“We’re trying to stop people getting sick”: A conversation about preventing, containing and treating a pandemic with infectious disease specialist and an epidemiologist, Professor Allen Cheng

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Today’s episode features Professor Allen Cheng, the Director of the Infection Prevention and Healthcare Epidemiology unit at Alfred Health, Professor of Infectious Diseases Epidemiology at Monash University and the Chair of the Advisory Committee on Vaccines to the Therapeutic Goods Administration and an infectious diseases physician.

He is also known to many for his year-long secondment as the Deputy Chief Health Officer of Victoria from July 2020 – June 2021. As Professor Cheng says in today’s episode, he has a “very specific skill set.” An infectious diseases clinician specialising in respiratory infections and flu vaccine effectiveness, he was expertly qualified to lead Victoria’s public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Professor Cheng talks about the challenges of transitioning from a researcher and clinician to public health practitioner, and the lessons he learnt in the process. He advocates for innovative approaches to public health preparedness, like a “public health reservist core,” and talks about how governments can and should effectively buy and use vaccines and COVID treatments.

It’s a fascinating discussion and we hope you join the conversation @CentreHealthSec