Events

In part one of this special seminar series chaired by Professor Sharon Lewin, Professor Jodie McVernon and Professor Benjamin Cowling present Hong Kong and Australia respond to COVID-19: Epidemiology, policy and practice.

All countries have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic but none exactly alike. As we enhance preparedness to future disease events, we can begin to reflect and identify learnings from different locations and policy settings.

Comparing the experiences of Hong Kong and Australia offers potential insight into relative effectiveness of these responses. While the outbreaks, clinical outcomes and policy responses have varied significantly, the role of epidemiological evidence and modelling has remained critical for both. This seminar showcases the expertise of two key researchers from the Doherty Institute and the University of Hong Kong, to discuss the types of evidence used to inform government decision-making and strategy.

Professor Jodie McVernon
Professor and Director of Doherty Epidemiology
Professor Jodie McVernon is a physician with subspecialty qualifications in public health and vaccinology. Her work focuses on the application of a range of cross-disciplinary methodological approaches including mathematical and computational models, to synthesise insights from basic biology, epidemiological data and sociological research. These models advance understanding of the observed epidemiology of infectious diseases and inform understanding of optimal interventions for disease control, including pandemic preparedness and response.
 

Professor Benjamin Cowling
Professor and Head of Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, The University of Hong
Kong Professor Benjamin Cowling joined the School of Public Health (SPH) at HKU in 2004. and has been the Head of the Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics since 2013. His primary research focus is in infectious disease epidemiology and in recent years has designed and implemented large field studies of influenza transmission in the community and the effectiveness and impact of control measures. His latest research has focused on the modes of respiratory virus transmission, influenza vaccination effectiveness, and immunity to infections.

Join the seminar via: https://encore.com.au/Sino-Australia/COVIDSeminarSeries/

This seminar series is proudly supported by the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations.