The Australian government has now announced a tailored COVID-19 strategy for people with disability, but it should have come sooner and may not go far enough

Communicating COVID-19 is designed primarily for clinicians in primary care and hospital-based settings. Secondary audiences include pharmacists, nursing and allied health staff, aged care workers, and disability care workers. Elements of this course could be adapted for primary and secondary school teachers and for the general public.

It is our pleasure to announce the appointment of Professor Adam Elshaug (picture above) to the position of Professor in Health Policy, jointly in the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health and the Melbourne Medical School.  Adam will be primarily located within the Centre for Health Policy in the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, where he will be commencing on 18 September 2020.

Daisy Dai and Dinh BuiDaisy Dai and Dinh Bui, postdoctoral fellows from Allergy and Lung Health Unit of the Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, have been recently awarded the 2019 Picchi Brothers Foundation Prizes for Excellence in Asthma Research in recognition of their outstanding contributions in asthma research field.

Professor Jodie McVernon (pictured far right), Professor and Director of Doherty Epidemiology, Honorary Professor and Head of Modelling and Simulation Unit in the Centre for Epidemiology  and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global HealthPublished on ABC - Q and A 20 April 2020

Estimating the case detection rate and temporal variation in transmission of COVID-19 in Australia Technical Report 14 April 2020

Our team are working with Respect Victoria on a  family violence prevention project for women with disability.

Breanne Remmos (L) and twin Tamara McDonald (R)Professor John Hopper Director of Twins Research Australia, Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics talks to Michael Fowler at The Age about a world-first study of tens of thousands of Australian twins, launched on Sunday, that will help form a picture of how the pandemic is affecting our lives. Read more...Published in The Age 11 April 2020

The Justice Health Unit’s Dr Kathryn Snow explains the coronavirus modelling that has informed Australia’s pandemic response.

Doherty Institute researchers have released their work on COVID-19 modelling to the general public. These models have been utilised by the Commonwealth Government in the public health response to COVID-19.

They are a vital part of moving from preparedness to targeted response.

COPD trajectories from early life: TSANZ Research Medal winner Professor Shyamali DharmageBy Sunalie Silva. Published in thelimbic.com 14 Apr 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic is creating major challenges for our residential rental system. The lockdown of businesses has meant an almost overnight loss of jobs or reduced hours for many Australian workers. Many tentants are struggling to pay their rent

New approaches to collecting and analysing data can enhance cancer treatments for individuals and better allocate healthcare resources for everyone. Dr Robert Mahar from Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, along with Dr Koen Degeling and Prof Maarten Ijzerman at the Centre for Health Policy, and medical oncologist Hui-Li Wong at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute explain how in this Pursuit article.

An opinion article by Professor Tony Blakely, Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health published on 3rd April 2020....Australia owes a debt of gratitude to its pandemic modellers, public health officials and politicians – we have avoided the explosive beginning of a COVID-19 epidemic that most other countries are now cursed with. Read more

Despite the government's efforts to defend employment and the economy, the second line of defence needs to be housing - keeping renters and mortgage holders in their homes.

Professor Tony Blakely, Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health“It has become clear to me that we have two major problems now with the COVID response: a lack of critical information (including modelling done for the Government) accessible by both experts and the public so we can understand and participate in decision-making; and a deep confusion now about what flattening the curve means (is it suppressing COVID infection to the lowest possible level we can achieve short of elimination, or is it a level of COVID infection in the population that allows the epidemic to pass to herd immunity within the constraints of health system capacity?).  In this Pursuit article (originally published in the Australian Financial Review) I explore these issues, and makes the case that we have a moment in time now – with rates of COIVD actually quite low and slow daily increases due to our physical distancing – for a more informed public discussion and participatory democracy leading to decision-making with societal consent.” -Read this article in The Pursuit for the latest information on possible approaches to the management of COVID19 from Professor Tony Blakely.

There's been a lot of guesswork about how long it'll take for life to get back to normal after COVID-19.Six months is a timeframe that has come up in recent policy responses, but it could last twice that.The dilemma at the core of this pandemic has always been whether societies would be willing to pay the price to save lives.So how long should Australia be prepared to stay in hibernation, in order to keep the death toll here down?Professor Tony Blakely, from Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics discusses the options with ABC's The Signal.https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/the-signal/the-covid-timeline/12108476