Past Events
Elimination of Racial Discrimination in health
Thank you to the Diversity and Inclusion Committee for organising a fantastic event as part of Harmony Week, and more specifically the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (IDERC).
Great to see so many members attend this event either in person or online. It was captivating to hear the perspectives and experiences of our two keynote speakers:
- Dilnaz Billimoria who has volunteered over 2 decades bringing the ‘hardly reached voices’ of Multicultural, Multifaith, Multilingual and Multigenerational Melbourne to the attention of Governments, NFPs, Corporate and Communities.
- Abdi Aden, acclaimed author and refugee from Somalia, who spoke about his journey to Australia and the hardship he encountered because of racism, the important work he continues in supporting adolescents, and key ways researchers should consider how to improve their relationships with diverse communities.
It was a thought-provoking session that left participants with ideas and questions, which will keep the conversation alive for months to come!
For those that were not able to attend, the recording of the event is available in the members portal via the following link: Elimination of Racial Discrimination in Health
Prof Stan Lemeshow’s Logistic Regression Masterclass
The Institute was proud to host Professor Stanley Lemeshow, Ph.D. Professor of Biostatistics Emeritus, College of Public Health, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH USA , conducting a 5 day masterclass in logistic regression analysis at Deakin Downtown early February 2025.
The course provided theoretical and practical knowledge and skills in statistical modeling with an in-depth focus on logistic regression analysis – the standard method for regression analysis of binary, multinomial and ordinal response data in the health research.
“ I was extremely pleased with the way the course went. The students were wonderful. They were fully engaged, asked great questions, responded to my questions and laughed at my jokes. What more could I ask for. ” Prof Stan Lemeshow
Our first HT All Member’s Day for 2025 had impact
Our first All Member’s Day for 2025, held on 11 March 2025, was a fantastic opportunity to connect with over 90+ members from the Institute and be inspired by the breadth of our talented researchers.
Our wonderful key note speaker, Ken Knight, from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI), provided an insightful and informative talk on the topic of impact and the importance of consumer engagement being a catalyst for change. His presentation included practical tips and recommendations when planning for impact and you can access his presentation on the link below.
Highlights included an informative address by Deakin Distinguished Professor Rachel Huxley, Associate Professor Tseen Khoo provided a Research Development Academy update, Alisha Stewart shared how Deakin can support you to be safe online and Phil Dawson got us thinking with his thought provoking exercise.
Featured research included presentations from:
- Hannah Pitt, How can universities better support researchers working in the Commercial Determinants of Health.
- Eloise Litterbach, Exploring family meals as a platform for a life course approach to type 2 diabetes prevention
- Mary Rose Angeles, Enhancing the cost-effectiveness evaluation of obesity prevention interventions – The ACE-Productivity model
- Simone McCarthy, The impact of the cost-of-living crisis on younger women’s health
- Navoda L Pathirana, Quantifying the co-benefits of a sugary drinks tax in Australia.
A huge thank you to everyone who presented on the day and to those that attended. We hope to see you again at our next All Members Day at Deakin Downtown on 30 July 2025.
For those who were unable to attend, please find a link below to the Recording and Presentations on the Members Portal.
Victorian book launch of Indigenous Disability Studies
On 13th March 2025, Professor Angela Dew, Deakin Disability and Inclusion, hosted the Victorian book launch of Indigenous Disability Studies edited by Canadian Indigenous scholar, Dr John Ward.
This book is the first of its kind to gather the wisdom, lived experiences, and traditional knowledge systems of Indigenous people with a global representation. The book reviews Indigenous disability studies in many ways: spiritual, emotional, physical, and mental aspects of traditions, beliefs, and knowledge systems from a vast network of communities and perspectives. The authors’ insights into disabilities gives an extensive understanding in areas that have often been excluded; if not limited by colonial disability scholars or Indigenous people, who have held onto their knowledge due to past exploitation by non-Indigenous researchers. These authors have reclaimed, revitalized, and rejuvenated the negative settler-colonial words of disabilities, learning disabilities and other types of labels and classifications by looking from within. The launch included presentations by Dr Ward, John Gilroy Professor of Indigenous Health and Disability, The University of Sydney and book chapter author, Deakin Distinguished Professor Mark Rose, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Indigenous.
Read more and to buy the book click here
Inaugural symposium on Local Government Healthy Food Environments
More than 200 participants from across Australia attended this hybrid event (held online and in-person at Deakin Downtown in Melbourne, picture above), which provided a platform for local government professionals, researchers, and policymakers to collaborate on strategies for fostering healthier food environments.
