Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities living in a new COVID world: citizenship, community and responsibility

Webinar overview
James Ward will speak to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities living in a new COVID world: citizenship, community and responsibility. COVID-19 thus far has had minimal impact on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population nationally, but this has not been because of luck, and instead swift leadership, actions as well as partnerships. Given we are still relatively new in the pandemic, much more needs to be implemented before we are in the clear. As we move forward, we have to change our focus to the agency within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities as well as citizenship and responsibility.

Professor James Ward is a Pitjantjatjara and Narungga man, an infectious diseases epidemiologist and a national leader in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research. He is currently the Director of the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health at the University of Queensland.

Holding various roles over the last 25 years in Aboriginal public health policy for both government and non-government organisations, in urban regional and remote communities he has built a national program of research in the epidemiology and prevention of infectious diseases, with a particular focus on STIs, HIV and viral hepatitis in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Professor Ward has previously worked at the Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Baker IDI in Alice Springs and the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute. He has served on numerous national and international committees including currently the Communicable Diseases Network of Australia, the Australian National Council on Alcohol and Drugs, the CDNA COVID-19 Working Group and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander COVID-19 Taskforce. He has over 120 publications and leads several large scale public health and infectious diseases studies.

His work has influenced policy and practice significantly contributing to national guidelines, policy and practice. During 2020 he has contributed to the national COVID—19 response nationally through membership of the Communicable Diseases Network of Australia and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander COVID-19 Taskforce.