#GeorgeTalks: Understanding the Nexus between Food and Water Security

Speakers

• A/Prof. Sera Young, Anthropology at Northwestern University

  A/Prof. Sera Young is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Northwestern University. Her focus is on the reduction of maternal and child-undernutrition in the first 1000 days, especially in low-resource settings. Methodologically, she draws on her training in medical anthropology (MA, University of Amsterdam), international nutrition (PhD, Cornell) and HIV (Fellowship, University of California San Francisco) to take a biocultural approach to understanding how mothers in low-resource settings cope to preserve their health and that of their families. Sera has developed the Household Water Insecurity Experiences (HWISE) and the Individual Water Insecurity Experiences (IWISE) scales.

  

• Christine Corby OAM, CEO, Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service (WAMS)

  Christine Corby OAM is the CEO of the Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service (WAMS). She is responsible for the overall management of WAMS, and for the day to day management, support and monitoring of staff. Christine holds a Graduate Diploma of Health Service Management, a Diploma of Management, and a Diploma of Health Sciences. At WAMS, she enjoys being an advocate for rural communities, the localization of services and watching the WAMS skill-base grow by using local people, where possible.

  

• Wendy Spencer, Manager, Dharriwaa Elders Group (DEG)

  Wendy Spencer is Manager of Dharriwaa Elders Group (DEG) and Walgett Lead of the Yuwaya Ngarrali partnership between DEG and UNSW. Wendy first worked in Walgett for the Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service (WAMS) bringing small business and community media experience. The Founding Chair of WAMS, George Rose OAM, together with other Elders, began DEG in the late 1990s and invited Wendy to support their work, which she continues to further through DEG and Yuwaya Ngarra-li.

  

• Professor Greg Leslie, Director. UNSW Global Water Institute

  Professor Greg Leslie is the Director of the UNSW Global Water Institute and the Director of the UNESCO Centre for Membrane Science and Technology. Prior to joining UNSW, he worked in the public and private sector on water treatment, reuse and desalination projects in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong and the US. His experience includes work on the NEWater recycling projects for the Singapore Public Utilities Board and the Groundwater Water Replenishment System at the Orange County Water District in California. He served on the WHO Technical Committee that developed guidelines for desalination, the Water Issue Committee for the NHMRC and the Independent Advisory Panel for the Orange County Groundwater Replenishment Project

  

• Prof. Jacqui Webster, Head of Public Health Advocacy & Policy Impact, The George Institute

  Prof. Jacqui Webster is the Head of Public Health Advocacy & Policy Impact at The George Institute. She is committed to reducing the burden of chronic diseases globally through more effective implementation of food policy interventions. Jacqui coordinates a program of research and advocacy on food policy interventions to reduce cardiovascular diseases at The George Institute and is a Professor at UNSW. She is the Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre on Population Salt Reduction at The George Institute, with a remit to support countries to achieve the global targets to reduce salt by 2030. Jacqui leads NHMRC funded programs of work to strengthen implementation of food policy in the Pacific Islands and improve food and water security in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Australia.  

  

• Keziah Bennett-Brook, Program Head, Guunu-maana (Heal) Program

  Keziah Bennett-Brook is a Torres Strait Islander woman, the Program Head of Guunu-maana at The George Institute, the Executive Indigenous Representative at the Australasian Injury Prevention Network, and a Board Member of Hepatitis NSW. Her expertise includes social and cultural determinants of health, Indigenous methodologies, knowledge translation and impact that privilege Indigenous knowledges, and applying decolonising methods to organisational change. She leads implementation of strategic organisational activities to increase cultural safety and capability within global research. Keziah has developed and implemented several transformational organisational policies including an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health research policy resulting in a significant increase in Aboriginal health research, employment, and successful PhD completions of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students.