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This seminar provides an overview of how quality of mobile health interventions should be assessed and provide a practical introduction of the Stanford Spezi ecosystem (). The Spezi ecosystem of modules makes it easy to build your own modern mobile app across multiple platforms, including questionnaires, data collection from wearable devices, and integration with AI models, bluetooth devices, and electronic health record systems. The modules themselves are disease agnostic and have been used to build apps for conditions such as heart failure, menopause, cerebral palsy and Parkinson's disease.

Chaired by: Dr Anthony Sunjaya

Responding to the need to share knowledge across borders and learn from each other’s experience in health systems management and disease prevention and control, ºÚÁÏÍø´óÊÂ¼Ç and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), India, have signed an MOU to strengthen scientific exchange and cooperation. Together we are presenting a series of webinars to share information and build networks between Australia and India.

In this second webinar in the series, researchers from the ºÚÁÏÍø´óÊÂ¼Ç School of Population Health presented on the topic of Modelling to inform policy interventions.Ìý

Using agent-based models in health emergencies

Associate Professor David Heslop presented a talk about how agent-based modelling and simulation (ABMS) as a powerful tool for understanding, planning, and optimizing emergency management strategies. By simulating the actions and interactions of autonomous agents—such as first responders, civilians, infrastructure systems, and environmental factors—ABMS enables the exploration of complex, dynamic scenarios that emerge during disasters. The presentation covered foundational principles of ABMS, highlight real-world case studies (e.g., evacuation modelling, disease spread, and resource allocation), and demonstrate how emergent behaviour from individual-level decisions can inform policy and operational planning. Emphasis is placed on integrating geospatial data, behavioural rules, and scenario testing to improve resilience, coordination, and adaptive capacity in multi-hazard emergency contexts.

Scenario modelling for vaccines

Mathematical modelling has been a key component of both real-time decision-making and longer-term planning for COVID-19. Modelling has been widely used to inform decisions on vaccine strategies, both within countries and at the global level. Mathematical models were developed throughout the pandemic, for different representative global country settings (characterised by demography, contact patterns, and health system capacity), and were used to identify optimal vaccine allocation strategies within and between countries, aiming maximise the health benefit when the supply of doses was initially limited. Dr Hogan presented broad findings from these studies, highlighting how this collaborative research helped to inform global public health policy during the pandemic, and reflected on how international partnerships ensured successful policy translation.

Integration of modelling with infectious disease surveillance

Professor James Wood discussed integration of models with infectious disease surveillance data in the context of near real-time epidemic intelligence. He focused on COVID-19 and discuss forecasting, integration of viral genomic surveillance data and the potential for wider application across infectious diseases with the growing utility of waste-water surveillance data.

Speakers and chair

• Professor (Dr) Ranjan Das, Director, National Centre for Disease Control, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of India 

• Associate Professor David Heslop, Associate Professor, ºÚÁÏÍø´óÊÂ¼Ç School of Population Health 

• Dr Alexandra Hogan, Senior Lecturer, ºÚÁÏÍø´óÊÂ¼Ç School of Population Health 

• Professor James Wood, Head of School, ºÚÁÏÍø´óÊÂ¼Ç School of Population Health 

• Scientia Professor Rebecca Ivers, Professor of Public Health, ºÚÁÏÍø´óÊÂ¼Ç School of Population Health, and Deputy Dean, Global Engagement and External Education, ºÚÁÏÍø´óÊÂ¼Ç Medicine & Health 

Responding to the need to share knowledge across borders and learn from each other’s experience in health systems management and disease prevention and control, ºÚÁÏÍø´óÊÂ¼Ç and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), India, have signed an MOU to strengthen scientific exchange and cooperation. Together we are presenting a series of webinars to share information and build networks between Australia and India.

The webinar provides an overview of Integrated Disease Surveillance Program (IDSP) and its evolution since its inception in 2004. The program was initiated in response to major disease outbreaks in the 1990s, such as Cholera and Plague, highlighting the need for a robust disease surveillance system. Over the years, IDSP has made significant progress in early disease outbreak detection, outbreak response, and public health action through its three-level data collection system (Syndromic, Presumptive, and Laboratory).Ìý

Speakers and chair

• Dr Himanshu Chauhan, Joint Director, National Centre for Disease Control & Head, Integrated Disease Surveillance Program

• Sarah Britton, Director One Health Unit, Interim Australian Centre for Disease Control (CDC)

• Scientia Professor Rebecca Ivers AM, Head of School, School of Population Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health