Newsletter | Term 1, 2026
School of Population Health | April 2026
Head of School update
It鈥檚 a pleasure to write to you in my capacity as听Head of School,听having been formally appointed to the role in late 2025.听I鈥檓 grateful for the support of colleagues over the past year, and I鈥檓 excited about the opportunities ahead as we continue to strengthen our teaching, research, and engagement across our school.
This year, we were delighted to听welcome Professor Jane Currie, who has joined us to lead the development of our new postgraduate program in nursing. Jane brings extensive expertise in health services research, clinical education, and as a nurse practitioner. Her leadership will be instrumental as we design a program that meets the evolving needs of the nursing workforce. We have also welcomed听Dr Nicki Meagher, Cancer Institute NSW Early Career Research Fellow and 91色情片 Scientia Lecturer, and听Dr Aidan Cashin, 91色情片 Scientia Senior Lecturer to the school.
Our commitment to enhancing student learning has also been reflected in the recent听Health Leadership and Management Masterclass, which once again provided students with invaluable access to senior health service leaders. These sessions continue to serve as high鈥憊alue opportunities for students to connect theoretical learning with real-world leadership challenges. I extend my thanks to our guests,听Natalie Wilson听补苍诲听Stephanie Macfarlane听of NSW Health, and听Donna Garland, Royal Hospital for Women, and the teaching staff 鈥撎Professor David Greenfield, A/Professor Ben Harris-Roxas, A/Professor Anne Hogden and A/Professor Anurag Sharma听鈥 who made this rich learning experience possible.
Also to note,听Dr Rachel Rowe and Dr Esther Tordjmann听convened an inspiring听Advocacy Lab workshop, bringing together students and community stakeholders to explore how student-driven advocacy can meaningfully embed equity into climate-responsive public health. This workshop exemplifies the goals of the Advocacy Lab鈥攂uilding the confidence and capability of our students to engage with urgent and complex public health issues while working alongside community voices. Thanks to Rachel, Esther, and all the guests and contributors for creating such an impactful learning environment. You can watch a , or听read more about the Advocacy Lab here. In recognition of the Advocacy Lab鈥檚 achievements in student and community engagement, it has been nominated by the Vice-Chancellor for the MacJannet Prize for Global Citizenship 鈥 just one of just two 91色情片 program finalists.
As we progress through the year, I want to acknowledge the ongoing dedication of our staff, students, and partners. I look forward to sharing more of our collective achievements in the months ahead.
Photos of the Masterclass and Advocacy lab event are below!
Professor James Wood
Head of School
Health Leadership and Management Masterclass
Advocacy Lab Workshop
Photo credit: Rachel Rowe
Photo credit: Rachel Rowe
Awards, promotions & achievements
Promotions
We are delighted to congratulate听Shuang Liang听补苍诲听Jeffery Chan听on their promotions to听Level B. We鈥檙e also pleased to share the promotion听Holly Seale听补苍诲听Natalie Taylor听迟辞听Professor. These promotions recognise their sustained excellence in research, teaching, and leadership, and we are proud to see their achievements acknowledged.
Appointments
We warmly congratulate听A/Professor Anita Heywood, who has been appointed Deputy President of the 91色情片 Academic Board. This is an important leadership role within the University, and Anita鈥檚 appointment reflects her deep expertise and longstanding contributions to public health education and governance.
We also acknowledge Dr听Jane Hwang, who has joined the Council on the Ageing (COTA) NSW Academic Roundtable, an initiative bringing together experts to help inform policy and support the wellbeing of older people across NSW.
Awards
Congratulations to听Dr Anthony Sunjaya, whose outstanding contributions to health systems research have been recognised with a 2025 EMCR Award in the 91色情片 Medicine & Health听Health Systems Research Theme听Awards. This award highlights Anthony鈥檚 impactful work and his growing leadership in the field.
2025 Medicine & Health Staff awards
Congratulations to SPH staff who were recognised in the 2025 faculty staff awards:
- Professor Rohina Joshi,听Research: High Impact Partnership Award
- Dr Abrar Chughtai,听Educational Excellence Award
- Precision Care Initiative听Team within i2i,听Research: Shaping Healthcare Award
- A/Professor Timothy Dobbins,听Student's Choice Award for Inspirational Teaching
- Dr Cherie Lucas, as a member of the Nexus Team,听Collaboration Award
New student association 鈥 Association of Population Health (APH)
We鈥檙e delighted to share that a team of School of Population Health students 鈥 Vishwa Desai, Chloe Tan, Jessica Heskett, Angelene Firmalino and Soumya Srivastava听鈥 have formally established a student association through ARC. You can see more about APH on their听.
