Past event

A public health approach to addressing sensory loss Professor Bamini Gopinath, Cochlear Chair in Hearing and Health, Macquarie University, Australia

Professor Bamini Gopinath is part of the joint global PhD programme between the University of St Andrews and Macquarie University in Australia. She and Dr Andrew Blaikie of the Arclight Project at the School of Medicine are jointly supervising a new global PhD on enhancing community-based sensory health screening.

Hearing and vision loss is debilitating. Interfering with primary modes of communication, these impairments inhibit one's independence and ability to participate in society. Professor Gopinath and Dr Blaikie are currently working to change this through a programme of research by applying a public health lens to sensory loss in adults. This includes projects that are improving the capture and use of robust contemporary data.

Several examples will be shared in the seminar, including landmark studies initiated in 2022, such as the first Australian Eye and Ear Health Survey. There will also be a focus on initiatives that aim to develop and implement evidence-based strategies to mitigate the negative impacts of sensory loss. The coordination and partnership among a range of key stakeholders underlies all these initiatives and this will be highlighted, as this is critical to ensuring the inclusion of sensory loss as part of a broader public health strategy.

Professor Bamini Gopinath is the inaugural Cochlear Chair in Hearing and Health at Macquarie University. In this role she leads the Public Health and Policy Pillar of Macquarie University Hearing. She is an epidemiologist who has been actively involved in developing and conducting numerous population health studies. Using large population datasets Bamini has provided novel community-based evidence on the health determinants and health outcomes associated with a sensory loss and disability. Her ongoing research in the public health field aims to translate key study findings into health policy and practice, with the intention of targeting current gaps that exist in Australian healthcare.

This seminar invitation is open to all University staff and external partners.