposium and Policy Forum 鈥撎Better together:听Advancing medicines intelligence through partnerships听at 91色情片. The 2-day meeting hosted by MI-CRE Director听Prof Sallie Pearson听brought together researchers, consumers, policy-makers and other key stakeholders from across Australia to hear about the latest research in the quality use of medicines and medicines safety. It featured invited speakers Prof Caroline Homer AO from the Burnet Institute and Chair of the NHMRC Council, Prof Peter Rijnbeek from Erasmus University and DARWIN-EU and Prof Robert Platt from McGill University and CNODES as well as presentations by E/MCRs from our research partner nodes across Australia. The abstracts and recordings of the Symposium will be available on the MI-CRE website shortly.
Advocating to remove the MRFF funding cap
Dr George Christopher Karystianis听was invited by the Deputy Vice Chancellor Research, Professor Bronwyn Fox, to present at a Go8 press conference听held in Canberra in November. The Go8听is听听and to return to the original annual distribution amount of $1 billion. In 2023,听a successful MRFF grant by Dr Karystianis designed to address gaps in domestic and family violence information, was not awarded funding because of this cap, leading to missed chances to improve lives and empower communities.
The event is supported by MP Monique Ryan, who identified significant unspent surpluses held in the MRFF,听.
Respiratory virus surveillance and reporting capacity-building in Mongolia
Dr Alexandra Hogan, along with collaborators at the University of Melbourne (A/Prof Freya Shearer and Dr Oliver Eales) delivered a 4-day training session in infectious disease modelling and outbreak analytics to public health staff in Mongolia, to contribute to capacity building in respiratory virus surveillance and reporting. The training was organised by the World Health Organization, in collaboration with the Mongolian National Influenza Center (NIC) and National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD).
Sharing patient satisfaction insights
Dr Zhaoli Dai-Keller听presented preliminary findings on virtual outpatient care satisfaction at the听2025 Health Beyond Research and Innovation Showcase, hosted by South Western Sydney Local Health District in September. The work was led by 91色情片 medical student Jason Tan, supervised by听Malcolm Gillies听and Dr Dai-Keller.
Spreading infectious disease modelling skills
Dr Alexandra Hogan听补苍诲听Prof James Wood, with colleagues from University of Melbourne and University of Canterbury, delivered a 2-day workshop in infectious disease modelling to 30 participants from state and federal health departments. They hosted the event in the new space in the Health Translation Hub.
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Media publications
Read the latest media publications from the School of Population Health (Note: SPH contributors are listed here, please click on the links to see all authors).
:听Zhaoli Dai-Keller
:听Samuel Cornell
:听Samuel Cornell
:听Samuel Cornell
:听Samuel Cornell
:听Samuel Cornell
:听Samuel Cornell
:听Samuel Cornell
:听Samuel Cornell
Research highlights
Grants
Safer and more effective blood transfusions for First Nations Australians
Prof Maree Toombs听has been awarded a听$1.59 million听ARC Discovery Indigenous scheme grant. The project aims to create the first large-scale map of blood group variation in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It will utilise advanced DNA technology to map blood group genes and compile a detailed catalogue of genetic differences, leading to safer transfusions. The project will build Indigenous capacity in genomics.听
Surveillance for respiratory viruses
A/Prof Bridget Haire, Dr Alexandra Hogan, A/Prof David Muscatello, A/Prof Anthony Newall, A/Prof Holly Seale and Prof James Wood are Chief Investigators to a $4 million Prevention Research Support Program (PRSP) grant led by Dr Jen Kok (Western Sydney Local Health District). Along with colleagues at The Kirby Institute, and other institutions, SPH investigators will contribute to this stream of work focused on听.听听
Publications
Dr Lisa Sharwood听published an Invited Commentary in JAMA, following an invitation from the Editor, titled听AI Use for Injury Surveillance in Emergency Departments.