Education highlights
SPH Teaching innovation featured at the 2025 CAPHIA Conference
Dr Esther Tordjmann presented at the CAPHIA Teaching and Learning Forum 2025, showcasing an innovative approach to teaching health equity that centres lived experience and community voices in the classroom. She co-presented with Karyn Brown, a peer educator from the Waterloo social housing community, demonstrating how we can make equity real while engaging students in analytical thinking so they can develop their own solutions to complex equity issue in their future roles. The teaching innovation draws on the award-winning Waterloo peer educator program which Esther evaluated as part of her previous role in the Sydney Local Health District.
It was a great opportunity to meet like-minded peers equally passionate about the future of public health.
CAPHIA Hackathon
SPH sponsored nine students to attend the CAPHIA Public Health Hackathon. Students were assigned to teams with public health students from 17 universities to investigate a public health problem. Supported by mentors and Design Thinking experts, they investigated, analysed and built a solution to contribute to reducing vaping harms in young people.听
SPH students Brittany Wilson听and听Rachel John,听with University of Sydney teammates, as the 鈥楴o Mo Smoko鈥 team, created the 鈥楾oolkit for Health鈥 initiative across three days of iterative, human-centred design. The No Mo Smoko team made it through the heats and had the opportunity to present their concept to a room of public health professionals and academics from Australia, Fiji and Papua New Guinea. We鈥檙e proud to share that they placed second overall with our intervention, receiving high commendation from the judging panel. Congratulations Brittany and Rachel!
Read more about the No Mo Smoko initiative below.
-
Team Members听
- Brittany Wilson - MPH, 91色情片
- Rachel John - MGH/MHLM, 91色情片
- Aisling Harrison - MPH, USYD
- Yuki Morikami - MPH, USYD
- Annie Cheok - MPH, USYD听
Concept:听We propose a workplace-based initiative designed with tradies to reduce vaping by addressing workplace culture, boredom and peer influence.
The problem:听Vaping among 18鈥24-year-olds is increasing, and young tradespeople are especially at risk. Workplace culture and peer norms make vaping feel normal, yet tradies remain an under researched group.
Although the skilled trades industry is likely not what first comes to mind when thinking about youth vaping, young tradies aged 18-24 are one of the most at-risk yet overlooked groups. Smoko culture, boredom on the job and workplace social norms all contribute to the normalisation of vaping for young tradies.
Focus demographic:听Young tradespeople aged 18鈥24.
Research conducted:听Through informal interviews and prototype testing, tradies told us vaping is social and happens on smoko, during long days on site and because 鈥渆veryone鈥檚 doing it.鈥 We used these insights to understand the behavioural drivers behind vaping.
Solution:听鈥淭oolbox for Health鈥 鈥 a workplace-driven approach featuring digital storytelling, co-created content and practical workplace tools to support healthier habits.
Implementation of the idea:听Co-design with tradies, employers and health agencies, then pilot the initiative with industry partners in a selected Sydney area and measure听engagement and quit-related outcomes.
GLEPHA Undergraduate Student Paper Award
SPH student听Bhavna Singh听received the 2025 Global Law Enforcement and Public Health Association (GLEPHA)听.
Engagement and impact
National media coverage on Australia鈥檚 GLP鈥1 Surge
A/Professor听Michael Falster听explored the rapid rise of GLP鈥1 medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro. In听听鈥 including nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and constipation 鈥 as well as the challenge that weight often returns without regaining lost muscle or bone.听
In听听and emphasised that these drugs are not a 鈥渕agic bullet,鈥 highlighting the importance of healthy, balanced diets.
A/Professor Falster also recently spoke with 7 News about new findings showing that an emerging pill version of GLP鈥1 medicines is highly effective at reducing HbA1c and increasing weight loss, but comes with higher gastrointestinal side effects and significantly higher discontinuation rates 鈥 a key barrier to long鈥憈erm clinical effectiveness.