Experts from Deakin University, the University of Sydney, Edith Cowan University, and the University of Melbourne presented on key topics, including food policy reform, community-driven initiatives, and tools for assessing food environments. Local government professionals shared real-world experiences in creating partnerships, engaging communities, and leveraging policy opportunities to support healthier food systems.
A key part of the symposium was hearing local government staff working directly with communities, including Laura Duff (LaTrobe Community Health Service), Gemma Simpson (Central Goldfields Shire), Kirsten Beckingham (City of Armadale), and Kristine Løkås Vigsnes (Kristiansand Municipality, Norway), who provided insights into local initiatives and challenges.
The event concluded with a presentation from Sharon Laurence, Food Systems Manager at VicHealth, who emphasised the importance of working with — not for — communities. She highlighted the need to define key priorities and drive collective action through collaboration with local leaders, reinforcing a central theme of the symposium: empowering communities to shape healthier food environments.
The symposium was hosted by the Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition (GLOBE) at Deakin University, with support from RE-FRESH: Next Generation and a Deakin University Institute for Health Transformation Partnership Grant.
Anna’s Farewell and IHT Morning teas
When the founding Institute Director, Deakin Distinguished Professor Anna Peeters, recently announced her intention to take a new role as the Chief Executive Officer of the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth), it was met with a mix of sadness and pride. The Institute felt the loss of such an inspirational leader deeply but also took pride in having been part of her journey towards improving health for all populations.
Over February, we held two morning teas to allow everyone an opportunity to wish Anna farewell and the Faculty of Health held an official farewell on Tues 1 April 2025 at Deakin Downtown.
Prof Peeters shared, “While I will be sad to leave my current role, I am excited at the opportunity to continue to work with Victoria’s committed public health sector to deliver systemic improvements in health and wellbeing for all Victorians. I will watch your continued excellence and impact with joy, and am pleased that Deakin Distinguished Professor Trish Livingston has agreed to support the Institute as Acting Director when I finish up at the end of February 2025.”
“This is an inspired appointment and a wonderful opportunity for Anna, and we know that she will continue to be a fantastic ambassador for public health in her new role,” Executive Dean for the Faculty of Health, Deakin Distinguished Professor Rachel Huxley commented.
Quoted from his heartfelt farewell speech, Deakin Distinguished Professor Steven Allender said, ‘So, at Deakin we count ourselves lucky to say we are proud to have been part of your journey, and we are behind you every step of the way as you lead VicHealth, a global leading light improving the health for all populations.”
IHT Partner and Consumer Involvement Grants outcomes
Meli partnership event about addressing repeat removals of children from families in the Barwon region
The event was led by Meli (Lisa-Jane Moody), Deakin IHT (Vidanka Vasilevski), Meli-Deakin (Keri Little & Hannah Capon), Deakin School of Psychology (Michelle Benstead), and University of Melbourne (Sarah-Wise).
We had 52 register for the event with 37 attending on the day. Participants represented 11 organisations including, Meli, Deakin, Barwon Health, Berry Street, City of Greater Geelong, Department of Families, Fairness, and Housing, Look Out Centre, MacKillop, Orange Door, Percy Baxter Charitable Trust, and Tweddle and held multidisciplinary roles including social workers, paediatricians, psychologists, child and family service leads, clinicians, maternity care clinicians, maternal and child health nurses, child protection officers, advisors, and project officers.
We had Professor Sarah Wise from UniMelb open the session with her keynote presentation ‘An overview of the problem and drivers of repeat removals informed by research.’ This was followed by a presentation giving an overview of current interventions to address repeat removals in the international literature conducted by Dr Keri Little, with group discussion. Following morning tea which provided an opportunity for further discussion and networking, Vidanka led group workshop activities to identify: current system approaches that were working well, not so well, and gaps and opportunities to prevent repeat removals of children in the Barwon region. Participants were then asked to theme and prioritise their identified ideas.
We closed the session asking participants to look out for upcoming opportunities to participate in research, and to reach out to the team to collaborate on future research. Overall it was an inspiring and engaging event that further solidified the partnership between Deakin and Meli. We are in the process of preparing a report about the themes identified in the workshop to inform future strategic directions. The report will be sent out to all workshop participants and registrants, and shared with IHT once it is completed.
If you’re interested in applying for an IHT Partner and Consumer Involvement Grant in 2025, the grant guidelines and application form are available on the funding page on the IHT members portal.
Go back to the April 2025 Newsletter
