Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine
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PHE Champion Educators: Dr Sarah McGuinness
PHE Champion Students: Ayushi Daga, Kara Hetherington, Pilar Cataldo Miranda and Madina Nurgozhina
L&T Activity being Co-Designed: An online module (pre-workshop activity) and in-person workshop exploring Melioidosis as an illustrative example of the interplay between planetary health and infectious diseases.
Pre-Pilot Workshop: 26th September at St Kilda Rd Campus
Pilot: Week 12, Semester 2, 2023 (16th October)
Post-Pilot Workshop: 26th October at St Kilda Rd Campus
Pre-pilot workshop
Post-pilot workshop
Green indicates the components that PHE Champions believed went well and red indicates components that could be improved.
Research Translation Activities
Research Translation Activities
This work was presented at the Faculty's Chief Examiner and Unit Coordinator Forum (17th Feb 2025) by student Pilar Cataldo-Miranda and educator Sarah McGuinness.
Our melioidosis case study has also been showcased as a practical example of how planetary health principles can be embedded into infectious disease education in a publication on integrating planetary health education (1). The case is used to illustrate the complex interplay between environmental change, socio-economic factors, and individual health in shaping infectious disease risk. It highlights how climate-driven shifts in rainfall and land use can influence the distribution and severity of melioidosis, and how these dynamics disproportionately affect vulnerable populations. The case is mapped to the Planetary Health Education Framework, demonstrating alignment with domains such as “Anthropocene and health,” “Equity and social justice,” and “Systems thinking.” It serves as a model for integrating planetary health into epidemiology teaching by encouraging learners to critically evaluate disease risk through ecological, social, and structural lenses.
1. Lokmic-Tomkins Z, Barbour L, LeClair J, Luebke J, McGuinness SL, Limaye VS, Pillai P, Flynn M, Kamp MA, Leder K and Patz JA (2024) Integrating planetary health education into tertiary curricula: a practical toolbox for implementation. Front. Med. 11:1437632. doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2024.1437632
Figure (left): "Co-Design and implementation process for a series of learning and teaching activities focused on melioidosis, including asynchronous activities (student-led introductory video on planetary health, drag-and-drop activity illustrating how individual, public and one health concepts relate to planetary health, short lecture on the intersections between melioidosis and planetary health) and a synchronous in-class workshop (based on a hypothetical melioidosis case drafted by students). Materials were piloted with students and refined based on feedback." (1)
Figure (left): Overview of the co-designed learning and teaching activities
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