A/Prof Gemma Crawford

Associate Professor, Public Health and Health Promotion; Director, Graduate Research (School of Population Health); Course Coordinator, Master of Public Health
Curtin University

Why Gemma would like to be considered

My values and vocation in public health align with CAPHIA’s mission. I believe in building strong structures and systems that ensure public health can withstand emerging threats and political shifts. With more than two decades of experience across public health, including universities, non-government organisations, professional associations, government and the private sector, I welcome the opportunity to contribute and give back. Having benefitted personally and professionally from CAPHIA’s work, support and advice—both as an individual and in Association and course coordination roles—I am deeply committed to strengthening this important institution. I am comfortable in the uncomfortable and am keen to foster spaces for courageous conversations, ensuring values-led leadership for the organisation. I am enthusiastic to work with like-minded individuals to achieve this. I am excited by CAPHIA’s growth. More than ever, we need robust governance to defend and advance public health as both a discipline and profession. The threats to the public’s health are real and urgent, requiring us to more actively confront global and local institutions, corporations, and governments that undermine health equity. Strong, efficient organisations, such as CAPHIA, are vital. We have made great strides on many issues, effected change, and built new knowledge. However, for every step forward, new structures, systems, and players devise novel ways to thrive, and in doing so, find cleverer and more cunning ways to exercise power, which ultimately continue to drive health inequities. This requires us to better convince decision-makers that progress depends on a strong public health workforce, sufficient investment, and action on the conditions that influence health. CAPHIA can lead on work to advocate for the value of the profession and discipline, promote citizen participation, build political literacy, and engage in critical debate. I would be proud to contribute to this work.

Skills and experience Gemma can contribute to the CAPHIA Board of Directors

I am committed to leveraging my 20+ years of expertise in public health practice, research, and leadership to advance CAPHIA’s mission. I seek to be part of a board that is values-led, collaborative, fosters clear and transparent decision-making, and is laser-focused on achieving its purpose. With experience on working Boards, I don’t shy away from contributing to activities that move strategy into action and in delivering activities at a national scale. In my current roles (A/Professor, Public Health and Health Promotion; Director of Graduate Research; Master of Public Health Course Coordinator) at Curtin University, I bring deep academic expertise to advance CAPHIA’s mission of improving public health through education, research, and workforce development. I understand firsthand the complexities of delivering educational programs and ensuring quality. My role, which involves supervising and supporting postgraduate students and leading curriculum development, aligns with CAPHIA’s strategic pillars of professional development and strengthening teaching capability. Governance capabilities have been forged through extensive Board and leadership experience, including serving as National President of the Australian Health Promotion Association for ten years. During this tenure, I stewarded flagship initiatives, including the Health Promotion Journal of Australia, national and international conferences, leadership and thinker-in-residence programs, recognition and reward programs, and teaching and learning communities of practice. I successfully navigated the organisation through significant governance challenges, maintained financial stability, and oversaw the transition to accreditation and practitioner registration. I bring strong advocacy experience, having led policy submissions and established strategic partnerships. Experience sustaining First Nations board participation and leadership reflects my commitment to the principles embedded in CAPHIA’s strategic plan—working alongside communities, balancing power in relationships, and centring Indigenous knowledges. As a pracademic, my work has centred on health and social policy for underserved populations, and I offer a strategic vision grounded in the realities of on-the-ground work.

Gemma’s Vision for CAPHIA

My vision centres on strengthening CAPHIA’s role as the authoritative voice for academic public health across Australasia, with particular focus on advocacy, workforce development and investment, and organisational capacity—areas where my experience offers strategic impact. Advocacy & Strategic Partnerships: I would champion CAPHIA’s advocacy agenda by establishing systematic mechanisms to identify and respond to member priorities and continue to build networks and relationships with aligned organisations across the spectrum of public health. I would support the development of training and skill development in advocacy, leadership and governance to amplify our collective voice on workforce investment, public health infrastructure, and the CDC agenda. This includes developing rapid-response capabilities for emerging issues, such as the recent UTS situation, and proactive engagement with government on public health workforce planning and funding. Advancing Workforce Development and Investment: he competency renewal work represents a critical opportunity to position CAPHIA as essential to workforce development conversations, and I would be pleased to support activities that support the wide uptake of the competencies I could champion a Workforce Investment Strategy that articulates the return on investment in academic public health, connects competency frameworks to workforce needs, and builds partnerships with employers and professional bodies. This includes advocating for sustainable funding models that recognise the public health workforce as critical infrastructure. Strengthening Organisational Capacity: My governance experience navigating volunteer-led organisations through significant structural challenges positions me to contribute meaningfully to CAPHIA’s sustainability goals. I would focus on strengthening corporate governance, optimising committee structures to maximise volunteer capacity and prevent burnout, ensuring financial sustainability, and building transparent, accountable decision-making systems that support long-term organisational resilience.

