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It's hard to believe we have hopped through the first quarter of the year and right through the Easter break.
Last week the university focussed on wellness. It is a timely reminder that whe n we are mentally and physically healthy we can fully enjoy and appreciate our day-to-day life, environment and relationships, as well as deal with life’s challenges. Individuals, leaders and the University all contribute to a healthy and well workplace. The University's 2023-2026 Health & Wellbeing Framework can help us support health, prevent harm and promote thriving. There's a stack of online and in-person learning sessions available on the intranet wellbeing page including: mindfullness, family wellbeing strategies, men's health, and working with heightened emotions. And remember, all University staff (and your family) have access to 24/7 support and counselling through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Phone 1300 360 364 for this free and confidential support.
Our leadership group held its inaugural Strategic Planning Day in February 2024. We look forward to implementing the outcomes of the robust discussions over the coming year. We are grateful to our Business School colleagues, Sandra Peter and Kai Riemer, who expertly guided our discussions. Thank you to all of our leadership team who were able to attend.
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Australia Day honoursCongratulations to Prof Julie Leask AO for being appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for “distinguished service to health and medical research, to policy advice, and to enhancing community understanding of immunisation.” Julie has been a long-term member of Sydney ID and is a valuable member of our Research Steering Group. Congratulations on this well-deserved honour. Check out her interview here.
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Congratulations also to Matthew O'Sullivan AM who received a Member of the Order of Australia for "significant service to medicine, particularly in the field of infectious diseases". Well done Matthew on this recognition of your service to infectious diseases.
Back in January 2020, Matthew was part of part of the Australian Medical Assistance Teams (AUSMAT) responding to the then relatively-unknown coronavirus threat. Catch-up on his incredible contribution to Australia's COVID fight, begining on Christmas Island, which was highlighted in The Pulse on 3 April 2020.*Photo from The Pulse - 26 Jan 2024
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World Health Organization Committee appointment
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Strengthening connections and collaboration: Insights from a journey to India
In early January 2024, A/Prof Shailendra Sawleshwarkar and Dr Jocelyne Basseal attended the Vibrant Gujarat Summit in Ahmedabad for the launch of the Newland Global Group’s compendium entitled: ‘Case Studies: Advocating Business Success Between Australia and India’. The partnership between the University of Sydney and the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) was one of the 26 Australian case studies featured, where Shailendra was invited to speak about the important collaboration with Prof Sanjay Zodpey, who was honoured with an Honorary Doctorate in May 2023. Whilst attending the launch of the Australia-India compendium in Ahmedabad and at the World Trade Centre in Mumbai, they engaged with Indian and Australian government officials, members of parliament, industry leaders, associations and businesses.Covering 8 flights in just 11 days, they presented Sydney ID’s expertise in infectious diseases research to several institutes around India. They delved into discussions about collaborative projects, funding avenues and education opportunities. Their meetings involved leadership teams including Directors, Vice-Chancellors and Deans from several institutions - the Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar (IIPHG), Datta Meghe Institute of Higher Education and Research in Nagpur, IIT Bombay, Mahatma Gandhi Mission Institute of Health Sciences and Symbiosis Medical College in Pune.
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24 March is World TB Day
Each year we commemorate World TB Day to raise public awareness about the devastating health, social and economic consequences of tuberculosis (TB) and to step up efforts to end the global TB epidemic. To mark World TB Day, our Deputy Director, Professor Jamie Triccas, attended Parliament House for the annual Parlimentary Breakfast. Sydney ID hosts the WHO Collaborating Centre in Tuberculosis which is working towards a target of ending TB by 2035.
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Sydney ID members awarded $3.6m in NHMRC Ideas GrantsCongratulations to our members from SoMS on their grant success in the latest NHMRC Ideas Grant round:
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The Role of Hand Hygiene in the Prevention of Emerging Respiratory Tract Infections among Attendees of Religious Mass Gatherings in Saudi Arabia
We congratulate Dr Hashim Mahdi on being awarded PhD for his thesis titled, "The Role of Hand Hygiene in the Prevention of Emerging Respiratory Tract Infections among Attendees of Religious Mass Gatherings in Saudi Arabia. His lead supervisor, Prof Harunor Rashid thanked Sydney ID saying, "Many thanks to Sydney ID for providing the much needed seed funding to run his pilot project. Hashim started his PhD in early 2020 amidst lockdowns but he maximised his time, remained laser-focussed and completed the project tasks diligently ... we hope to make him more busy in the coming months with a large funding application Insha'Allah (God willing!)." He also thanked his great supervisory team (and Sydney ID members) comprised of Prof Robert Booy and Prof Ramon Shaban "who are the THE experts on the topic".
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Vaccine Patch Study participants needed
Sydney ID member, Dr Cristyn Davies, is seeking participants, to take part in a research project on vaccine patches, which are a new vaccine delivery method under development. We are looking for people aged 18 years and older living in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the UK. You will be asked to do two online surveys two weeks apart, which takes about 10 minutes. You can access the survey here. If you have any questions about the study, please contact her PhD student Matthew Berger.
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Submit an AbstractThe 2024 Zoonoses Conference Crossroads of Contagion will feature education sessions with an emphasis on highlighting the importance of the intersection of human and animal interactions and health. Confirmed speakers include Dr Paul Kelly - Chief Medical Officer and Dr Beth Cooks - Chief Veterinary Officer and Sydney ID's Prof Eddie Holmes.
Abstract submission closes 4 May.
Event registration closes 15 May.
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#WeAreSydneyIDNew videos added
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Members publications
- Tania Sorrell The Lancet Infectious Diseases Global guideline for the diagnosis and management of cryptococcosis: an initiative of the ECMM and ISHAM in cooperation with the ASM
- Jenny-Ann Toribio, Ben Marais Cell Assessing risks for bovine and zoonotic tuberculosis through spatial analysis and a questionnaire survey in Fiji – A pilot study
- Manisha Yapa, Shailendra Sawleshwarkar International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics Rapid systematic review of interventions to improve antenatal screening rates for syphilis, hepatitis B, and HIV in low- and middle-income countries
- Alvin Teo, Jeremy Hill, Ben Marais, Guy Marks The Lancet Regional Health Western Pacific Population-wide active case finding as a strategy to end TB
- Matt Doyle Methods in Molecular Biology In Vivo Disulfide-Bond Crosslinking to Study β-Barrel Membrane Protein Interactions, Dynamicity, and Folding Intermediates
- Tania Sorrell, Sharon Chen, Jan-Willem Alffenaar, Justin Beardsley The Lancet Infectious Diseases Global guideline for the diagnosis and management of cryptococcosis: an initiative of the ECMM and ISHAM in cooperation with the ASM
- Gemma Saravanos, Jocelyne Basseal, Meru Sheel BMC Global and Public Health Infection prevention and control programme priorities for sustainable health and environmental systems
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Please drop us an email if there is any news you'd like to share with our community - we want to hear what everyone is up to!
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