Public Lecture with Victoria's Chief Health Officer and alum, Dr Clare Looker

On Tuesday 5 March, Dr Clare Looker, Victoria's Chief Health Officer, delivered a public lecture at the Department of Rural Health, returning back to where she graduated from medicine in 2005.

Clare delivered a fantastic public lecture reflecting on her time here at the Rural Clinical School and her connection to the region. She walked us through her career journey - from medical school through to her role now as Chief Health Officer, sharing insight and advice for women in Science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM).

Clare also discussed the global gender gaps in healthcare, such as the history of exclusion of women in clinical trials and how women with chronic pain suffer longer than men. She shared findings from the 2023 Women's Health Survey such as 2 in 5 women in Victoria are living with chronic pain to an extent that it adversely impacts their mental health.

We also learned about the initiatives and services the Victorian Department of Health have launched to address some of these issues in women's health in Victoria and their overall approach for better health outcomes. Clare highlighted the importance of research and building the evidence base for women's health through the establishment of a Women’s Health Research Institute.

It was a wonderful opportunity to hear from Clare and for her to meet our current medical students and catch up with past colleagues. Thank you, Clare, for the visit and thank you to all who attended.

If you missed the event, you can watch the webinar recording below:

You can also watch WIN News' coverage of the event here.

About Dr Clare Looker

Clare graduated from the University of Melbourne's Rural Clinical School in 2005. In July 2023 it was announced that Clare would become Victoria’s Chief Health Officer. Clare is an experienced public health physician and has held multiple senior leadership roles in the Government Department’s public health team over the years, including throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. In this role, Dr Looker provides expert public health leadership and scientific advice on issues impacting public health in Victoria. As Chief Health Officer, Dr Looker has various roles and responsibilities under Victoria’s Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 and also undertakes several statutory functions under other health-related legislation.

Dr Looker is also Chief Human Biosecurity Officer for Victoria and, working with Chief Health Officer colleagues in other states and territories, she participates in national activities to protect and promote public health in Australia. Clare is highly regarded in the field and has a strong background in public health medicine, particularly in communicable diseases, environmental health, and epidemiology. She has also worked in clinical medicine and as an epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in environmental and infectious disease epidemiology.