Category: Public Health Workforce
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Save UTS Public Health School and strengthen health education
Ximena Tolosa, Andrea Britton, Jesse Hoopes, Md Saiful Islam, Lisa Sharwood, Sandra Steele, Andrew Japri, Peter Black The PHAA One Health Special Interest Group (SIG) stands with the Australasian Epidemiological Association, the Medical Journal of Australia and other institutions in opposing the proposed closure of the School of Public Health…
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Dala ng Agos ng Pagbagago (Swept up in change): Elevating the stories of Filipino international health workers
Penelope Smith and Juhani Capeding What happens when the people who care for the world’s health are forced to leave their own communities behind? Every year, on average 13,000 Filipino health workers migrate in search of opportunity not just for themselves, but for their families. In Australia, many find new…
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Time to arc things up for the Australian Centre for Disease Control
Terry Slevin Since the 2 May federal election outcome it is crystal clear that the long awaited and hard fought for Australian Centre for Disease Control (CDC) will now become a reality. The Albanese-led Labor party first expressed commitment to the CDC while in opposition in 2020. It became a…
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Why did I choose to leave medicine and pursue a career in public health?
Natalia Sterling My friends, family, colleagues and lecturers often ask this question. The story begins in my final year of medical school in Poznan, Poland, the city where my mum grew up. I truly enjoyed studying medicine, learning how to help people by understanding how disease disrupts the normal human…
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Tips to manage an international research team for global impact
Professor Dr Muhammad Aziz Rahman Leading research beyond borders is rewarding in terms of global reach and impact, but requires careful team management for successful completion. The purpose of a research project is to generate new evidence that hopefully informs policy and practice. A research team consists of experts in…
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Twitter/X is no place for public health
Paris Lord The Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) has left X (formerly Twitter) for other social media accounts, especially BlueSky and LinkedIn, and we urge other medical and health organisations and professionals to do the same. The Association has long treated Twitter/X and our other social media accounts as…
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Finding my place in public health through purpose
Louis Commins “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Lao Tzu It is this ancient Chinese proverb that resonates most with me as my internship with the Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) comes to an end and I look to my future career in public…
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Women from diverse backgrounds must lead and shape research
Negin Mirzaei Damabi, Zahra Ali Padhani, Patience Castleton, and Zohra Lassi Women continue to be underrepresented in STEM occupations. In Australia, women made up just 15% of STEM-qualified roles in 2023. While their presence in these fields has grown by 76% over the past decade, the gender gap remains stark.…
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An inside look at WHO’s annual Executive Board Meeting
Dr Fiona Robards As part of my sabbatical in Geneva, I attended the 156th session of the WHO Executive Board from 3 to 11 February 2025. The WHO Executive Board is a high-level body that implements decisions about WHO policies, planning, and funding, and advises the World Health Assembly. It…
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Intern applications have entered the Chat… (GPT)
Lily Pratt, PHAA Policy Officer It has been another incredible turn-out for the 2025 PHAA policy and advocacy intern program with almost 300 applications vying for several spots at PHAA, Cancer Council, Dementia Australia, and Lung Foundation Australia. Typically, the Policy and Advocacy team each January reviews every application (a…
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Help shape the future of public health research
Have your say on what public health research matters most. Professor Luke Wolfenden Improving public health requires the generation and use of research to inform the decision making of policymakers, practitioners, and the community. At the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health (ANZJPH), we want to use our…
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Who takes care of our most vulnerable?