Gemma’s Profiles

Curtin University

LinkedIn

Alexandra Bhatti

Senior Lecturer
Macquarie University

Why Alex would like to be considered

I am eager to contribute to CAPHIAs leadership, governance, strategic direction and activities as a Board member as I believe CAPHIA has a vital role in shaping public health education and policy across Australasia. My passion for public health education, advocacy, and workforce development aligns strongly with CAPHIA’s mission and strategic priorities. As a Senior Lecturer in public health at Macquarie University, I am committed to training the future public health workforce, so they are equipped to address current and future public health challenges. I am currently part-way through a PhD exploring public health advocacy both in pedagogy and practice including essential advocacy competencies and my research activities align closely with the advocacy strategic pillar. My involvement with CAPHIA has been longstanding and meaningful and I am keen to collaborate with CAPHIA colleagues in strengthening the capability of public health teaching and research and relationships with stakeholders. I am committed to professional development, one of the strategic pillars, and I regularly attend and present at CAPHIA Teaching and Learning Forums. I have also liaised with the CAPHIA Steering Committee for the Competency Renewal Project about sharing findings from my advocacy competencies research in supporting this work. As an active member of the CAPHIA Climate and Public Health Education Network and the Advocacy and Engagement Committee, I currently lead two projects. One is focused on identifying member needs and priorities related to advocacy and engagement using a co-design approach that I developed and received ethics approval to implement. The second is the development of a CAPHIA position statement on valuing the public health workforce. These activities have given me insight into CAPHIA’s operations and the value it brings to its members and the broader public health community, and I am keen to extend this work.

Skills and experience Alex can contribute to the CAPHIA Board of Directors

With over two decades of experience in clinical practice, public health practice, policy, research and education, I would bring a strong set of skills and experience to the CAPHIA Board. I began my career in physiotherapy before transitioning into public health, where I held senior roles in policy and advocacy across government and non-government sectors. As such I have a good understanding of the healthcare system and policy and advocacy experience including drafting policy submissions, position statements and parliamentary inquiry responses. I have experience in curriculum design at a course and unit level and was one of two academics tasked with designing a new Master of Public Health course and designing and convening core units. I bring a strong track record in innovative public health education underpinned by evidence-based teaching practices that have been evaluated and published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at national and international conferences. My commitment to excellence in teaching has been recognised through multiple university and national awards including a CAPHIA Early Career Teaching Award in 2021. My expertise in public health advocacy is both practical and scholarly. My PhD research focuses on advocacy, and I have practical advocacy experience I bring to the role. I have demonstrated experience in governance and leadership, and I am always an active and collegiate committee member. My roles have included serving on university committees such as The Faculty Board, contributing to national selection panels for learning and teaching awards, being an invited member for a pedagogy focused health promotion journal and I have contributed to raising the profile of the organisation I work within by being the invited feature academic for the Macquarie University student recruitment campaign. I bring a collaborative and inclusive leadership style, strong communication skills, and the ability to work across diverse groups to build partnerships and effectively represent member interests with expertise across academic, public health, and health sectors.

