Concurrent Session 6A: An Enduring Frustration: The Impact of Stigma on Healthcare Provision for Viral Hepatitis
Tracks
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| Friday, August 8, 2025 |
| 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM |
| Ballroom 3 |
Details
This session explores the frustrating reality of how stigma continues to undermine efforts to deliver care for viral hepatitis. We’ll examine how stigma shapes healthcare systems and individual practice — and how it affects consumer experiences. Importantly, this session will share actionable strategies for healthcare professionals to navigate and reduce stigma’s impact.
Speaker
Professor Carla Treloar
Sci Prof
UNSW, CSRH
Reducing Stigma - Why Bother?
2:00 PM - 2:20 PMBiography
Professor Carla Treloar is a social scientist and works at the Centre for Social Research in Health at UNSW, Sydney. Her work brings to light the gaps, failures and harms of health and social systems and poses solutions to better meet the needs of people who experience social marginalisation.
Mr. Sione Crawford
CEO
Harm Reduction Victoria
Putting the Discrimination back into Stigma & Discrimination - So We Can Remove It Forever
2:20 PM - 2:40 PMBiography
Sione is CEO of Harm Reduction Victoria. He has been working in harm reduction and lived / living experience and peer organisations in Australia since the early 2000s
Ms Alexandra Wade
CNC
Mid North Coast Liver Clinic
Sorry, What?!! - Creating Outrage at Stigma and Discrimination in the Health Setting
2:40 PM - 3:00 PMBiography
Alex Wade is a Clinical Nurse Consultant in Hepatology working with people living with viral hepatitis and experiencing hardship, on the Mid North Coast of NSW, Australia and works across the HIV and Related Programs Unit and AOD services in her region. She is Principal Investigator on several HCV related research projects. Alex is the current secretary and public officer for the Australasian Hepatology Association. When not nursing Alex finds herself absorbed in the Bee-haviour in her Apiary and planning her ever growing permaculture garden.
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Facilitated Discussion
3:00 PM - 3:30 PMBiography
Chairperson
Elizabeth Birbilis
Senior Policy Adviser
Department of Health
Anna Hawkes
Ceo
Hepatitis Queensland