Penelope Smith People who migrate to work in health – whether in frontline delivery, program design, or research – are a vital part of the health workforce in Australia and globally. International health workers bring with them a wealth of knowledge and experience that, if thoughtfully leveraged, could be powerful.…
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Strong public health workforce needed to manage next global crisis
Adj Assoc Prof Priscilla Robinson and Hon Assoc Prof Leanne Coombe Following the release of the COVID-19 Response Inquiry Report last week, there has been plenty written about Australia’s response to the pandemic. Commentaries have explored the ongoing impacts on mental health through to the erosion of public trust in…
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WHO Roadmap for public health workforce gathers speed
Adj Assoc Prof Priscilla Robinson and Hon Assoc Prof Leanne Coombe The fourth meeting of the World Health Organization Steering Committee (SC), which is overseeing the National Workforce Capacity to Deliver the Essential Public Health Functions Roadmap (the Roadmap), was held on 22-23 October 2024. The SC meeting was hosted…
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Historic step towards an Australian CDC
Malcolm Baalman Read our members-only summary of the COVID-19 Inquiry Report here. The Australian Government has released a long-awaited report on the Commonwealth Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 Response Inquiry Report is focused on what happened during the pandemic of 2020-2022 to identify lessons learned for future…
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The value of connection for public health scholars
Erin Fitzpatrick, Penelope Smith, Toya Ricci, Xavier Mills, and Khwanruethai Ngampromwongse Pursuing a PhD requires intense focus, often resulting in isolation from social pursuits, employment, and many aspects of regular life. Academic systems can exacerbate feelings of isolation and loneliness, through ruthless competition and emphasis on individual success. While pursuing…
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Building strong public health policy
Lily Pratt and Jasmine Lykissas What do sugar labelling, trans health, and skin cancer prevention have in common? Perhaps not much to an everyday person, but for us at the Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA), they’re three of the many policy positions we rely on to advocate for the…
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Health literacy in the too much information age
Jasmine Lykissas Want to know what to eat to lose weight, how to exercise to maintain bone density, or why your mental health takes a dive in the winter? You can find your answers on the internet – probably too many answers. A simple search for “sleep and health” returns…
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Introducing Editor-in-Chief Prof Luke Wolfenden
Professor Luke Wolfenden (pictured above, centre right) began his appointment as Editor-in-Chief of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health (ANZJPH) on 1 July. We sat down with him to find out more about his career to date and vision for the Journal. Tell us a bit about…
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Developing public health nutrition advocates
Damian Maganja, Bronwyn Ashton, Rachelle Pretorius, Meron Lewis and Anastassia Demeshko Everyone needs to eat, and what we eat is vital to our health and wellbeing. But what we can, want, and do eat is heavily shaped by external influences. Our preferences and habits, available choices, access to foods, and…
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There’s more to PHAA membership than tax deductions
Penelope Smith The value of a Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) membership, particularly if you are a student like me, is significant; but for a very long time, my engagement with the Association was little to none. Despite being a member since 2017, it’s only within the last year…
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Nations struggle to reach consensus on Pandemic Agreement as negotiations continue
Leanne Coombe and James Scheibner The 77th World Health Assembly (WHA), held from 27 May – 1 June 2024, promised to be historic. In the wake of COVID-19, the event marked the deadline for countries to come together on an agreement for how countries collaborate to prepare for, and prevent,…
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Twelve tips for inclusive practice in healthcare
Dr Joanne Flavel, Assoc Prof Brahm Marjadi, Dr Paul Gardiner and Dr Kristen Glenister It is well recognised that inclusivity improves health and wellbeing outcomes. However, practical tips for frontline clinicians and students can be difficult to find. Where guidelines for inclusive practice do exist, there is often a focus…
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Why attend a PHAA conference?
A big part of our work at PHAA is delivering conferences which cover different public health topics, like prevention, disease control, and mental health. Our conferences are hosted around Australia and provide a platform for public health professionals to network, collaborate, and learn from one another. We’re looking forward to…
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We need new tools in public health, says Dr Joe Smyser
PHAA Health communication plays a vital role in reducing misinformation and influencing health behaviours, like vaccine uptake. The Communicable Diseases and Immunisation Conference, to be held in Brisbane/Meanjin on 11 – 13 June, is an opportunity for delegates to learn new ways of managing misinformation in disease control efforts. Dr…
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Trust: missing in action in health policy
Dr Jennifer Dunne & Dr Matthew Govorko Trust in public health is vitally important. On 29 February 2024, the PHAA WA branch, in conjunction with Healthway and the Australian Health Promotion Association, hosted an event exploring trust in health policy – or rather, the lack thereof – and the implications…
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Global field experience to benefit future health professionals
Dr Muhammad Aziz Rahman, Professor of Public Health Health and wellbeing are determined by many sociocultural factors aside from the structure of the health system and available resources. In developed countries like Australia, it can be less obvious how factors such as religion, gender, and socioeconomic status impact health, as…
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Meet John Lowe, outgoing Editor-in-Chief of ANZJPH
Emeritus Professor John Lowe (left) receiving the 2023 President’s award from PHAA President, Tarun Weeramanthri AM (right). Emeritus Professor John Lowe, Editor-in-Chief of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, won the President’s Award at our 2023 Public Health Conference. Professor Lowe recently shared with us highlights from his…
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Learn from different worldviews, says PHAA Mentor of the Year, Professor Rob Moodie
By Rob Moodie, PHAA Mentor of the Year Rob Moodie, Professor of Public Health at the University of Melbourne, was recognised for his commitment to mentorship at the 2023 Australian Public Health Conference. We chatted to him about his career and the importance of mentorship in public health. What was…
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Turning a corner for public health workers: Updates on a global workforce roadmap
Adj. Assoc Prof Priscilla Robinson and Hon. Assoc Prof Leanne Coombe, PHAA Policy and Advocacy Manager Public health has achieved a great deal of visibility because of the pandemic, but it is important that this momentum is not now lost as we ‘return to normal’. This is the first of…