This year we had the opportunity to share our knowledge and learnings at numerous national and state conferences and symposiums, including:
Communicable Diseases and Immunisation Conference, Brisbane
A large group of VTG staff members attended the annual Communicable Diseases and Immunisation Conference alongside colleagues from The Kids Research Institute Australia and Perth Children’s Hospital.
This annual conference brought together like-minded individuals from across the country and abroad with a passion for work in the areas of infectious diseases, public health and vaccines.
Highlights from the conference included:
- hearing about the concept of “One Health”, which encompasses the impact of climate and environmental health on disease, particularly affecting the Indigenous communities
- learning about plans for a national framework for Communicable Diseases Control - this is currently managed at a state and territory level
- meeting the members of fellow research groups and our sponsors in person, putting faces to the names we’ve known mainly over emails and phone calls
- listening to presentations from other delegates regarding studies that we previously contributed to, including the final outcomes of these projects - a true “full circle moment" for us
Head of the Vaccine Trials Group, Peter Richmond, gave a keynote presentation on current and future maternal vaccinations, and we represented the Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases by presenting data on a number of studies, including our collaborative work with the Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research.
In 2025, the conference will be held in Adelaide, and we are already in the process of drafting our abstracts for the presentations.
7th OMOZ Otitis Media Australia Conference, Newcastle
Kerrie Lisagaris, Study Coordinator of the ATOMIC EARS Study, had the opportunity to attend and present at the OMOZ Otitis Conference. This event gathered individuals from across Australia and the globe, bringing together policy makers, politicians, audiologists, nurses, doctors, surgeons, Aboriginal health workers, Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander community representatives and ear health scientists.
According to Kerrie, it was incredible to be surrounded by individuals sharing the common goal of eliminating childhood ear infections, with a particular focus on the Indigenous populations. She presented details about the ATOMIC Ears Study, including some preliminary findings, and really enjoyed listening to presentations about research contributing to further understanding and advancements in the world of otitis media.
Child and Adolescent Health Service Symposium, Perth
The 2024 Child and Adolescent Health Service Symposium, held in November at Perth Children's Hospital was an incredible opportunity for us to share our work with other researchers, scientists, and practitioners.
The roll out of a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) immunisation called Nirsevimab, provided for all newborn babies in Western Australia throughout winter this year, has been a major acheivement in the field of public health and medicine. Our team is incredibly proud to have played a role in the research around RSV prevention in babies that contributed to this successful outcome.
Dr Ushma Wadia delivered several sessions during the symposium to highlight the significant impact RSV immunisation has had in our community and discuss the ongoing research to monitor Nirsevimab’s effectiveness in minimising hospitalisations for young babies and children.
Our team also presented findings from the PAEDS (Paediatric Active Enhanced Disease Surveillance) Network serosurvey, which examined COVID Omicron-serotypes in blood samples from children across Australia who attended hospitals for elective surgery. These findings play a key role in informing recommendations on primary COVID vaccinations and boosters in children.