Prevention Works

In this episode, we discuss with guest Jane Martin, Executive Manager of the Obesity Policy Coalition (OPC) and Alcohol and Obesity Policy at Cancer Council Victoria, the tipping points on tobacco and obesity in Australia and how we can leverage advocacy for action.

Jane has worked in tobacco control for 20 years, commencing with Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) Australia, as well as the role of Policy Manager with Quit Victoria. Jane has extensive experience in public health advocacy and policy development, and in building the evidence to supporting legislative and policy reforms. In 2011 she was awarded a Jack Brockhoff Churchill Fellowship and undertook the Williamson Community Leadership program in 2013. She has published papers on tobacco and obesity policy reform issues and has presented at national and international public health conferences. 

Jane has a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) majoring in Public Policy, a Masters in Public Health, and an Honorary Doctorate (Deakin University). 

An unhealthy diet is Australia’s key modifiable risk factor, resulting in more than 500,000 years of life lost to death and disability each year so it’s important that healthcare service providers provide a good role model. ​

Together, Professor Anna Peeters and Dr Miranda Blake, and colleagues, have produced large quantities of evidence that show it is possible to change the way food is sold to make it more healthy, and without disadvantage to the retailers - in fact, it can benefit them.

In research conducted through Alfred Health, Professor Peeters and Dr Blake, modelled a change that saw the promotion of healthy drinks over sugary drinks in hospital onsite cafes and food services, and this has led the way for other mandated, but not legislated changes in health-services retail.

Alfred Deakin Professor Anna Peeters is Director of Deakin University’s Institute for Health Transformation; and also Director of the Centre of Research Excellence in Food Retail Environments for Health, known as REFRESH, a collaboration of eight universities and organisations, and a member of the Collaboration for Enhanced Research Impact (CERI).

Dr Miranda Blake is a dietician and Alfred Deakin Postdoctoral Research Fellow within the Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition (GLOBE), a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention. Miranda leads a program of research within RE-FRESH - bringing together health services policy makers together to improve food in health facilities - and has just won the Dietitians Australia Young Achievers Award.

It’s no surprise that half our population searches online to inform themselves, but how does that work for you when English is not your first language? 

Culturally and linguistically diverse people in Australia are neglected in most academic research, and health is not exempt. In this episode, we discuss with guest, Dr Mridula Bandyopadhyay, how Australian health messaging reaches this cohort and how it might be done better. Dr Bandyopadhyay is a research fellow in obstetrics and gynaecology at Melbourne’s Royal Women’s Hospital and also works for the Centre of Research Excellence on Women and Non-communicable Diseases, also referred to as CRE WaND.

There are numerous ways in which population health could benefit if housing was improved in Australia.

Join host Gretchen Miller and guest Professor Rebecca Bentley as they discuss the many aspects of this social determinant of health including how poor housing quality can exacerbate chronic disease and mental health, housing security, and how to address the intersection of housing, urban design, and health policy.

Professor Bentley is an epidemiologist from the University of Melbourne’s School of Population and Global Health. She’s also the director of the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Healthy Housing, which is a member of the Collaboration for Enhanced Research Impact (CERI). 

Established in June 2020, CERI is a joint initiative between The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre and associated NHMRC Centres of Research Excellence. We are working together to find alignment in the policy and practice implications of our work and to develop shared communications across our various projects and participating centres.

In this episode, host Gretchen Miller interviews guests Professor Helen Skouteris and Dr Alexandra Chung on the early days of our life's journey and how influential they are in preventing future health issues. 

Our guests, both from Monash University School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, conducted a knowledge synthesis that examined the first 2000 days of our lives drawing on the combined research from various Centres of Research Excellence that make up the Collaboration for Enhanced Research Impact (CERI). Together they mobilised researchers from CERI to synthesise what we know about the importance of the first 2000 days in a child’s life for the prevention of future chronic disease.

Professor Helen Skouteris is a developmental psychologist and implementation science expert and head of Monash University's Health and Social Care Unit, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine. Professor Skouteris is also Director of the Centre of Research Excellence in Health in Preconception and Pregnancy (CRE HiPP), one of the CREs that contributes to CERI.

Dr Alexandra Chung is a VicHealth Postdoctoral Research Fellow whose interests include childhood obesity prevention, and the role of policy in equitably improving children’s diets.

Join podcast host Gretchen Miller and Professor Cathie Sherrington, Chief Investigator of the Centre of Research Excellence in the Prevention of Fall-related Injuries, as they discuss the rise in fall-related injuries, the various risk factors involved, and what can be done to improve those figures. Is it about physical activity, strength or balance exercises, or are there other strategies that can have a beneficial impact?

Cathie also leads the Physical Activity Aging and Disability Research stream within the Institute for Musculoskeletal Health at the School of Public Health, University of Sydney. The CRE in the Prevention of Fall-related Injuries is a member of the Collaboration for Enhanced Research Impact (CERI).