The National Press Club is hosting a special 60 minute panel-discussion about the coronavirus, hosted by Sabra Lane, answering questions Australians have about the pandemic. If you have a question - email us: npc@npc.org.au
This is not a ticketed event. It will be broadcast live on the ABC and Sky News from 12:30pm.
Professor Jodie McVernon
The Director of Epidemiology at Melbourne's Doherty Institute.
Her Expertise: Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infections, Viral Infectious Diseases and Emerging Infections. The Peter Doherty institute at the University of Melbourne and the Royal Melbourne Hospital has played a profound role in modeling the trajectory of the Covid-19 virus and supported work towards a vaccine.
Dr Kamalini Lokuge
Dr Kamalini Lokuge is a medical doctor and epidemiologist who has spent the last 25 years controlling high-risk epidemics, including Ebola, Lassa fever and avian influenza.
Dr Lokuge is recognised internationally for her ability to work with communities to solve their greatest problems, in the most challenging settings. She was identified by the New York Times as the first epidemiologist to alert the world to the scale of the 2014 West African Ebola outbreak, as well as contributing to its resolution.
Dr Lokuge has worked extensively on the front-line of health emergencies in Afghanistan, South Sudan, Uganda, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Papua New Guinea. She has been deployed with organisations such as Médecins Sans Frontières, the World Health Organisation, and International Committee of the Red Cross. Dr Lokuge has received both a medal of the order of Australia and an overseas humanitarian service medal from the Australian Government for her work, and this year she was awarded the international medal by the Royal Australasian College of Physicians.
Associate Professor Vanessa Johnston
A Public Health Physician in the Population Health Protection and Prevention Division of ACT Health. She has held previous appointments at the Centre for Disease Control and at the Menzies School of Health Research in the Northern Territory.