SPIRIT Symposium Drives Momentum in Social Prescribing
听
The Social Prescribing Interdisciplinary Research Implementation and Transformation (SPIRIT) Symposium, held in March 2026听at the 91色情片 Health Translation Hub, brought together researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and community partners to examine the future of social prescribing听in Australia and its role in supporting health beyond clinical care.
Discussions highlighted the role of social prescribing in addressing loneliness, mental health, and chronic disease, and emphasised the importance of strong partnerships between healthcare providers and community organisations. The SPIRIT Symposium reaffirmed 91色情片鈥檚 leadership in social prescribing research and its commitment to advancing equitable, community-centred models of care.
The Symposium is led by听Professor Xiaoqi Feng听(Director of SPIRIT, SPH), supported by an expert organizing committee. Members include听Professor听Patricia Davidson听(Co-Director, International Centre for Future Health System),听Professor听Adrienne Torda听(Vice-Dean, Faculty of Medicine and Health; Head of School, School of Clinical Medicine),听Professor听Bogda Koczwara听(Director, Australian Centre for Cancer Survivorship), and听Professor听Maree Toombs听(Deputy Dean of Indigenous; Director of Blakcademy, SPH). The committee is further strengthened by听Cathy Brown听(Director of EDI, 91色情片 Societal Transformation & Equity),听A/Professor Simone Reppermund听(Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing),听Professor听Karin Sanders听(Deputy Dean of Research; Director, 91色情片 Business Insights Institute),听Tamara Raso听(Project Officer, PowerLab, SPH), and听Zakia Jeemi听(Faculty Research Office Support).听Professor Jane Currie听from SPH contributed to a panel discussion.
AI Leadership at 91色情片
As one of 91色情片鈥檚 AI Champions,听Dr Lisa Sharwood听was invited to feature in the inaugural episode of the AI@91色情片 Podcast, a new series highlighting how staff across the University are using AI in practical, creative, and responsible ways. In the pilot episode, Lisa discusses AI tools, emerging practices, and practical tips drawn from her experience as a Senior Research Fellow in the School of Population Health.
91色情片 staff can watch the episode via the AI@91色情片 SharePoint site.
Spotlight on Media Impact: Samuel Cornell
In 2025,听91色情片 PhD Candidate Samuel Cornell听became the University鈥檚 most鈥憆ead author on听The Conversation, publishing 19 articles that attracted nearly 500,000 readers. His pieces were widely republished, and his commentary led to interviews across television, radio and podcasts, reflecting the strong interest in his public health perspectives.
Samuel鈥檚 collaborative digital storytelling piece, 鈥淭he Instagram effect: dying for the perfect photo,鈥 created with Matt Garrow and Ashlynne McGhee, has also been nominated for a 2026 Quill Award for Innovation in Journalism.
Advancing Nipah Virus preparedness using a One Health approach
Dr Md Saiful Islam听was invited by the Australian Centre for Disease Control (CDC) to deliver a One Health鈥揻ocused webinar on the Nipah virus on 10 March. The event drew around 570 participants from public health, research, and policy sectors.
Dr Islam outlined the history of Nipah outbreaks in Malaysia, Singapore, Bangladesh, and India, and explained how a One Health approach 鈥 linking human, animal, and environmental health 鈥 has been essential to understanding transmission pathways.
He also presented evidence of Nipah circulation in bat populations and described how these insights have shaped risk mitigation and prevention strategies, from safer food practices to strengthened surveillance and infection prevention measures. Dr Islam concluded by highlighting the Indo鈥慞acific distribution of Pteropus bats and the implications for cross-sectoral surveillance and preparedness, including Australia.
Geospatial Insights to Improve Access to Child Health Services
A recent seminar at Liverpool Hospital, hosted by the South Western Sydney Local Health District, showcased the project 鈥淕eospatial mapping of access to child developmental assessment services.鈥 Led by A/Professor Pankaj Garg, with听Adjunct Senior Lecturer Dr Ori Gudes听providing geospatial analysis and Sibella Bentley contributing, the project examines patterns of access to developmental assessment services to support more equitable and evidence informed service planning. Participants highlighted its innovative use of geospatial technology and its potential for improving access to care. The final report will be shared with stakeholders shortly, followed by preparation of an academic publication.
