Innovation for Global Health Equity will bring together leaders with expertise in global health, policy development, health innovation and community engagement to explore how we can drive and shape more equitable access to health innovations. The event will examine the challenges and opportunities in improving access to medical products and health technologies across diverse global communities.
The panel will feature Sir Professor Peter Piot, Professor of Global Health, Emeritus Director, of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Senior Advisor at the Gates Foundation, and visiting professor at the KU Leuven, and the National University of Singapore.
Peter was founding Executive Director of UNAIDS and Under Secretary-General of the UN. He co-discovered the Ebola virus in 1976, and led research on HIV, women’s health and infectious diseases, largely in Africa.
Peter will be joined by Mark Sullivan AO, Founder and Managing Director of Medicines Development for Global Health; Dr Klara Henderson, Senior Adviser, New Products and Access, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; and Joe Elias, Principal Director of International Programs, Health Equity Matters. The discussion will be moderated by Professor Cathy Vaughan Director of the Nossal Institute for Global Health.
Director of the Nossal Institute for Global Health and Chair of Global Health in the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health
Professor Cathy Vaughan is a public health researcher with expertise in gender, violence prevention and response, sexual and reproductive health, and women’s health. Over the last 30 years she has worked across Asia, the Pacific, and Australia, as a health worker, development practitioner, and researcher working collaboratively with communities and governments towards health equity.
Professor of Global Health, Emeritus Director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Peter Piot MD PhD is a Senior Advisor at the Gates Foundation, and visiting professor at the KU Leuven, and the National University of Singapore. He was Special Advisor to EC President von der Leyen on Health Security, and founding Executive Director of UNAIDS and Under Secretary-General of the UN. He co-discovered the Ebola virus in 1976, and led research on HIV, women’s health and infectious diseases, largely in Africa, and was a co-founder of Projet Sida in Kinshasa.
Principal Director, International Programs at Health Equity Matters
Joseph Elias brings over two decades of senior leadership in international health and a career anchored in HIV program design, implementation, and partnership across diverse global contexts. He has directed a $100 million humanitarian initiative spanning multiple countries and 60+ implementing partners, served as operational lead for a $200 million PEPFAR-funded HIV program generating national prevalence data across 12 sub-Saharan African countries, and most recently led the international implementation of a major philanthropic mental health portfolio across low and middle-income countries.
Senior Global Health Leader, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
With more than two decades of experience in global health and international development, Klara has worked across government, multilateral organisations, global health partnerships and the not-for-profit sector. She has worked with and advised governments and leading international organisations, including the World Health Organization, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the World Bank, UNAIDS and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). Her expertise spans global health policy and strategy, infectious diseases, market access, health financing and product introduction, with extensive experience across the Indo-Pacific and globally.
Founder and Managing Director of Medicines Development for Global Health
Mark has an extensive career in medicine development. His previous roles include Clinical Program Head at GlaxoSmithKline (London), Associate Director of Clinical at Gilead Sciences (San Franciso) and Chief Operating Officer at the Australian HIV Vaccine program. In addition, he has been honoured as Victorian Australian of the Year (2019) and EY Australia’s Social Entrepreneur of the Year (2020), and the Clunies Ross Technology Innovation Awards in 2020. In 2023, he was made an Officer of the Order of Australia. Mark currently serves as an Honorary Professor at The Kirby Institute, UNSW.
