Australian Public Health Conference 2026

Kathryn is a Professor and Co-Director of the Institute for Health Transformation at Deakin University and Vice President (Policy) for the Public Health Association of Australia. Her research focuses on closing policy and practice gaps in the prevention of non-communicable diseases. She has a strong focus on protecting children from harmful marketing, particularly in the digital ecosystem, and on addressing global malnutrition through her work with UN agencies across Asia and the Pacific.

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Mariam Hachem is the Victorian Branch President of the Public Health Association of Australia and a Clinical Trial Manager at the University of Melbourne, where she is also completing her PhD. Her work sits at the intersection of public health, chronic disease, and health equity — driven by a commitment to ensuring prevention remains central to how health systems are built and sustained. Mariam is passionate about shaping proactive, future-focused systems that prioritise equity and long-term population health.

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Professor Rahman is a highly respected academic, medical doctor, and public health professional with over 20 years of experience in public health research and teaching in both Australian and international contexts. He has authored more than 200 papers, which have generated over 155,000 citations, and has been instrumental in securing about $14 million in research funding. With extensive international collaborations, he has effectively led several multi-country research projects that have yielded significant outcomes. Notably, he has been consistently ranked among the top 2% of scientists worldwide for the past six years (2020-2025). Professor Rahman is currently working as the Professor of Public Health and Associate Dean of Research at the Institute of Health and Wellbeing at Federation University Australia. He is also the Vice President of the Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) and the Convenor for the Health Promotion Special Interest Group at PHAA.

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Professor Taylor, a descendant of the Dauareb Tribe from Murray Island, has more than 25 years’ experience in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health. His senior leadership roles include Director of Health Services at the Townsville Aboriginal and Islander Health Service, Deputy Director at the Menzies School of Health Research, and Executive Director roles with NT Health and the Cape and Torres Hospital and Health Service (Queensland Health).
He is currently the Director of Onemda: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Wellbeing at the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, and a Professor of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health within the Melbourne School of Health Sciences at the University of Melbourne. His work focuses on research, policy development, and mentorship to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other minority high-risk populations. Professor Taylor holds a Doctor of Public Health from James Cook University specialising in Diabetes Care and Management in Rural and Remote Primary Health Care Settings.

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Shayal is the Early Career Representative/Chair of the Students and Young Professionals in Public Health (SYPPH) Committee.  She joined the SYPPH committee in 2021 to connect with like-minded individuals and facilitate programs on offer for young people to build their networks and expand their career/professional development opportunities. She previously served as Secretary (2021-2022), led the PHAA National Mentoring Program from 2022 to May 2024 and was the Treasurer from June 2024 to December 2024, during which she initiated the SYPPH Professional Development Grant. Outside of her contributions to PHAA, Shayal works as a Project Officer at the National Centre for Immunisation Research & Surveillance, where she is involved in projects across the Serosurveillance and Population Health teams. She has a key interest in preventative health, particularly strengthening protective factors in the foundational years of childhood to reduce the long-term risk and burden of disease.

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Professor Hannah is a senior academic and researcher of Health and Education Faculty at Torrens University Australia. Her research projects focus on non-communicable disease prevention; health behaviour; health service; digital health innovation, inequities, inequality and accessibility among diverse populations, specifically migrants, refugees and disadvantaged populations. She advocates for diversity and equity through several committee, including

• Executive committee of Public Health Association of Australia (SA Branch)

• Co-Convenor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion groups, Public Health Association of Australia

• Advocacy and Engagement Committee for Council of Academic Public Health Institutions Australia and

• Research committee for Public Health and Environmental Policy in Southeast Asia Research Cluster

Her dedicated contributions and leadership in these areas for more than a decade has been recognised by the 2024 Champion of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award (Public Health Association of Australia).

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Dr. Mohammad Akhtar Hussain is a public health physician at the Barwon South West Public Health Unit (BSWPHU) and an affiliate senior lecturer at Deakin University’s School of Medicine. A fellow of the Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine, he holds an MBBS, MD in Community Medicine, and a PhD in Epidemiology and Public Health. Dr. Hussain's career spans nearly two decades across teaching, research, policy, and practice. He began his academic journey in 2009 after completing his MD in India and received a fellowship from the Wellcome Trust (UK). His research is highly collaborative, with over half of his outputs resulting from international partnerships. Akhtar’s work focuses on disease control, health systems, and chronic disease management, particularly the intersection of infectious diseases and long-term chronic conditions. He has published over 65 peer-reviewed articles. Akhtar is active in community engagement, public health advisory boards, and leadership forums. He provides strategic guidance to health services, reviews for major journals, and supervises both public health trainees and university students.

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Dr. M. Tasdik Hasan is a global mental health researcher and public health physician specializing in digital mental health and underserved communities. Currently completing his PhD at Monash University, he is co-designing inclusive digital tools to enhance the mental health of Deaf communities in Bangladesh. Recognized by the Mental Health Commission of Canada as one of eight global digital mental health innovators, he has contributed to Bangladesh’s National Mental Health Strategic Plan (2020–2030) and published over 100 papers in leading international journals. His work spans three key areas: generating evidence from low-resource settings, mentoring emerging scholars in global mental health, and advocating for policy change through science communication. His accolades include the New Voices in Global Health Award (2017), The Lancet Prize (2018), Fukuoka Student Award (2018), and Digital Mental Health Leadership Excellence Award (2024). Through his work, Dr. Hasan advances equitable, technology-enabled mental health care for marginalized populations.

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Anjali is an early career professional at VicHealth in a Research and Impact role with a background in program evaluation for the public sector. She has a Bachelor of Science majoring in Psychology and Statistics from the University of Auckland, and is currently completing her Master of Business Administration at the University of Wollongong, and currently sits on the Diversity and Inclusion Working Group with the Australian Evaluation Society. In her role at VicHealth, she brings her program evaluation and project delivery experience to ensure a strategic, robust and data-driven approach to the delivery of systems change initiatives. 

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Student

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Paris Lord has more than two decades’ experience including senior roles with the Australian Local Government Association, Australian National University, and Australian Consulate-General Shanghai.

He has been a senator’s media advisor, and worked as a commercial radio, print, magazine, and newspaper journalist in Australia and east Asia.

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Malcolm Baalman was appointed manager in January 2025, and was formerly the association's Senior Policy and Advocacy Adviser. He has a diverse public policy background covering parliamentary and electoral matters, health, transport and infrastructure, and law.

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