2020: Public health and pandemic preparedness

241 NEW STUDENTS As new Head of School Professor Nancy Baxter arrived from Canada, the year started with terrifying bushfires and horrific scenes in Victoria and New South Wales. This was followed by the outbreak of the global pandemic COVID-19 and the subsequent closing of international borders. For those teaching and studying public health during a pandemic it was a surreal and challenging experience. With the University campus effectively locked down in midMarch, we all adapted to a life on Zoom which is now all too familiar.

78 STUDENTS FROM OVERSEAS

Moving to online as well as subsequent closure of borders created a huge impact on teaching staff and students alike and the dedication and professionalism of all during this time is testament to the culture of the MSPGH community. Zoom meetings were set up to check in, catch up, chat with students to ensure everyone felt connected and part of the broader community. Staff and students demonstrated a strong sense of shared accountability in supporting each other through the challenging times.

At times like these, the strength of the community is paramount. Professor Lisa Gibbs, Director of the Child and Community Wellbeing Program in the Centre for Health Equity also leads on Community Resilience in the Centre for Disaster Management and Public Safety and many resources are provided to support the community.

STUDENTS REPRESENTING 21 COUNTRIES

In recognition of teaching excellence, leadership across the University and a decade of dedication to coordination of the MPH, the MSPGH celebrated Melissa Russell being awarded the GEM Scott Teaching Fellowship. Melissa was instrumental in ensuring the MPH program was able to move swiftly in terms of new delivery and particularly to understand the needs of students in challenging circumstances whilst maintaining support for the teaching staff and subject continuity

The Student Society continued to go from strength to strength. Under the leadership of Zainab Korashi, the organisation moved to an Incorporated Association structure and launched a vibrant social media presence with new logo and vitality. In September 2020, the Student Society hosted a highly successful webinar “Personalising Care for Population Health” chaired by Professors Nancy Baxter and Rob Moodie, with international and national speakers, attracting an audience of 600 people.

“Some highpoints of the last 10 years have been supporting students particularly those from overseas. We started to see much bigger international cohorts from 2016 and needed to rethink our student support plan to that which we had implemented previously. This included empathy, cultural training and First Nations people cultural awareness. People felt much more included in the student experience. We had such wonderful feedback from the students”. Associate Professor Melissa Russell

“My passion for the MPH stems from my drive to be part of sustainably and effectively reducing inequality through innovative means. To me, this meant starting locally through a leadership opportunity with the Student Society. This meant leaving a legacy behind through ensuring the society exists as a beneficial entity promoting professional development for fellow students whilst providing collaborative opportunities for public facing events that utilize a health promotion approach to convey key public health messaging. I feel this work contributed greatly towards building my passion and understanding of SDGs 9 and 10. Completing my MPH throughout a global pandemic also provided the unique opportunity of working within the COVID-19 response team at the Victorian Department of Health, where my passion for reducing inequality through sustainable and innovative health systems reform strategies has deepened immensely.” Zainab Korashi, Australia

“The Melbourne MPH units were so beneficial and helped me appreciate the scope of public health. I really valued the top-notch lecturers and collaborative nature of the degree. In my second year, getting to do a PPU helped confirm the type of work and organisation I liked and allowed me to meet my amazing supervisor and colleagues who went on to be referees for me. After finishing, I contributed to the COVID-19 surge workforce at the Department of Health for a few months. I then accepted my current role with Monash Public Health and Preventive Medicine (Monash-Cabrini Department of Musculoskeletal Health and Clinical Epidemiology). Part of my role is managing a clinical trials network which brings researchers from Australia and New Zealand together to collaborate and avoid duplication of efforts. I also do work with Cochrane, authoring systematic reviews and maintaining ‘living guidelines’.” Helen Ramsay, Australia

Our Head of School, Professor Nancy Baxter started in 2020. Whilst transitioning to life in a new country and a pandemic starting 6 weeks into a new role, Nancy worked tirelessly with Rosemary, the teaching and student teams to ensure supports both physical and emotional were in place.

Developing an active media presence on radio, television and Twitter, Nancy championed advocating for public health, emphasising that “there has never been a more important time to be studying public health” to the MSPGH students, the health sector and the wider community.

Watch the interview here

Nancy Baxter