Thread by @CroakeyNews

#HEAL2022 is set to get underway, with @SotirisVard @DrVMatthews @tarunw sharing chairing duties today and tomorrow: it's not too late to register/join in healnetwork.org.au/heal-conferenc… - and check out the full program here healnetwork.org.au/heal-conferenc…

We are watching/hearing Welcome to Country at #HEAL2022 from Dr Payi Linda Ford (and her grandddaughter) from @CDUni, part of @HEALenviron

#HEAL2022 Welcome to Country from Litchfield National Park , the traditional lands of, among others, Marrathiel, Marranunggu, Werat, Warray and Koongurrukun peoples.

#HEAL2022 aims to secure the future of our planet for future generations, like her granddaughter, says Dr Payi Linda Ford, speaking from the lands of the Larrakia Nation in Darwin - opening the conf which is taking place on multiple platforms with @SotirisVard

Dr Payi Linda Ford thanks her granddaughter Eden for being in Welcome to Country video - she talks about importance of being able to practise traditions, importance of water to global and cultural health. #HEAL2022

"Respectful integration of Indigenous and Western knowledge systems are essential to healthy Country," says Dr Payi Linda Ford who is looking forward to rigorous debate over next few days, and innovative ideas to enhance ways to share knowledge. #HEAL2022

Hearing now from @gedkearney on the climate crisis threat to health, and the important work of @HEALenviron - talks about the pending work for the digital knowledge-action hub, the HEAL Observatory nceph.anu.edu.au/news-events/ne… #HEAL2022

. @gedkearney talking about Fed Govt's commitment to the National Climate and Health Strategy, and importance of addressing carbon footprint of the health sector, which could be a gamechanger here #HEAL2022

We are now getting an update/overview at #HEAL2022 of work of @HEALenviron (funded by @nhmrc) from @SotirisVard - First Nations are the cornerstone of the Network, he says. Focus v much on equity.

This dramatic picture from Lismore encapsulates the converging disasters we are experiencing: bushfires, floods, COVID and other disasters that require action, solutions - also needed for slowburning threats, says @SotirisVard #HEAL2022

It's a complex picture but there is hope, says @SotirisVard including the Fed Govt's commitment to climate health action - he says first meeting was held this morning of Advisory Committee to support that work #HEAL2022

#HEAL2022 aims being outlined by @SotirisVard - "this is what drives action within the @HEALenviron"

Importance of codesign, implementation for the work of @HEALenviron #HEAL2022

A lot of opportunity for improving health and wellbeing through mitigation, says @SotirisVard #HEAL2022

More on @HEALenviron - logo designed by Gumbaynggirr & Yaegl woman Talah Laurie #HEAL2022

Very broad agenda for @HEALenviron - he is grateful to colleagues in the Network who have stepped up into leadership roles #HEAL2022

Significant progress in the months (from May 2022) since @HEALenviron been operating (launched last year with conf), says @SotirisVard - recruitment been key. Very active, collegial executive.. #HEAL2022

Number of publications coming up from @HEALenviron, says @SotirisVard. Network has also attracted additional funding #HEAL2022 - significant resources to set up substantial body of work.

#HEAL2022 @HEALenviron team

Early important piece of work from @HEALenviron, Climate Change and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, with @LowitjaInstitut & others #HEAL2022

#HEAL2022 @AusHealthcare

#HEAL2022 - coming soon!

Shoutout from @SotirisVard re @CroakeyNews coverage of #HEAL2022 - you can bookmark our coverage here croakey.org/category/croak…

Now hearing from Prof Anne Poelina, speaking from the lands of the Yawuru people in Broome - "land, water and people are intrinsically intertwined, we have not walked away from nature". But Indigenous people know that "Country has changed". #HEAL2022

"Rivers are living beings, they hold memories," says Prof Anne Poelina #HEAL2022

Powerful speech from Prof Anne Poelina at #HEAL2022 who warns of "climate chaos", of facing "climate wars". "We are dealing with complexity," she says talking about building a coalition of hope at Martuwarra/Fitzroy River, challenging the politics of economics vs wellbeing.

How do we "wake up the snake", create consciousness and grow an ethics of love and care for our world, invest in the politics of wellbeing, asks Prof Anne Poelina, who also outlines the massive threat of ongoing unjust development in the Kimberley #fracking #HEAL2022

UN has declared that every one of us has a human right to live in a clean and healthy environment - need to come together with First Law, with Indigenous knowledge/science, to protect our commons for the greater common good of all of us: Poelina #HEAL2022

"This is your home. Your DNA is now embedded in this cultural landscape. We cannot continue to steal (young people's) future". Prof Anne Poelina urges people to rise up, "if not Mother Earth will be lonely without the footsteps of human beings". #HEAL2022

Wow, more to come here at #HEAL2022 from Prof Anne Poelina - don't miss this in the meantime vimeo.com/556591704/eda8…

Next up at #HEAL2022 is #COVID expert @Globalbiosec, who is talking about the use of AI and open source data to get early warnings about epidemics and other public health events epiwatch.org

