About this Event
Celebrate One Health Success Stories at SPARKLE's International One Health Day Symposium on Wednesday November 4th!
SPARKLE is hosting a full-day symposium that will showcase the regional One Health success stories, promote One Health thinking and facilitate connections between researchers for future One Health research.
Dr. Guyan Weerasinghe, Assistant Director of the Northern Australian Quarantine Strategy (NAQ's), will be giving a keynote presentation. A full agenda can be found below!
One Health Day 2026
Join us on Wednesday November 4th for a showcase of One Health success stories from the Australia and the Asia Pacific region, including speakers from Wildlife Health Australia, Indonesia's One Health University Network (INDOHUN), Field Epidemiology in Action's (FEIA) frontline One Health program in Papua New Guinea, the Department of Health, FAO and more. There will be a panel discussion about how One Health can be used as a buzz word, but what does meaningful One Health work look like? We also will be hosting a networking event after proceedings have finished for the day. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.
What is One Health?
According to the Indo-Pacific Centre for Health Security, "One Health is an approach that recognises that the health of people, animals and the environment are interconnected.
Across the Indo-Pacific, animal production systems are changing rapidly whilst animal health systems and their capacities to diagnose, treat and control diseases are generally weak and under-resourced. Ecological systems are also under strain from changing land use patterns and climatic effects. These factors pose major threats to human health.
One Health offers a holistic, integrated approach to answering complex questions surrounding human, animal and environmental health.
Why is One Health important?
The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity is already home to a flurry of One Health research, but looking further out into our region, it often feels like a systematic and cohesive approach to health is lacking. While more needs to be done, One Health projects are hiding in plain sight. They just need a spotlight!
Furthermore, One Health thinking and approaches are essential to the work the SPARKLE and the Doherty Institute does, as the problems we are working to solve do not exist in a ‘human health’ silo. Animals and the environment play important roles in the emergence and spread of disease and drug resistance, and in turn, play important roles in the solutions. Consideration of these factors are essential but oftentimes neglected.
What is SPARKLE?
SPARKLE (Strengthening Preparedness in the Asia Pacific Region through Knowledge, Learning and Engagement) is a priority work area under the Doherty Institute Strategic Partnership for prevention, surveillance and response to infectious diseases across the Indo-Pacific Region under the Department of Foreign Affairs' Centre for Indopacific Health Security. The SPARKLE consortium includes collaborations from globally recognized public health institutions in Australia and the Asia Pacific region. The program areas focus on public health workforce development and strengthening outbreak detection and management systems and processes, to ultimately increase regional capacity using quantitative methods and modelling.
For more information, please contact SPARKLE project coordinator Laura at [email protected].
Event Agenda
8:00 am - Registrations & Welcome Coffee
9:00 am - Acknowledgement of Country, Welcome & Introductions
Laura Bannerman & Sarah Tavlian
9:10 am - Keynote Address
Guy Weerasinghe, Northern Australia Quarantine Strategy (NAQS), Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
9:45 am - Theme 1: Australian Perspectives on One Health Success
Suzie Sarkis, Department of Health
Public Health & Environmental Protection
AMRICCAnimal Management in Remote and Rural Communities
Adrian Marcato, Peter Doherty Institute
Community Health & Accidental One Health Activities
10:50 am- Short Break
11:00 am -Theme 2: One Health Community Engagement & Operationalisation in the Indo-Pacific Region
Timoci (Jim) Naivalulevu & Avelina Rokoduru, Fiji National University / WISH Fiji
Watershed Interventions for Systems Health in Fiji
Miriel Boas, One Health Field Epidemiology Training Program
Environmental health and frontline One Health field epidemiology approaches in Papua New Guinea
Niken Salindri, INDOHUN
One Health Workforce–Next Generation (OHW-NG) experience
FAO & OVAG
One Health community engagement at the human-wildlife interface in Indonesia
12:15 pm - Panel Discussion 1: One Health Community Engagement in the Indo-Pacific
12:30 pm - Lunch (Catered by Island Home)
1:30 pm -Theme 3: One Health Infectious Disease Transmission, Management & Surveillance
Marielle Babineau, Centre for Pathogen Genomics, Peter Doherty Institute
One Health management of zoonotic parasites in the future
Dr Joko Pamungkas, INDOHUN
Exploring primates as models for DENV infection, and coordinating a 10-year wildlife virus surveillance initiative
Agus Setiawan, MPH, INDOHUN
One Health Laboratory Network (OHLN) & translating technical evidence into policy processes for One Health projects
Andrew Buultjens, Peter Doherty Institute
Mosquito transmission of Buruli ulcer
Tilda Thompson, Peter Doherty Institute
Genomic epidemiology with the Central Public Health Laboratory in Papua New Guinea
Steve Unwin
WOAH-Net Info & Q&A
3:00 pm - Panel Discussion 2: Final Panel Discussion
Andrea Britton, Angus Campbell & Kathryn Edenborough, Patrick Reading
3:45 pm - Closing Remarks
Laura Bannerman & Sarah Tavlian
Survey completion and prizes
4:00 pm - Speed Networking Event
5:00 pm - Event Close
Event venue & nearby stays
Doherty Auditorium at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, 792 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne, Australia
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.