2025 Miles Little Lecture with Dr Bryan Mukandi

The University of Sydney Sydney Health Ethics conducts research and teaching in bioethics and health-related social science using multidisciplinary methods. Our mission is to achieve a positive social impact by engaging in academic and public conversations about the ethics of health and wellbeing.'We produce rigorous, critical and engaged ethics and social research, teach bioethics and qualitative research methods and work with communities locally, nationally and internationally to understand and address real-world issues.

Sydney Health Ethics

The Past, Present: How we got this chaos, and what we do about it

Susan Wakil Health Building, Room 308

<h3>The Past, Present: How we got this chaos, and what we do about it</h3> <a href="https://www.sydney.edu.au/medicine-health/our-research/research-networks/sydney-health-ethics.html" title="https://www.sydney.edu.au/medicine-health/our-research/research-networks/sydney-health-ethics.html" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Sydney Health Ethics</a> are pleased to present the 2025 Miles Little Lecture delivered by <a href="https://scholars.uow.edu.au/bryan-mukandi/about" title="https://scholars.uow.edu.au/bryan-mukandi/about" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Dr Bryan Mukandi</a>.Mia Amor Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados, opened her address at the 9th Summit of the Americas with a quotation from Bob Marley’s ‘So Much Trouble in the World’. At that time, Mottley counted three global crises: the climate crisis; the COVID pandemic; and rising inflation of food, fertiliser and fuel prices. That was three years ago. The crises have since compounded and we stand today at the edge of a terrifying precipice. Yet instead of looking forward or attempting to peer into the abyss before us, I’m going to argue that we turn to and reckon with the past. Drawing on a chorus of visual artists, writers and philosophers, I will further argue that collective study of the past is our best hope to bring about the ‘education of feeling’ that George Lamming thought essential for human liberation.Dr Mukandi’s lecture will be followed by a panel discussion, with formal proceedings ending by 4pm. The event will be followed by networking with canapes and drinks available from 4-5pm.Panel Chair: <a href="https://www.sydney.edu.au/medicine-health/about/our-people/academic-staff/claire.hooker.html" title="https://www.sydney.edu.au/medicine-health/about/our-people/academic-staff/claire.hooker.html" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Dr </a><a href="https://www.sydney.edu.au/medicine-health/about/our-people/academic-staff/claire.hooker.html" title="https://www.sydney.edu.au/medicine-health/about/our-people/academic-staff/claire.hooker.html" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Claire Hooker</a>Panel Members: <a href="https://www.sydney.edu.au/medicine-health/about/our-people/academic-staff/seye-abimbola.html" title="https://www.sydney.edu.au/medicine-health/about/our-people/academic-staff/seye-abimbola.html" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">A/Prof Seye Abimbola</a>, <a href="https://researchers.mq.edu.au/en/persons/annie-sandrussi" title="https://researchers.mq.edu.au/en/persons/annie-sandrussi" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Dr </a><a href="https://researchers.mq.edu.au/en/persons/annie-sandrussi" title="https://researchers.mq.edu.au/en/persons/annie-sandrussi" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Annie Sandrussi </a> Event Chair, Professor Ainsley Newson – Sydney Health Ethics Network Convenor

Bryan studied medicine at the University of Zimbabwe and interned at the United Bulawayo Hospitals before emigrating to Ireland, where he studied the social sciences and philosophy. Since moving to Australia more than a decade ago, his academic appointments have been in Health Policy and Systems Research, Medical Ethics, and Philosophy. The bulk of his work today falls into three categories: Metaphilosophy; Philosophies of the Global South; and the Health Humanities. It is united by a concern for the wellbeing of the marginalised.

Claire Hooker is Associate Professor in Health and Medical Humanities at <a href="https://www.sydney.edu.au/medicine-health/our-research/research-centres/sydney-health-ethics.html" title="https://www.sydney.edu.au/medicine-health/our-research/research-centres/sydney-health-ethics.html" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Sydney Health Ethics</a> and President of the <a href="https://www.artshealthnetwork.com.au/" title="https://www.artshealthnetwork.com.au/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Arts Health Network NSW/ACT</a>. Claire’s research supports people to flourish through good communication and understanding. Her current research includes a range of projects in arts and health and in risk communication, particular the role and impact of arts and culture in disaster management and climate change. With the Sydney Arts and Health Collective, she created the verbatim theatre play <a href="https://www.realtime.org.au/grace-under-pressure-a-call-for-mutual-caring/" title="https://www.realtime.org.au/grace-under-pressure-a-call-for-mutual-caring/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Grace Under Pressure</a>, which has been performed widely in hospitals to improve healthcare workplace culture. Claire has published 4 books and 85 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, found <a href="https://www.sydney.edu.au/medicine-health/about/our-people/academic-staff/claire.hooker.html" title="https://www.sydney.edu.au/medicine-health/about/our-people/academic-staff/claire.hooker.html" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">here</a> or via <a href="https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7490-6727" title="https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7490-6727" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">ORCiD</a>.Associate Professor Seye Abimbola was born and raised Nigeria. He has taught, researched, and written extensively on learning and governance in health systems and on knowledge practices and epistemic injustice in global health. He was awarded the Prince Claus Chair in Equity and Development at Utrecht University (2020-22) and was the Radulovacki Visiting Scholar at Northwestern University (2023-24). His research on dignity-based practice in global health research is currently supported by an Australian Research Council Discovery Award (2023-25). He was the inaugural editor in chief of BMJ Global Health (2015-24).Dr Annie Sandrussi is a philosopher with expertise in gender and environmental justice. Annie completed a PhD in phenomenology and aesthetics, and is currently a research fellow at Macquarie University, working with the Australian Research Council’s Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology. Annie’s research investigates how food and public health policy discourses make implicit commitments that interact with individuals’ worldviews to influence ethical decision making.