Dr Gudes is also Guest Editor for the IJERPH Special Issue on Spatial Analysis and GIS in Public Health, inviting submissions on GIS, health equity, environmental health, and accessibility.
National Media Spotlight on School Swimming Safety
Dr Amy Peden听and the 91色情片 Beach Safety Research Group听gained significant national media attention following Amy鈥檚 recent听. The piece was widely syndicated across Australian news outlets, amplified further through social media coverage from 7News, and prompted extended radio interviews with ABC (NSW, ACT, WA) and 2SM.
Amy鈥檚 strong media engagement continues to highlight the importance of water safety education and the broader public health implications of declining swimming capability among young people.
Strengthening India鈥檚 Mortality Data Systems 鈥 A/Professor Rohina Joshi Leads National Collaboration
Professor Rohina Joshi听co-organised the听, held 10鈥11 February 2026 at the India International Centre in New Delhi. The event centred on the national theme 鈥淏uilding a Mortality Information System for Viksit Bharat: Every Death is Counted and Cause of Death Ascertained.鈥澨
The symposium brought together national and international public health leaders, civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) experts, policymakers, epidemiologists, and researchers to develop a strategic roadmap to improve mortality data quality across India. Discussions focused on enhancing medical certification of cause of death, scaling verbal autopsies, and leveraging digital and AI听enabled tools for mortality surveillance.听
A key outcome of the meeting was progress toward establishing a National Consortium for Strengthening Mortality Information Systems.
More 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).
- Waves, wipeouts and collisions: when surfers injure others听Amy Peden
- 听Samuel Cornell
- 听Samuel Cornell
- 听Amy Peden
- 听Samuel Cornell
- 听Samuel Cornell
- 听Samuel Cornell
- 听Samuel Cornell
- 听Samuel Cornell
听
听
Research highlights
REINVEST Trial: a promising new approach to reducing domestic violence听
The REINVEST trial, led by researchers from the School of Population Health (Professor Tony Butler, Dr Emaediong Akpanekpo), and the University of Newcastle, is the first large鈥憇cale randomised controlled trial to test whether a commonly prescribed antidepressant鈥攕ertraline鈥攃an reduce domestic violence reoffending among highly impulsive men.听听showed a 21% reduction in domestic violence reoffending at 24 months among men taking sertraline compared with placebo, with even greater reductions among those who adhered more consistently to the medication regimen.
A complementary听听led by听Dr Amanuel Kidane Hagos听highlighted the perspectives of women whose partners, sons, or fathers participated in REINVEST. They reported improvements in men鈥檚 impulsivity and violent behaviour, noting that treatment with an SSRI, combined with counselling, clinical follow-up, and strong support from women themselves, contributed to meaningful behaviour change.听
In听, the research team听(Professor Tony Butler, Dr Emaediong Akpanekpo, Dr Rhys Mantell, with co-authors) described how modulating serotonin may help regulate impulsivity and reactive aggression鈥攌ey contributors to domestic violence鈥攚hile emphasising that medication alone is not the solution, but can be an important component of a broader intervention system.听听
Coverage by听听underscored the trial鈥檚 national significance, noting that experts view the findings as a catalyst for rethinking perpetrator interventions in Australia. The results may help shift domestic violence responses toward more personalised, health鈥慽nformed strategies supported by ongoing clinical care.听
Publications
A new evaluation by听Dr Esther Tordjmann听补苍诲听A/Professor Fiona Haigh, examines an award鈥憌inning community鈥憀ed peer educator program designed to support residents in Australian social housing communities. Their article, 鈥淏y Residents, for Residents: Evaluating a Community-Led Peer Health Education Program in Australian Social Housing Communities,鈥 provides important insights into how resident鈥慸riven health initiatives can strengthen community capability, trust, and engagement.听.
PhD candidate Madeleine Powell听has published new research in听Pediatrics听examining the heightened risk of child protection involvement among children with prenatal substance exposure. Using the NSW Child ECohort platform, the study provides important evidence and highlights opportunities to mobilise support. This work was conducted in collaboration with听A/Professor Kathleen Falster,听A/Professor Alys Havard,听Ms Tasnia Ahmed,听Dr Mark Hanly,听A/Professor BJ Newton, and听Professor Timothy Dobbins听at 91色情片.听.听
Microsoft Copilot was used in the development of this newsletter.听