Bright future for public health Insights from Professor Billie Bonevski I’m writing this as a relatively new staff member, in a new position, and having started this new job in Adelaide after moving from Newcastle in New South Wales. What’s not new in all this change is the importance of public health in our society. As someone who has spent the past two decades championing public health measures in Australia, I am particularly proud of our proactive responses to the pandemic. Countries with weaker public health systems, workforces and leadership have suffered greatly, but our success demonstrates how public health can have a profound, life-changing impact on the health of a country. Public health has also gained increased prominence in discourse and consciousness over the past 18 months. Previously technical terms such as “exponential growth”, “epidemiology” and “contact tracing” are bandied about in household conversations with an increased familiarity that demonstrates a more widespread awareness of public health.
Professor Billie Bonevski
College of Medicine and Public Health Alumni Magazine
