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Program

The Preventive Health Conference aims at providing a platform to engage, challenge and exchange ideas, where pivotal issues for building prevention in Australia is discussed and where delegates can learn from the experience, opinions and perspectives of sector leaders and their peers.

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As such, the 2025 Preventive Health Conference Advisory Committee have been diligently crafting the 2025 conference program to bring you an engaging agenda of esteemed Keynote Speakers, covering a myriad of preventive health issues.

 

​Please note changes may occur to this draft agenda.

You can access Keynote Speakers bios here.  

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The Food Policy and Regulation Forum 2025 will be held on Thursday 1 May, at the Hyatt Hotel Canberra. More details are available on the Forum's dedicated page. 

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Day 1 - Monday 28 April

Opening Plenary - What do we really mean when we say prevention is political?

9:00 AM - 10:30 AM

​Session chair: Ms Megan Varlow, Director, Cancer Control Policy, Cancer Council Australia

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  • Welcome to Country by Violet Sheridan

  • Introductory Remarks by Adjunct Professor Terry Slevin, CEO, Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA)

  • Conference Welcome 

  • Opening Address 
     

Keynote Presentations:

  • Professor Paul Cairney, Professor of Politics and Public Policy, University of Stirling

  • Dr Isabelle Soerjomataram, Deputy Head Cancer Surveillance Branch, International Agency for Research on Cancer​

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Morning Tea & Exhibition
10:30 AM - 11:00 AM

Workshops 1 to 6
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM

​Details about the workshops are available on our dedicated Workshops page. Please note you need to register to attend a specific workshop as space is limited. 

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  • Workshop 1 - Indigenous Excellence: Strengthening Sovereignty and Action Toward a Nicotine-Free Future

    • Facilitated by: Associate Professor Raglan Maddox - Australian National University

  • Workshop 2 - Co-Design for Preventative Health: Key Components and Practical Applications

    • Facilitated by: Dr Alison Brown - Hunter New England Population Health / University Of Newcastle​

  • Workshop 3 - Embedding Evaluation Capacity in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services: Insights from the Indigenous Evaluation of Aboriginal Programs (ILEAP) project

    • Facilitated by: Dr Sumithra Muthayya - Sax Institute​

  • Workshop 4 - Maximising the policy impact of health data on prevention

    • Facilitated by: Dr Vanessa Prescott - Australian Institute Of Health And Welfare​

  • Workshop 5 - Scaling-up chronic disease prevention initiatives in community settings with equity

    • Facilitated by: Dr Anna Rayward - University of Newcastle​

  • Workshop 6 - Putting mental health promotion and prevention on the political radar - the role of the Wellbeing and Prevention Coalition in Mental Health

    • Facilitated by: Dr Stephen Carbone - Prevention United​

Lunch & Exhibition
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM

Plenary Session 2 - The impact of politics and systems thinking on prevention
1:30 PM - 3:00 PM

Session chair: Ms Nadia Mastersson, Head, The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre

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Keynote Presentations:

  • Dr Richard di Natale, ​Former federal Senator and leader of the Australian Greens and current General Practitioner in community health

  • Ms Paula Johns, Directora Executiva, Promocao da Saude

  • Dr Steve Allender, Distinguished Professor of Public Health and founding Director of the Global Obesity Centre, Deakin University

Afternoon Tea & Exhibition
3:00 PM - 3:30 PM

Concurrent Session 1 - Abstract Presentations
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM

  • 1A: Nutrition & Physical activity (Long Oral)

  • 1B: Tabletops

  • 1C: Advocacy learnings and successes (Long Oral)

  • 1D: Children and young people (Long Oral)

  • 1E: Community led (Long Oral)

  • 1F: Navigating the politics (Rapid Fire)

Day 2 - Tuesday 29 April

Morning Session - New Leadership in Health Promotion and Prevention: priorities and challenges for the year ahead
7:50 AM - 8:50 AM

This late breaking session will create the chance for leaders in Prevention to discuss the priorities and challenges they see in their organisations, and to engage in some dialogue with other leaders in the field as to what the future of prevention might hold.

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Session chair: Adjunct Professor Terry Slevin, PHAA CEO

Panellists:

  • Adjunct Professor Robyn Littlewood, CEO Health and Wellbeing Queensland 

  • Ms Carina Tan Van Baren, Executive Director of Healthway - WA Health Promotion Foundation

  • Ms Marina Bowshall, CEO Preventive Health SA

  • Professor Anna Peeters, CEO VicHealth

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Please note: Breakfast will NOT be served. 