Alex’s Vision for CAPHIA

My vision for enacting CAPHIA’s 2025–2027 Strategic Plan centres on strengthening advocacy, professional development, and strategic partnerships to build a resilient and prepared public health workforce. As an active member of CAPHIA’s Advocacy and Engagement Committee, I am deeply committed to advancing the strategic pillar of Advocacy and would be pleased to take on the role of Chair or Co-Chair of this committee should there be a need. As outlined earlier, I currently lead two projects within this committee: one focused on identifying member advocacy priorities; and another developing a position statement valuing the public health workforce. These initiatives directly support CAPHIA’s strategic goals, and I envision expanding these projects to build a robust suite of position statements that members can draw on for their individual and collective advocacy efforts. I also aim to offer diverse and practical avenues for member engagement to elevate the public health profession and academic workforce. The findings from the member needs project will inform the Advocacy and Engagement Committee’s agenda, ensuring future activities are strategically aligned with member priorities and the strategic plan. I would also seek to establish processes for developing position statements that invite contributions from other committees and engaged members, while implementing mechanisms to monitor and evaluate CAPHIA’s advocacy and engagement efforts. I also see strong value in better communicating the role and value of public health to the broader community which could be pursued in collaboration with PHAA. To support the strategic pillar of Professional Development, I propose a series of workshops and webinars focused on advocacy skills and policy engagement. These could be co-designed with CAPHIA members and delivered in collaboration with partner organisations, including Indigenous-led and community health organisations. In terms of Partnerships & Networks, I would advocate for strengthening CAPHIA’s connections with government and expanding engagement with networks in the Pacific and Aotearoa New Zealand.

Alex’s Profiles

Macquarie University

LinkedIn

A/Prof Ben Harris-Roxas

Associate Professor, School of Population Health
UNSW Sydney

Why Ben would like to be considered

Academic public health institutions are facing a critical moment, with both UTS and Federation University cutting their public health programs. I’ve worked across university, health service, and consulting roles focused on public health since 2003. Over that time I’ve seen an increase in the complexity of both the challenges public health needs to address, but also in the expectations placed on schools, departments, and disciplines of public health to deliver relevant, responsive education and research. My motivation stems from the need to work collectively as public health academics to influence policy and workforce development. Through my current role chairing the Policy and Advocacy Subcommittee at the Australasian Association for Academic Primary Care, I’ve observed the importance of coordinated advocacy with groups that have aligned interests. I’m particularly motivated by CAPHIA’s commitment to Indigenous knowledges and voices at the centre of our work – and this requires systematic change across the sector like CAPHIA’s competencies renewal work. The 2025-2027 Strategic Plan’s focus on partnerships and advocacy resonates with my experience. Working with groups with aligned interests like the PHAA, SHAPE, and AHPA (already happening) can amplify our advocacy impact. When academic institutions speak with one voice through professional bodies, and in collaboration with other groups, we stand a better chance of influencing policy, funding and direction than trying to act alone. I genuinely feel this is an important moment for public health in Australia and globally. The next three years will determine whether public health gets sidelined or becomes more central to the working of government through initiatives like the Australian Centre for Disease Control. Academic public health institutions will have an important role in shaping this.

Skills and experience Ben can contribute to the CAPHIA Board of Directors

I am an Associate Professor in the UNSW School of Population Health and Director of Dual Degree Programs, which oversees dual degree combinations of MPH and health management, infectious disease, and global health programs. I also convene subjects with more than 400 postgraduate students annually. This gives me practical insights into competency frameworks, curriculum development, and workforce preparation. My aligned governance roles and experience includes: – Chair of the Policy and Advocacy Subcommittee at the Australasian Association for Academic Primary Care and serving on its Executive, where I lead strategic advocacy, develop evidence-based policy submissions, and strengthen relationships with aligned professional bodies. – Membership of the Central and Eastern Sydney Primary Health Network Community Council, providing advice on investment in health services for an area with more than one million residents. – Former roles chairing global working groups for the International Union for Health Promotion and Education and the International Association for Impact Assessment My relevant research activities include being an investigator on over $27 million in competitive funding and 90+ peer-reviewed publications. My work focuses on health system integration, more effectively supporting migrants’ health needs, and health impact assessment. I am also an Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Public Health at UTS and I’m an external academic member of the University of Canberra Public Health Course Advisory Group, which Holly represents CAPHIA on. I think this has strengthened my perspective beyond a single institution.

