Excellence in Engagement

Professor Jodie McVernon, Director of Doherty Epidemiology and Department of Infectious Diseases, Melbourne Medical School at the Doherty Institute was recently awarded a 2021 Melbourne Excellence Award for Excellence in Engagement.

As the co-leader of the University of Melbourne Epidemiologic Modelling Team, with Professor James McCaw, School of Mathematics and Statistics and Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, and Associate Dean (Research), Faculty of Science, University of Melbourne; the engagement award recognised the team’s seminal contribution to informing pandemic preparedness and response policy in Australia. Their work has had high impact on the health and well-being of Australians that contributed to policy making that saved many lives during this prolonged public health crisis.

Professors McVernon and McCaw were embedded as expert advisers within national public health and policy advisory committees. The Epidemiologic Modelling Team worked on models of COVID-19 infection and vaccination that were used to define a target level of vaccine coverage for transition to Phase B of the National Plan, as part of Australia’s reopening strategy. Their work will continue to be integral in ongoing Government considerations and decisions particularly in relation to a reopening of borders.

Professor McVernon is also a current member of the COVID Multi-model Comparison

Collaboration Technical Group (Decide – WHO/Gates) and WHO (Geneva) Pandemic Special Studies Group contributing to informing global public health initiatives.

The Department of Infectious Diseases, Melbourne Medical School, is delighted to be partnering with infectious disease researchers at the Doherty Institute with their considerable translational and clinical expertise in COVID-19.