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5 Years on from COVID-19: lessons from past health crises and the future of global health

Join an engaging discussion with our distinguished panel of public health and virology experts, who explore enduring infectious diseases like HIV, tuberculosis, and mpox, five years after the discovery of COVID-19. This episode highlights how pandemics have historically reshaped our world and demonstrates the transformative impact of cross-disciplinary collaboration in addressing global health challenges. The panelists confront the stigma and misinformation surrounding mpox, HIV and Covid-19, advocating for empathy and transparent communication to build trust. They dissect the role of public values in shaping policy decisions and reveal how political rhetoric affects scientific communities during health crises. Tackling the persistent threat of diseases like tuberculosis and the growing danger of antimicrobial resistance, the discussion underscores the global inequities laid bare by COVID-19 and outlines a vision for improving responses to future health emergencies.

Many thanks to our panel:

• Edward Holmes, Professor of Virology, University of Sydney, and NHMRC Leadership Fellow
• Claire Hooker, Associate Professor in Health and Medical Humanities, University of Sydney, and President of the Arts Health Network NSW/ACT
• Julie Leask, Professor of Public Health, University of Sydney, and Visiting Professorial Fellow, National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance
• Brent Mackie, Director Policy, Strategy and Research at ACON
• Bernadette Saunders, Associate Professor in Life Sciences (Cellular Immonology) and Tuberculosis & Respiratory Diseases Group Head, University of Technology Sydney
• Susana Vaz Nery, Professor at Kirby Institute UNSW, and Neglected Tropical Diseases research group lead
• Jane Williams, Research Fellow (public health ethics), University of Wollongong
• Facilitated by Philippa Nicole Barr, ANU and Western Sydney University

This History Council of NSW event is supported by the Australia New Zealand Society for the History of Medicine (NSW) and the Australian Health and Medical Humanities Network. Our event venue partner is the Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts (SMSA).

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