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Session A: Transforming access to health care - a new era In point of care testing

Tuesday, March 14, 2023
9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Grand Ballroom 2

Speaker

Uncle Allan Murray
Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council

Welcome to Country

9:00 AM - 9:10 AM

Presentation Recording

Biography

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Dr Lucas de Toca
Ambassador For Global Health
Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Government Welcome

9:10 AM - 9:15 AM

Presentation Recording

Biography

Dr Lucas de Toca is a doctor and public health expert focussing on health systems improvement and health equity. Lucas currently works as a First Assistant Secretary in the Australian Department of Health, leading the National COVID-19 Vaccine Program. Lucas has been involved in the COVID-19 response and vaccine rollout since the commencement of the pandemic, establishing the Primary Care Response to the virus, including setting up 150 GP-led respiratory clinics, leading the First Nations response to COVID, and the response in multicultural and rural communities, including the vaccine rollout in those settings. Prior to COVID-19 he was working in the First Nations Health Division of the Department, overseeing sexual health and child and maternal health programs, as well as the implementation of National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan and engagement with the sector. Prior to his work in the Commonwealth he worked for nearly five years as the Chief Health Officer at Miwatj Health, the regional Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Service for East Arnhem Land. He also teaches at the University of Melbourne, where he is an Honorary Senior Fellow within the Department of Medical Education of the Melbourne Medical School.
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Professor Rebecca Guy
Program Head - Professor
Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney

Committee Welcome

9:15 AM - 9:20 AM

Presentation Recording

Biography

Rebecca Guy is the Theme Director of Public Health and a Professor in Epidemiology at the Kirby Institute, UNSW. Her research focuses on reducing the impact of HIV, sexually transmissible infections (STIs), COVID-19 and other infectious diseases in vulnerable populations, including implementation and evaluation of point-of-care testing. Her research also focuses on optimising antibiotic treatment of STIs and using diagnostics to improve antibiotic stewardship.
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Dr Megan Campbell
Medical Advisor
National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation

Community Welcome

9:20 AM - 9:30 AM

Presentation Recording

Biography

Megan is a public health physician and Medical Advisor at NACCHO. Megan has degrees in public health and health policy and her work focuses on supporting Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations to plan and respond to communicable disease issues, including STIs and BBVs.
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Dr Trevor Peter
Senior Director, Diagnostics
Clinton Health Access Initiative

POC then, now, and tomorrow

9:30 AM - 9:50 AM

Presentation Recording

Biography

Trevor Peter PhD, MPH is Senior Director for Diagnostics at the Clinton Health Access Initiative. Dr. Peter is a public health expert with extensive experience in infectious disease epidemiology and diagnostic medicine across both human and animal health. He has over 10 years of experience in vector-borne animal health research in epidemiology, vaccines, and diagnostic test development, as well as over 10 years of experience in human infectious disease research and control program design and implementation for HIV, TB, hepatitis, Covid-19 and general laboratory system strengthening. His research has a focus on the evaluation of the performance and impact of novel diagnostic tests, on optimal implementation design, and on market-based interventions to improve the affordability and accessibility of diagnostic tests. He managed the Botswana-Harvard HIV Reference laboratory for 5 years and was chair of the African Society for Laboratory Medicine and its inaugural international scientific conference. He has been an advisor on scaling up access to diagnostics tests and laboratory capacity strengthening across numerous countries Asia, Africa, Central and South America, and Eastern Europe, as well as advisor to the WHO and other international and regional technical and implementing agencies.
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Marta Fernández Suárez
Chief Technology Officer, FIND

Beyond COVID-19: harnessing opportunities to advance POC testing

9:50 AM - 10:10 AM

Presentation Recording

Biography

Marta Fernández Suárez serves as Chief Technology Officer. She joined FIND in 2017 as a product development consultant, with increasing responsibilities to lead FIND innovation and R&D activities. In her current role, Marta is responsible for the overall strategic direction and management of the technical programs within FIND, with a focus on leveraging innovation to accelerate availability of fit-for-purpose diagnostic products in low- and middle-income countries. Previously, Marta served as the VP of Assay R&D at Daktari Diagnostics. She has more than 10 years of experience in in vitro diagnostics (IVD) product development, both in academia and in industry, and has led teams through the entire product development process, from proof-of-concept through clinical validation. Her work has been published in high-impact journals and she serves on expert panels and review boards for federal agencies and foundations. Marta is passionate about improving health around the world and has more than 15 years of experience in the design and on-the-ground implementation of international development projects in Africa and Central and South America. She obtained her B.S. in Chemistry and M.S. in Chemical Engineering at the Institut Quimic de Sarria (Barcelona, Spain), and her Ph.D. in Biochemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT, Cambridge, USA).
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Dr Lorraine Anderson
Medical Director
Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services Ltd

Public health impact of molecular POC testing for COVID-19 in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities during the pandemic in Australia

10:10 AM - 10:25 AM

Biography

Dr Lorraine Anderson is the Medical Director at Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services where her primary role is in clinical governance for the ACCHO sector in the Kimberley region. Lorraine is proudly linked through her father to the Palawa people of Tasmania. Lorraine gained her primary degree in Medicine at The University of Auckland in New Zealand, followed by post graduate qualifications in Public Health, Child Health, Palliative Medicine and General Practice. She has also been involved in research, medical education and business development in health (private, public and NGO sectors). Lorraine is a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practice. She has been working in Aboriginal health and remote rural practice in the Pilbara, Indian Ocean Territories and now the Kimberley for the past 15 years. Lorraine sits on the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Protection AHPPC Subcommittee, CDNA, national and state POCT Meetings and the National RHD expert working group. With a passion for bringing as much investigation, diagnosis and treatment to the patient in rural and remote areas.
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Dr Belinda Hengel
Research Fellow
Kirby Institute, UNSW

Public health impact of molecular POC testing for COVID-19 in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities during the pandemic in Australia

10:10 AM - 10:25 AM

Abstract PDF (.pdf)

PowerPoint Slides (.pdf)

Presentation Recording

Biography

Dr Hengel is an early career researcher who has been involved in point of care testing for infectious diseases for the past ten years, most recently within the MRFF Rapid Applied Research Translation for infectious disease point of care testing in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities.
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Dr Janet Gare
Team Leader Surveillance and Disease Outbreak Unit
Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research

Accelerating the uptake of innovations for detection and monitoring of HIV in Papua New Guinea (ACTUP-PNG) -Point-of-care HIV viral load and drug resistance testing of adults >15 Years

10:25 AM - 10:40 AM

Abstract PDF (.pdf)

PowerPoint Slides (.pdf)

Presentation Recording

Biography

Dr Janet Gare is Head of the Sexual and Reproductive Health Unit and Laboratory Coordinator of Disease Outbreak Surveillance at Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research. She is co-lead investigator on the DFAT-funded ACTUP-PNG HIV program and other research projects, and a long-term collaborator of Kirby Institute UNSW.

Chairperson

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Tanya Applegate
Associate Professor
The Kirby Institute

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Rosanna Peeling
Chair, Diagnostic Research
London School Of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

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