Dear Colleagues,
Welcome to 2026!
We are now well and truly in full swing in our IHT Co-Director roles, and very much enjoying it. Working side-by-side has been energising, rewarding and fun. We have enjoyed learning from each other, having a few laughs along the way, and thinking big about what’s ahead for IHT. We are also very grateful for the amazing IHT operations team, whose support has made the transition easy. We are especially excited to be doing this work alongside all of you and are incredibly grateful for the warm welcome and encouragement we have received from members.
In December, we were proud to celebrate several outstanding achievements at the Deakin Vice-Chancellor’s Awards:
- Professor Jane Speight received the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Academic Leadership and Contribution, recognising her exceptional leadership and impact.
- Professor Bodil Rasmussen was honoured with a Deakin Service Award, marking 30 years of dedicated service and contribution to the University.
- Dr Emily Tomlinson, Sara Aryal and Dr Monica Schoch were awarded the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Team of the Year for Transforming Nursing Education—an inspiring example of collaborative excellence.
Huge congratulations to the successful recipients of the IHT Research Accelerator and Impact Grants – see the full list in the Announcements section.
Recent developments around VicHealth have kept prevention and health promotion firmly in the policy spotlight. The Victorian Government’s proposal to abolish VicHealth and absorb its functions into the Department of Health has prompted strong debate across the sector, with many arguing for the value of an independent health promotion agency. Last week brought some encouraging news, with both the Opposition and the Greens vowing to block the legislation, which will make it very difficult for the Government to pass the change in the upper house. It remains uncertain how the Government will respond, but the breadth and strength of support for VicHealth has been impressive.
Looking ahead, we’re excited about what 2026 holds. We hope to see as many of you as possible at our All Members Day on 17 March at Deakin Downtown – please check out the agenda via the link below.
Finally, a warm welcome to our new Associate Members:
- Mikka Coppard, PhD student, DoH
- Jess Campbell, Lecturer, DoH
- Melissa Ensink, Lecturer, DoH
- Nicola Murfet, PhD student, QPS
Looking forward to a busy, ambitious and fun 2026.
Professors Kathryn Backholer and Suzanne Robinson
Co-Directors, Institute for Health Transformation
Go back to the February 2026 Newsletter
