Since the identification of COVID-19 in December 2019, life as we knew it has changed dramatically. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 30 January 2020 which escalated to pandemic status on 11 March 2020. In 2020, physical distancing became the new norm, regarded as essential to prevent the spread in the absence of a vaccine or effective antiviral treatment. The virus has caused significant social and financial disruption.

Join the UNSW School of Public Health and Community Medicine, UNSW Sydney at 12pm on Friday 8th May as their infectious disease intelligence expert panel answer these questions and stare into the crystal ball to understand what may be ahead.

Panel Experts

Dr Abrar Ahmad Chughtai

Dr Abrar Chughtai is a Lecturer and Director of Master of Infectious Diseases Intelligence program at the School of Public Health and Community Medicine, UNSW Sydney. He is a medical epidemiologist, having a substantial experience of public health programs and infectious diseases research. His research interests include epidemiology and control of emerging infections, focusing on infection control in healthcare settings. Abrar is an emerging leader on personal protective equipment research, and is currently contributing his expertise to inform policy on the use of personal protective equipment for the COVID-19 pandemic. He is also a member of the Public Health Association Australia (PHAA) COVID-19 Technical Advice and Response Committee.

Associate Professor David Heslop

David Heslop is a practicing vocationally registered General Practitioner (FRACGP), an Occupational and Environmental Physician (FAFOEM). Utilising his research background and subsequent clinical training, through the Australian Defence Force, Dr Heslop has been extensively deployed into a variety of complex and austere combat environments, and have gone on to undertake advanced training in Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive (CBRNE) Medicine and Senior Medical Officer training. Dr Heslop is regularly consulted and has participated in the development and review of national and international clinical and operational CBRNE policy and doctrine.

Ms Telphia Joseph

Ms Telphia Joseph is a Wajarri Yamatji woman from Western Australia. Community Development was her first passion which led to her interest in environmental health and otitis media. Telphia has a qualitative research base and in a previous life acted in a liaison position between the National Immunisation Committee and service providers offering immunisation programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Her Master of Philosophy involved an evaluation of immunisation activities provided by Aboriginal Medical Services within NSW and their reporting procedures to the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register. Telphia’s area of interest has recently widened to investigate what ‘Supports the retention and career development of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workforce in Urban New South Wales.

Professor Mary-Louise McLaws

Mary-Louise McLaws is a member of the World Health Organization (WHO) Health Emergencies Program Experts Advisory Panel for Infection Prevention and Control Preparedness, Readiness and Response to COVID-19. For several years she was a short mission World Health Organization Advisor to China and Malaysia for surveillance development. She collaborated with Beijing to review the response to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak and healthcare worker safety for the Hong Kong SARS designated hospital. Mary-Louise provided advise for 9 years to the WHO Clean Care is Safer Care Challenge program. She was commissioned by the Commonwealth to review the Pandemic Influenza Infection Control Guidelines for evidence of protection for healthcare workers.

Dr Holly Seale

Holly Seale is a social scientist and program director for the Bachelor of International Public Health. She leads a program of research that is focused on the social aspects of infectious diseases and infection prevention. While many prevention strategies are evidence based, organisations often fail to explore the broader range of factors that impact on adoption including cultural, resource/human factors and financial/access. Within this program, she explores the individual, societal and organisational factors that influence engagement and acceptance of non-pharmaceutical and pharmaceutical strategies and develops approaches/interventions to improve compliance. She uses the knowledge gained through her research to improve the ways that we communicate, educate or engage the target audience. During this pandemic, she has led a series of studies looking at acceptance and uptake of non-pharmaceutical strategies, as well as explored attitudes towards a future COVID vaccine. She was invited to be part of a Think Tank for the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office on the impact of non-pharmaceutical strategies.

Associate Professor James Wood

Associate Professor James Wood is an infectious disease modeller with a PhD background in mathematical physics who works on analysis of interventions for pandemic responses, vaccine preventable diseases such as pertussis and sexually transmitted infections such as gonorrhoea through NHMRC funded projects. After a postdoc at the National Centre for Immunisation Research & Surveillance, he joined UNSW in 2008. He contributed to national pandemic planning from 2005-10, including modelling vaccine roll-out in response to pH1N12009. He is currently involved in modelling coronavirus responses as part of national team, providing forecasting reports for the NSW MoH and is supporting responses in the Philippines and Malaysia via WHO WPRO.

The panel will be moderated by Professor Rebecca Ivers, Head of School, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, UNSW Sydney.

How to join the online event

• Once registered, you will receive an email confirmation with the link to the online event.
• Click on the link to take you to the Eventbrite page.
• Click on the play button to take you to Microsoft Teams.
• If you have Microsoft Teams on your computer, you can watch from there, otherwise you can watch from your website browser.