Sónia Vladimira Correia (CHAIR)

I’m Sociologist by ISCTE-IUL, University Institute of Lisbon. My PhD in Social Sciences, specialization in General Sociology, was granted by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology. I also did my Master degree  in Social Sciences, Networks, Public Action and Social Issues at the Institute of Social Sciences of the University of Lisbon, ICS-UL. From 1998 to 2016 I developed research in several international and national projects at CIES-ISCTE and at ICS-UL in the area of family, education and public policies in Portugal and Europe. I was researcher and co-founder of the Observatory on Safety in Schools at the Ministry of Education. I published books in the area of family and education, namely in 2018 the book “Management and Financing of Schools: Indicators, Policies and Actors”, edited by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and “One parental family two houses: alternating residence dynamics and social practices”. I’m Assistant Professor at Universidade Lusófona, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport  and Integrated Researcher at CIDEFES- Research Centre on Sport, Physical Education, Exercise and Health Sciences. My main areas of expertise are Gender; Social Inclusion; Social Policy, more recently, focusing on Sports and Physical Activity. I’m certificated as Teaching, Learning and Assessing Creativity and Critical Thinking in Education Coordinator, credential issued by OECD Centre for Educational Research and Innovation.

Anna Lene Seidler (WEBINARS & CO-CHAIR)

“I am a Senior Research Fellow at the NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre (CTC), University of Sydney where I am Lead of the NextGen Evidence Synthesis team within the Evidence Integration group. I am also a Research Associate for the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, biostatistical advisor for the Health Technologies Assessment team at the CTC, and Convenor and primary contact of the Cochrane Prospective Meta-Analysis Methods Group. I have made major research contributions to the field of methodology development for next generation evidence synthesis approaches, such as prospective meta-analysis, and individual participant data meta-analysis. I have applied these methodologies to various innovative research projects, for instance complex early childhood obesity prevention interventions. The next generation evidence synthesis approaches I am developing are geared toward moving beyond the one-size-fits all approach and toward understanding differential health system needs for different population groups (e.g. by socio-economic position, for rural and regional populations, different cultural backgrounds or for Indigenous health). My clinical area of expertise is child health, my research projects in this area include childhood obesity prevention, understanding eating disorder risks in weight management interventions in adolescents, and how to improve preterm neonatal survival rates in different settings through cord management interventions. I have developed close partnerships with consumer researchers, policy makers and guideline developers (including World Health Organisation, International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation, Ministry of Health New South Wales), to together work on rapid implementation of my research findings into routine health care programs and clinical guidelines.”

Doris Akosua Tay (NEWSLETTERS)

I am a 4th year PhD candidate at the University of Ghana, Legon looking forward to submit my thesis soon. My research interests include physical activity and health, ageing, maternal and neonatal health. Currently a research assistant on a NRF funded project on speech analysis and how physical activity mediates fear, anxiety, and depression during the COVID-19 in Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Botswana. A member of the media engagement sub-committee for RIPS @ 50 anniversary (Regional Institute for Population studies, University of Ghana).

Salma Musaad (SOCIAL MEDIA)

I am currently an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Biostatistics, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine. After obtaining my M.D. I developed a love for research and completed an NIEHS-funded Ph.D. fellowship in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Department of Environmental Health, with an emphasis on Children’s Environmental Health. I was trained by a mathematical statistician and have amassed extensive expertise in statistical theory, advanced methods, and the skill to tailor or combine methods to solve real-world analytical challenges. I have greater than 13 years of experience conducting clinical research in academia and clinical research organizations (industry). I am establishing an independent line of research in the social, environmental and molecular determinants of childhood obesity. As part of that effort, I plan to use and develop big data analytical methods to advance health equity in obesity research. In addition to my growing interest in the use of AI/ML in the field of obesity, I am interested in understanding the mechanisms that promote change in interventions designed to encourage healthy lifestyle or obesity prevention in minority populations.

Seaw Jia Liew (SOCIAL MEDIA)

My research involves exploring the potential of living a holistic lifestyle in reducing the risk of Type 2 diabetes and its related complications. I am involved in developing mHealth strategies to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors under free-living conditions and delivering digital interventions to prevent or delay the onset of Type 2 diabetes among women with a history of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus. In addition, I am actively involved in aging research. I have started a study to understand how older adults from low socioeconomic status who are living with multimorbidity manage their health and gain access to primary health care during COVID-19 pandemic. Besides, I am adopting a multi-level approach to find out how older adults feel about participating in lifestyle programme to prevent frailty and to what extent has socio-ecological factors influenced their decision making process, and to understand what would make it easy for them to be engaged in healthy eating, being physically active and doing activities that would help them cope with changes in bodily functions in old age. 

Lua Perimal-Lewis (NEWSLETTERS)

I am a Senior Research Fellow / Senior Lecturer in Digital Health at Flinders University. My

research flagship area is in 'Digital Health Supporting Our Ageing Society'. I am the principal investigator on the Flinders Assistant for Memory Enhancement (FAME) study and project coordinator for the Dementia and Aged Care Services project. My expertise and experience are in the area of Health Informatics, Biostatistics, Data Science, Living lab, Hospital Patient Flow, Process Mining, Modelling and Simulation. I manage a team of junior researchers. As a team we conduct digital health intervention pilots with community dwelling individuals.

Mary Hearst (WORKSHOPS)

I am a Professor in the School of Nursing, University of Minnesota. My areas of research are focused on early life integrated interventions to optimize lifelong well-being, community engaged research, and advancing research instruments to be culturally inclusive. My long term goals are to seek health equity for typically marginalized communities and interrupt the structural and social factors that influence health equity.

Siva Santosh Kumar Pentapati (WEBINARS)