QAEHS - UQ and QH working together to put science into policy and policy into practice: how your research can make a difference

Presenter: Dr Greg Jackson (Director, Water Unit, Health Protection Branch, Queensland Department of Health)

Biography: Dr Greg Jackson is the Director of the Water Unit in the Health Protection Branch of the Queensland Department of Health. He is responsible for health policy, regulation, technical guidance and major incident response for drinking water, recycled water, recreational waters and public aquatic facilities in Queensland. He also manages the Queensland Water Fluoridation Program and is leading the Queensland Government’s response to risks from Legionella, and other hazards, in the water systems of hospitals and residential aged care facilities.

Dr Jackson is a Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health, a member of the Water Quality Working Group of the national Environmental Health Standing Committee and a member of the Scientific Planning Committee for the Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, at the University of Queensland, where he also holds an appointment as Adjunct Associate Professor.

Abstract:  Dr Jackson will give a brief overview of the current structure and functions of Queensland Health and describe some of the key areas that relate to environmental health. While there are many different relationships between Queensland Health and UQ, the focus of his talk will be on how UQ researchers can engage with Queensland Health, through QAEHS, to build an innovative, solutions-focussed centre that can play a crucial role in protecting public health. QAEHS can provide opportunities for researchers to explore emerging environmental health science issues of concern while also enabling them to progress their careers by doing research this is relevant to real world problems.