Ben’s Vision for CAPHIA

My vision is that we can leverage CAPHIA’s already good partnerships (aligned with the Strategy’ partnerships pillar) to amplify our advocacy impact in learning and teaching. I’d like to work to develop more formal partnerships with aligned organisations – such as PHAA, SHAPE, AHPA, College of Physicians (Faculty of Public Health Medicine), ACHSM, RACMA, and other public health-related education bodies – to create a more coordinated advocacy platform with a focus on learning, teaching, and workforce development. This would need to be informed and guided by the competencies renewal work that’s been undertaken. I envisage this might have three parts: 1. Mapping other organisations’ aligned policies and positions, and identifying contacts, so we can identify the key advocacy partners for specific issues. 2. Attempting to create an advocacy calendar, that attempts (insofar as possible) to identify key decision points and opportunities to shape debate, e.g. timing of elections, upcoming policies, public inquiries that could be relevant, et.c 3. Support CAPHIA to host as online public health exchange one or twice a year with other key organisations that play similar roles in other sectors (for example Allied Health Australia). These would set out our work and challenges, present innovative pedagogies, and identify areas of potentially aligned activities. Together I think this would help to profile the excellent work CAPHIA’s already doing to a broader audience and to help us to enhance our Strategy’s impact. Rather than competing for attention with other organisations, we can elevate our voice based on the work CAPHIA is already doing and play a more convening/coordinating role.

Ben’s Profiles

UNSW

LinkedIn

Candace Angelo

Academic Program Director
University of Sydney

Why Candace would like to be considered

I am seeking consideration for the position of Board Director of CAPHIA because I am deeply committed to strengthening academic public health across Australasia and ensuring that public health education, research, and practice remain responsive to the diverse communities we serve. As an Aboriginal academic, clinician, and health promotion leader, I bring both professional expertise and lived experience that can support CAPHIA’s vision of advancing excellence, equity, and innovation in public health.

Skills and experience Candace can contribute to the CAPHIA Board of Directors

I bring to the CAPHIA Board a combination of academic leadership, clinical expertise, governance experience, and a strong track record in Indigenous public health promotion. Over the past two decades, I have worked as a registered nurse, clinical nurse specialist, health promotion practitioner, and academic, which provides me with a unique understanding of the interface between education, research, policy, and practice in public health. As Program Director of the Graduate Diploma in Indigenous Health Promotion at the University of Sydney, I have extensive experience in curriculum development, accreditation processes, and pedagogical innovation, including embedding Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing across teaching programs. I have led major curriculum transformation projects at the school and faculty level, working collaboratively to ensure that public health graduates are prepared to meet current and emerging challenges with cultural competence, ethical integrity, and practical skill. My research portfolio spans Indigenous genomics, child and youth wellbeing, mentoring, and workforce sustainability, with a focus on community-led, prevention-oriented approaches. This experience strengthens my ability to contribute to CAPHIA’s priorities in research excellence and the translation of evidence into education and practice. Beyond academia, I serve on national boards and committees, including as a Director and Vice President of the Australian Health Promotion Association (AHPA) Board, the co-chair of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner Board of Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and chair of the First Nations Curriculum team within the Sydney School of Public Health (USYD). I am particularly committed to strengthening Indigenous leadership within public health, ensuring that CAPHIA continues to champion diversity, equity, and the advancement of First Nations knowledge.

Candace’s Vision for CAPHIA

My vision for enacting the 2025–2027 CAPHIA Strategic Plan is to position CAPHIA as a catalyst for innovation, equity, and collaboration in public health education and research across Australasia and beyond. As an active member of the Board, I would contribute strategically through governance and leadership of a portfolio, ensuring that CAPHIA’s work is responsive to the needs of our member institutions, communities, and the broader public health workforce. I am committed to strengthening public health education by embedding Indigenous knowledges, decolonising frameworks, and culturally safe pedagogy across member institutions. This will ensure that graduates are equipped to respond to complex inequities in public health practice and policy. I have established partnerships with the Waakebiness Institute for Indigenous Health and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, which I would leverage to support CAPHIA’s international engagement. These connections, alongside collaborations across the Indo-Pacific, can enhance shared learning, research, and workforce development while addressing common challenges such as climate change, communicable disease, and the social determinants of health. I am equally committed to developing the next generation of public health leaders. By prioritising Indigenous and underrepresented voices, CAPHIA can play a key role in building a sustainable, diverse, and skilled workforce to meet the challenges of the future.

Candace’s Profiles

At present, my university  and LinkedIn profiles have been temporarily removed as I am a registered foster carer for a child in protection. This measure has been taken to prioritise privacy and child safety. I am happy to provide further information about my role, academic background, and contributions to public health through alternative documentation if required.