Concurrent Session 2 - Abstract Presentations & Workshop 7
9:00 AM - 10:30 AM

  • 2A: Healthy eating (Long Oral)

  • 2B: Tobacco & e-cigarettes (Long Oral)

  • 2C: Cancer and screening (Long Oral)

  • 2D: Mixed (Long Oral)

  • 2E: Prevention policy (Long Oral)

  • 2F: Prevention for equity (Rapid Fire)

  • Workshop 7 - Using systems thinking to co-design a capability-building strategy for the Australian prevention community

    • Facilitated by: Dr Mishel Shahid - The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre​

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Details about the workshops are available on our dedicated Workshops page. Please note you need to register to attend a specific workshop as space is limited. 

Morning Tea & Exhibition
10:30 AM - 11:00 AM

Concurrent Session 3 - Abstract Presentations & Workshop 8
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM

  • 3A: Healty eating 2 (Long Oral)

  • 3B: Tobacco & e-cigarettes 2 (Long Oral)

  • 3C: Alcohol and other drugs (Long Oral)

  • 3D: Priority populations (Long Oral)

  • 3E: It's political (Long Oral)

  • 3F: Systems, methods & Maintaining (Rapid Fire)

  • Workshop 8 - Advocating for national policies and what to do when there’s inaction – Why hasn’t Australia developed a National Physical Activity (PA) Action Plan and does it matter?

    • Facilitated by: Peter Mccue - UNSW

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Details about the workshops are available on our dedicated Workshops page. Please note you need to register to attend a specific workshop as space is limited. 

Lunch & Exhibition and Poster Displays
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM    

Plenary Session 3 - Reframing obesity: The intersection of food, physical activity, and beyond
1:30 PM - 3:00 PM

Session chairs: Ms Erin Bowen, ​National Manager & Ms Anouk Sherman, Executive Officer, Health, Research & Innovation at Heart Foundation

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Keynote Presentations:

  • Dr Fiona Bull, Unit Head, Physical Activity, Department of Health Promotion, World Health Organization

  • Professor Luke Wolfenden, Professor & NHMRC Investigator Fellow, The University of Newcastle

  • Professor Mariana Chilton, Professor of Public Health Drexel University

Afternoon Tea & Exhibition
3:00 PM - 3:30 PM

Concurrent Session 4 - Abstract Presentations
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM

  • 4A: Healthcare reform (Rapid Fire)

  • 4B: Community (Rapid Fire)

  • 4C: Systems (Rapid Fire)

  • 4D: Nutrition, Physcial Activity, Injury (Rapid Fire)

  • 4E: Mixed (Rapid Fire)

  • 4F: Topical prevention challenges (Rapid Fire)

Conference Networking Function
6:00 PM - 10:00 PM

  • The dinner will be held on Tuesday 29 April offsite from the conference venue and is an optional function.

  • Tickets will to be made available for purchase during the registration online process.

Day 3 - Wednesday 30 April

Plenary Session 4 - Indigenous Health is Political: Challenging Systems, Building Solutions
9:00 AM - 10:30 AM

Session chair: Associate Professor Raglan Maddox, National Centre for Epidemiology & Population Health, Australian National University

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Keynote Presentations:

  • Professor Tom Calma AO, National Coordinator, Tackling Indigenous Smoking & Chair and Patron of the Poche Indigenous Health Network, Department of Health (Commonwealth) and University of Sydney

  • Ms Fiona Cornforth, Head of Yardhura Walani, National Centre for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing Research, ANU

  • Ms Renee Williams, Chairperson, Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service & Chief Executive Officer of the Torres Health Indigenous Corporation

Morning Tea & Exhibition
10:30 AM - 11:00 AM

Concurrent Session 5 - Abstract Presentations
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM

  • 5A: Sexual and reproductive health (Long Oral)

  • 5B: System thinking (Long Oral)

  • 5C: Mental Health and Wellbeing (Long Oral)

  • 5D: Injury Prevention (Long Oral)

  • 5E: Environment (Long Oral)

  • 5F: The Prevention "Narrative" (Rapid Fire)

Lunch & Exhibition
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM

Douglas Gordon Oration
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM

Orator: Dr Bruce Neal, Executive Director, George Institute Australia, The George Institute for Global Health​

Afternoon Tea & Exhibition
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM

Plenary Session 5 - Unmasking the Hidden Influences: The Commercial Determinants of Health
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM

Session chair: Ms Paige Preston, General Manager – Policy, Advocacy & Prevention Programs, Lung Foundation Australia

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​Keynote Presentations:

  • Professor Anne Marie Thow, Professor Public Policy and Health, The University of Sydney

  • Professor Kathryn Backholer, School of Health and Social Development, Deakin University

  • Dr Charles Livingstone, Head of Gambling & Social Determinants, School of Public Health & Preventive Medicine,Monash University 

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Closing Remarks: Adjunct Professor Terry Slevin, CEO, Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA)

© 2025 by Public Health Association of Australia.

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