Past events

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Explore significant past events at the UNSW School of Population Health that concern global health, health systems and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Panel:

Professor Xiaoqi Feng, Professor of Urban Health and Environment, UNSW School of Population Health

Dr Megan Sharkey, A/Director Future Mobility, Transport for NSW

Dr Lee Roberts, Research Associate, UNSW City Futures Research Centre

Chaired by Scientia Professor Rebecca Ivers, Head of School, UNSW School of Population Health

To mark the 7th UN Global Road Safety Week, this panel discussion explored how we can move to safe and sustainable transport in Australia.

The World Health Organization, in collaboration with partners, organises periodic UN Global Road Safety Weeks. In 2023, the event focused on sustainable transport, in particular the need to shift to walking, cycling and using public transport. Road safety is both a prerequisite for and an outcome of this shift. This panel discussion explored how we can move to safe and sustainable transport in Australia and what challenges (and solutions) we will face to get there. A live online panel discussion including audience Q&A (Presented: 15 May 2023).
Panel: Amanda Larkin, Anita Dessaix, Elfa Moraitakis

Chaired by: Professor Rebecca Ivers

In a time when doctor shortages and unpredictable health threats and climate emergencies are becoming the norm, how do we ensure the public health workforce in Australia is equipped to respond? What can we learn from the response to COVID and increasing bushfires and floods to build a resilient health workforce? How do we work with communities so when the next crisis hits, we are ready to adequately respond to the needs of all people, regardless of where they live, the language they speak or their culture?

From what makes a strong leader in a time of public health crisis to which skills the health workforce needs to prevent tomorrow’s threats and inequities, our expert panel explored the opportunities and challenges in building the future health workforce (presented: 14 November 2022).
Speakers: Seye Abimbola, Dr Augustine Asante, A/Prof Faye McMillan, Lyn Morgain, Prof Sabina Faiz Rashid.

Chaired by: Prof Rebecca Ivers

Does Global Health still mimic our colonial past? Are we perpetuating historical biases and disparities in the field? Is the transfer of knowledge, skill and funding in Global Health unfairly unidirectional? How can we dismantle skewed power structures to make Global Health truly local? (Presented: 29 October, 2020)
While border closures have effectively protected some Pacific States’ health systems from a surge in COVID-19 cases, they have also had unintended consequences, including breaking essential supply chains, disrupting healthcare delivery, and destabilising essential health programs. Join our live panel of experts as they explore both the impacts COVID-19 has had on Pacific health systems and ways the Australian and global community can support recovery that leaves countries and communities more resilient and able than they were before the crisis. (Presented: 11 November, 2021)
What does vaccine equity look like? How do we stop COVID-19 becoming a disease of poverty? How can everyone be ‘free’ when freedom is dictated by equitable access to vaccines?

COVID-19 vaccines are fast becoming the only path back to normal in many countries. Yet, vaccine access isn’t a level playing field with low- and middle-income countries being left behind.

According to the World Health Organization, to stop the pandemic at least 40% of people in every country need to be vaccinated by end of 2021 and at least 70% by the first half of 2022. While over 4 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered globally, low-income countries account for just 1% of the total doses.

Join our panel of leading experts as they share insights from the vaccine rollout in Africa, India, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea and discuss the implications of a global failure to achieve vaccine equity.

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