It’s a return to his first passion – global health – for Dr Sandro Demaio.
The CEO of VicHealth, Dr Sandro Demaio has announced he is leaving the role to return to the World Health Organization.
Dr Demaio, who has been in the VicHealth job since 2019, will take up the position of director and head of the WHO’s Asia-Pacific Centre for the Environment and Health, based in Seoul, South Korea, from February 2025.
He previously worked for the WHO for three years as a medical officer in its noncommunicable conditions and nutrition division, based in Geneva.
“This new role allows me to continue my commitment to global health on a broader scale, focusing on the critical intersection of environmental sustainability and human health,” said Dr Demaio in a LinkedIn post.
“I look forward to working with colleagues at WHO and across the region’s 37 member states to address some of the most pressing health and environmental challenges of our time.”
Dr Demaio was the co-founder of NCDFREE, a crowd-funded, crowdsourced social impact startup and global social movement against non-communicable diseases. He spent five years – the last year as CEO – with EAT, a science-based, global platform for food systems transformation in Oslo, before returning to Australia to set up the Sandro Demaio Foundation and Little Food Festival, and then taking up the CEO’s role at VicHealth.
“Leading such a passionate, dedicated team committed to improving the health and wellbeing of communities across Victoria has been a true privilege,” he said.
“Together, we’ve embraced new challenges — from navigating a global pandemic, to supporting world-first legislation, and reimagining public health in a rapidly changing world.
“I am particularly proud of VicHealth’s 10-year strategy and four-year action plan, which will guide the organisation’s impact and commitment to health equity long into the future.
“I leave VicHealth deeply grateful for the friendships, partnerships, and shared purpose that fueled our work and achievements.”
CHO of Victoria to depart
Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Dr Clare Looker has announced that she will leave the role at the end of her current contract in December.
Dr Looker has been CHO since July 2023 – after joining the department in 2016 and becoming a deputy CHO in 2020.
“I have felt proud and privileged to serve as the Chief Health Officer,” she said.
“The last few years have been an intense time in the world of public health – and I’ve loved being at the heart of this – working with an incredible team to protect and keep our community healthy and safe.
“Working in such a fast-paced role has also had its challenges, so while it has been a difficult decision to take a professional pause, it’s the right decision for me at this time.”
Also leaving is Professor Ben Cowie, who has been job sharing the CHO role with Dr Looker.
“It has been an honour to have served Victorians as CHO over the past few years,” he said.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to have worked with and learned from amazing, dedicated and hard-working colleagues both within the Department of Health and across the public health community.”
New secretary
Dale Webster has been appointed as Tasmania’s new Secretary of the Department of Health for the next five years.
Mr Webster has been acting in the role since April of this year, following the departure of former boss Kathrine Morgan-Wicks.
“Mr Webster brings a wealth of knowledge and extensive leadership experience in both the Tasmanian State Service and the Australian Public Service,” said new Minister for Health, Jacquie Petrusma.
“His career has spanned multiple senior executive roles, primarily within the Department of Justice and Department of Health, where he has served as deputy secretary, executive director, and acting secretary.
“He has demonstrated expertise in policy development, public service leadership, multi-agency collaboration, and service reform, with a specific focus on health and justice sectors.
“I look forward to working with Dale into the future as we deliver a better health system under our 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future.”
First chief addiction medicine adviser named
The Victorian government has appointed the state’s first Chief Addiction Medicine Adviser to lead work reducing drug harms.
Dr Paul MacCartney will be the government’s principal adviser on issues related to addiction, drug use and harm reduction – and will help guide the development of Victoria’s first ever Alcohol and Other Drugs strategy to address drug harms over the long-term.
Dr MacCartney will provide expert advice to make sure Victoria is well prepared to respond to threats such as nitazenes – helping to reduce overdose and other harms.
Coming into the role with an extensive 25-year career as a GP and a specialist in addiction medicine, Dr MacCartney has worked across community, clinical and primary care settings in both metro and regional Victoria.
Expert research commission revealed
The WA government has named seven members of its expert medical research advisory body, the Future Health Research and Innovation Fund Advisory Council. They are:
- Professor Asha Bowen is a clinician researcher at Perth Children’s Hospital and The Kids Research Institute Australia;
- Associate Professor Dale Edgar is a health research fellow at the University of Notre Dame Australia;
- Professor Sue Fletcher is a microbiologist specialising in RNA therapeutics at Murdoch University;
- Ben Horgan is a community health development officer with experience across a number of local health districts;
- David Mackey is a professor of ophthalmology at the University of Western Australia;
- Professor Britta Regli-von Ungern-Sternberg is chair of Paediatric Anaesthesia at the University of Western Australia and a paediatric anaesthetist at Perth Children’s Hospital; and
- Professor Bep Uink is the director of Indigenous health resource HealthInfoNet at Edith Cowan University.