2015: Launch of the Sustainable Development Goals

198 NEW STUDENTS

78 STUDENTS FROM OVERSEAS

STUDENTS REPRESENTING 25 COUNTRIES 2015 saw the United Nations transition globally from the previous 8 Millennium Development Goals to announce 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with a central focus on good health and wellbeing through Sustainable Development Goal 3. For all of us in public health, the SDG wheel provides an accessible way to conceptualise population and global health and articulate the social, societal and economic impact whether working locally, nationally or globally.

In discussing the Sustainable Development Goals Professor Grant Blashki outlines the impact of teaching and also the imperatives and impact of all in achieving Planetary and Global Health “It’s been a privilege to lead the Planetary and Global Health subject for over a decade within the Master of Public Health at the University of Melbourne, an opportunity to meet vibrant intelligent and inspiring young people honing their skills for a rapidly transforming world. This generation of students are highly attuned to the urgency and centrality of planetary health in sustaining global health. As recognised in the SDG’s, human health requires at a minimum a safe climate, clean water and sanitation, sustainable cities and responsible production and consumption. Our students come predominantly from disciplines of health and environment and other fields such as business, arts and engineering reflecting the multi-disciplinary nature of a planetary health issues. We’ve worked hard with my fellow coordinator Dr Naomi Francis and previous co-coordinators A/Prof Tilman Ruff and A/Prof Jim Black to provide a vocational focus for our students whether they are going into research, policy advice, advocacy, media, working with business or other fields. It’s gratifying and energising to see so many of them attain fulfilling and satisfying careers and making substantial contributions to the emerging discipline of planetary health.” Professor Grant Blashki

“I’ve become part of an absolutely incredible global community of smart, caring tenacious people who are working really hard every day to promote the health of everyone. I’ve helped to mobilise communities and call for action on non-communicable diseases through global leadership at the NCD Alliance and now at Vic Health, shining a spotlight on practices that are contributing to the high-burden of preventable disease and death all around the world in every country.” Lucy Westerman, Australia, Instigator of the MPH alumni community on LinkedIn!

“When I sat down at the MPH Orientation Day in February 2014, I truthfully had no real concept of what Public Health was, let alone what impact MSPGH, the MPH and my peers would have in my life both professionally and personally. I had moved to Melbourne after a short career working as a commercial lawyer in Auckland, New Zealand intending to do a Master of Health Law. I wanted to focus my career on doing something that helped others in the health area - but exactly what opportunities these interests could lead were completely unknown. After a brief (and inspiring) coffee with now Professor Marie Bismark (at the time a Senior Research Fellow in the Law and Public Health Unit), I changed my mind and enrolled in the MPH. That first orientation day opened my eyes: a room full of people from over 50 countries, speaking as many languages, from an even wider range of professional backgrounds. Public health was in everything, and the opportunities were endless. At the time, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were due to expire in 2015, and those 8 goals were weaved throughout all of the subjects that I studied. They provided a tangible framework for someone new to the public health sector. It also brought with it an air of reflection and critical evaluation for whether the world had succeeded in the lofty ambitions of the MDGs to ‘shape the 21st century’. It also felt electric insofar that we were at the forefront of a shift in the global prioritisation of health; what would we expect to see at the end of 2015 when the MDGs expired, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were announced? How could we shape and implement this next phase of global priorities for development? I look back on this now and see a similar parallel in my life. Completing the MPH at the end of 2015 saw the single clearest shift in my career so far, and helped me to understand what was important, how I could contribute to the community, and how I cany do all of this while doing something I love and I am passionate about. The MSPGH faculty and my fellow students helped form me into an engaged, curious, and enthusiastic member of the public health community, and I have not looked back. Since graduating I have taught into the MPH, had the opportunity to travel around the world as a consultant for WHO working in viral hepatitis, surveillance and systems strengthening capacities (SGD 3), been an advisor for Australian Red Cross Lifeblood for their engagement with governments and industry to promote innovative health solutions (SDG 17), published a range of peer-reviewed articles that have been used to influence policy in Australia for the regulation of health practitioners, and highlighting gender inequality in health (SDG 10), and now as a strategy manager for CSIRO Futures developing roadmaps for Australia’s science and technology innovation and development (SDG 9). I can track all of these opportunities back to the first day at orientation when I realised the unlimited impact that an MPH can have (for the individual and the community), and I would do it all again in a heartbeat”. Laura Thomas, Australia

Professor Kathryn Bowen is an international expert on the science and policy of sustainability (particularly climate change) and healthand speaks to a topic that we are all highly attuned to – climate change and SDG13. She will work with teaching colleagues to bring to the MPH a research informed perspective and an even stronger focus on health, climate change and sustainability.

“Rewind to 2006 and I was working at the School on a range of global health issues – mainly in the Indo-Pacific, including HIV/AIDs, surveillance of communicable diseases and women’s health. I had recently completed my MSc (International Health) in Berlin and was looking to continue my interests in global health. I was also trying to figure out how I could meld my two passions of global health and environmental sustainability, which to me, were absolutely crucial areas to work in in order to address the health of human society and the health of our planet. Fast forward to 2015 and the year of the Paris Agreement – the international treaty on climate change which was negotiated at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris, 2015. This was a turning point for climate change action – the first time the vast majority of countries (195) had agreed to “keep global warming to well below 2degrees C”. It was an incredible time also for the health community, as we had come together in our strongest partnership yet to tackle climate change and the inequitable distribution of its impacts. Since then, the WHO has identified climate change as the single biggest health threat facing humanity. Alongside the ramping up of action within the health sector, I had concurrently completed my PhD in this field of health and climate change while also directly working with Ministries of Health, Environment, Agriculture, Water, Womens’ Affairs and many others – all part of the solution – to work towards ways of better understanding and responding to the health impacts of climate change. My work has been with the WHO, UNDP, UNEP, the Asian Development Bank, the German Development Agency (GIZ), DFAT, amongst others. Work has taken me to the beautiful mountains of Bhutan and Nepal, and the energetic cities of Delhi, Yogyakarta, Bangkok, Colombo among many more. I’ve worked with most countries in the Indo-Pacific and learnt so much along the way! My work is incredibly fulfilling, as I meet local officials and we work together to address their country’s fundamental health issues – which will be exacerbated by climate change. My career highlight to date is my nomination by the Australian Government to be Lead Author on the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, due for release in March 2022.”