#HEAL2022 @Globalbiosec - most of what we invest in health is acute medicine (use of AI widespread), public health just a fraction - the use of AI/digital methods much less, slower to adopt

Much at stake in better using AI (not a replacement for trad surveillance, but enhanced to allow early response and mitigation): @Globalbiosec #HEAL2022

Is vast open access data in other fields, we can do that for public health, says @Globalbiosec -- talking through the work of EpiWatch, an AI system that collects unstructured articles, converted into structured dataset (good global language capability) #HEAL2022

Could have got early read on 2014 Ebola outbreak, via Twitter says @Globalbiosec #HEAL2022

EpiWatch insights: COVID in Indonesia, outbreaks in Ukraine #HEAL2022

EI can't be just a tool for the elite, says @Globalbiosec #HEAL2022

EpiWatch is developing ways of getting early warning on disinformation or community sentiment that will affect a pandemic response, says @Globalbiosec

Now hearing from @PetraTschakert on an interdisciplinary research project entitled ‘Locating Loss from Climate Change in Everyday Places’ #HEAL2022

#HEAL2022 @PetraTschakert

. @PetraTschakert talking about the prospect of "intolerable loss" under the climate crisis #HEAL2022

#HEAL2022 - it's one thing to envision what climate crisis could do to things we value, another to go out with people to 'places of the heart' - @PetraTschakert research wanted to track how people balance emotional repertoire in such places

Talking about "the coexistence of getting involved and giving up" @PetraTschakert #HEAL2022

How do we get from the individual to the collective transformation: community change or even bigger? At the very core is urgent need to protect those most vulnerable @PetraTschakert #HEAL2022

Three recommendations for transformational change: @PetraTschakert #HEAL2022

Now hearing from @DrNickWatts, Chief Sustainability Officer at @NHSEngland, leading work on @GreenerNHS, responsible for delivering its commitment to be the world’s first net zero health service (1.4 million health professionals, emissions equal to that of Denmark) #HEAL2022

"Angrily committed to the idea that the climate crisis is a health crisis", says @DrNickWatts of @GreenerNHS which got a huge response to call out for research to cut carbon footprint of NHS - needed the kickstart, but knew also needed to build up own infrastructure #HEAL2022

NHS now asking far more specific, targeted, implementation questions on decarb: can be informed by other sectors where research is thriving. But when get down into health specifics (shifts, ambo distances), are operational questions/big research gaps: @DrNickWatts #HEAL2022

Everyone will talk re anaesthetics - a few people did the hard yards, showed us that it's not about doing big regional modelling work but looking local, specific, clinical - narrow questions matter, operational savings matter, and be timely! @DrNickWatts #HEAL2022

If a health care system as big as NHS - it's every single drug, every single procedure, every single possible patient pathway, to seek net zero....@DrNickWatts #HEAL2022

And now we're zooming into panel discussion now with Professor Anne Poelina, @Globalbiosec @PetraTschakert @kristie_ebi and @JanineMilera from @LowitjaInstitut #HEAL2022

Topic for panel: transformational change, and what health research can do to make it happen, led by Alistair Woodwood. #HEAL2022

. @JanineMilera says Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander com'ties have had to create alternative systems, eg ACCHOs. Transformational change not re policies, structures (often not shaped by/harm Indigenous communities) - research not necessarily value Indigenous ways #HEAL2022

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research about revitalising, restoring ways of Indigenous knowing, being, doing: reciprocity and benefit for all, which is what transformation is about: @JanineMilera #HEAL2022

We are in a sector that does transform, but don't often look at upstream drivers of health: blind spots make it more difficult now to look at transformation (of thoughts not just systems), to explicitly incorp climate change in way that ethical, fair, just @kristie_ebi #HEAL2022

"What can we do tomorrow at 9am." Big question from @DrNickWatts about cutting health sector emissions...

One big way is to have fewer patients, fewer people needing to go to hospital says Alistair Woodwood

#HEAL2022

Bulk of advances in health already known, but we don't do - eg access to water, sanitation, "we're just not doing what we know what to do", says @kristie_ebi agreeing that prevention creates enormous opportunity: promote health not just prevent disease #HEAL2022

"We need a politics of wellbeing, a political reckoning: maybe with more and more disaster experiences, finally the counter hegemonic opening has arrived. Not useful to put more $$ into recovery, what really needs to happen is... climate justice", says @PetraTschakert #HEAL2022

Big tradeoffs like food security and emission reductions are false dichotomies, says @PetraTschakert: what it is that the health academy can do re tradeoffs is to expand discussion on adaptation planning, grounded in place based realities and values #HEAL2022

Practical, actionable solutions needed from networks like @HEALenviron, says @Globalbiosec - eg good to contribute to resilience of population, eg bushfire smoke impact on people with asthma/COPD etc #HEAL2022

And that's the wrap for the first #HEAL2022 plenary session. Next up, after a short break, will be regional sessions: @AlisonSBarrett and I (@mariemcinerney) will be zipping in & out of regions to hear priorities, issues etc. Please stay tuned (will begin a new thread for that).