BEGIN:VCALENDAR METHOD:PUBLISH VERSION:2.0 CALSCALE:GREGORIAN PRODID:-//NONSGML WPForms//NONSGML Sugar Calendar Feeds v3.9.0//EN X-WR-CALNAME:10th Annual Immunisation Forum 2026 X-WR-CALDESC:Immunisation Coalition X-WR-TIMEZONE:Australia/Melbourne BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Australia/Melbourne BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 DTSTART:20260404T160000 TZNAME:AEST END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Australia/Melbourne BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 DTSTART:20260404T160000 TZNAME:AEST END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:10th Annual Immunisation Forum 2026 DESCRIPTION:The Annual Immunisation Forum is a one day event that gives healthcare professionals a greater understanding of immunisation and vac cine preventable diseases.\n\n\n\n\nRegister for ONLINE\n\n\n\nIC Events \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDate: \;June 18\, 2026\, \;Time: \ ;8:30am to 4:20pm (AEST)\n\n\n\nAbout\n\n\n\nThe 10th Annual Immunisatio n Forum (AIF) hybrid event will take a place at the Marvel Stadium in Me lbourne on June 18\, 2026\, immediately following the PHAA’s Communica ble Diseases &\; Immunisation Conference (CDIC).\n\n\n\nThe meeting i s ideal for GPs\, practice nurses\, specialists\, pharmacists\, academic s and other immunisation HCPs. The program covers the following areas:&n bsp\;\n\n\n\n\nepidemiology \;of winter respiratory \;infections across the ages\, vaccination \;coverage rates\, \;an update&nb sp\;on NIS 2025-30 activities\, childhood \;immunisation rates and p lans for improving older adult \;immunisation \;rates\, pharmacy  \;and GP Practice engagement\, and four workshops on \;influenz a\, \;RSV\, HPV and Japanese Encephalitis\n\n\n\n\nDetails\n\n\n\nAc creditation ID: TBCThe 10th Annual Immunisation Forum 2026 is RACGP accr edited for 6 CPD hours for online attendees.\n\n\n\n\nRegister for ONSIT E\n\n\n\nRegister for ONLINE\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSession 1 \n\n\n\n \n8:45 amWelcome and introductionGary Grohmann▼\n\n\n\n\nGary Grohmann is an independent consultant virologist and currently a board member an d member of the scientific advisory committee of the Immunisation coalit ion in Australia. He is a former WHO consultant (2015-2022 in Geneva) an d worked on a number of projects with the Health Systems and Innovation Group and the Essential Medicines Programme\, including working with the Technology Transfer Initiative assisting developing country vaccine man ufacturers\, revising the WHO Research blueprint\, writing the Global Ac tion Plan (GAP) for Influenza Vaccines\, reviewing Biocontainment\, and leading the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework Review Group Secre tariat. He was Director of Immunobiology at the Therapeutic Goods Admini stration (TGA) (1997- 2015). Prior to working for the TGA he worked for the University of Sydney in the Faculty of Veterinary Sciences as Associ ate Professor working on public health and environmental issues and was a researcher at the CDC in Atlanta on Noroviruses and other enteric viru ses\, working on opportunistic infections in an HIV cohort (1987-90). He has had adjunct teaching appointments at the University of Sydney\, Uni versity of NSW and the University of Technology\, Sydney\, teaching viro logy to science\, medical and veterinary science students\, and is curre ntly an adjunct professor at the University of Sydney.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n8:55 amEpidemiology of winter respiratory infections: incidence across the a gesProf Jim Buttery▼\n\n\n\n\nJim Buttery is the inaugural Professor o f Child Health Informatics at the University of Melbourne based at the M elbourne Children’s Campus Centre for Health Analytics. He is the Chie f Research Information Officer and an infectious diseases physician at t he Royal Children’s Hospital\, Melbourne. He is also the Head of Epide miology and Signal Detection of SAEFVIC\, the Victorian Immunisation Saf ety Service\, and Head of the Epidemiology Informatics Research Group\, at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute\, and the co-director of the Global Vaccine Data Network. Jim leads an epi-informatics team of ep idemiologists\, data analysts and statisticians whose research revolves around innovative use of real-world data to answer important questions i n infectious diseases epidemiology\, vaccine safety and effectiveness.Th ese innovations include Introducing Australia’s first state based publ ic facing vaccine safety report\, updated weekly\, to inform the public and maintain vaccine confidence (Saefvic.online/vaccinesafety)\, develop ment of syndromic vaccine safety surveillance methodologies\, including de-identified telephone help line and GP data network surveillance which have been incorporated into DHHS Victoria surveillance\, and the establ ishment of the Vaccine Safety Health Link (VSHL). VSHL is a statewide Vi ctorian prospective vaccine safety datalinkage project linking Victorian Australian immunisation Register data to hospital admissions\, emergenc y presentations\, perinatal\, births and deaths and primary care dataset s. This is the only vaccine datalink system in Australia incorporating p erinatal and GP data.To understand the full impact of common viruses upo n human health\, he has established Snotwatch\, a novel population wide spatiotemporal platform to link viral exposures to health outcomes\, and understand the full health and economic burden of these viruses. Initia l studies have shown new associations with febrile seizures\, Kawasaki D isease\, childhood hepatitis and chilblains. Using pathology\, environme ntal exposures\, and hospital\, ED and GP datasets\, we are generating n ew insights into common respiratory viruses.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n9:20 amWin ter illness vaccination coverage: current status across the agesA/Prof A diti Dey▼\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAditi Dey is Senior Research Fellow/Manager \, Surveillance at NCIRS and holds a conjoint academic appointment as A ssociate Professor at the Sydney Medical School\, the University of Sydn ey. Aditi has completed her PhD\, Master of Public Health and Graduate D iploma in Applied Science (Health Information Management) at the Univers ity of Sydney after her medical degree (MBBS\, University of Delhi) and training in tropical medicine. Aditi worked at the University of Sydney and also in Thailand and India before joining NCIRS. At NCIRS\, she is i nvolved in program evaluation\, coverage of vaccines\, and surveillance of vaccine preventable diseases and adverse events following immunisatio n. Aditi has experience in supervision of research students and teaching and coordination of undergraduate and postgraduate courses. \n\n\n\n\n 9:45 amNIS 2025-30: tackling winter illnesses and measures of successPro f Michael Kidd ▼\n\n\n\n\nProfessor Michael Kidd AO is Australia’s C hief Medical Officer\, based in the Australian Government Department of Health\, Disability and Ageing. \; He is a general practitioner and a primary care and public health researcher\, and has served as presiden t of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners\, and preside nt of the World Organization of Family Doctors. \; He is an elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences\, and ha s held past research appointments at Monash University\, the University of Sydney\, Flinders University\, the Australian National University\, a nd the University of Toronto. \; He holds a current joint academic a ppointment as the Foundation Director of the International Centre for Fu ture Health Systems at the University of New South Wales\, and as Profes sor of Global Primary Care with the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n10:10 amPa nel Discussion: Learnings and focuses▼\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSession 2 \n\n\n\n\n10:50 amPlans for improving childhood immunisation ratesProf M argie Danchin▼\n\n\n\n\nMargie is a consultant paediatrician at the Ro yal Childrens Hospital and Clinician Scientist\, University of Melbourne \, and Murdoch Childrens Research Institute (MCRI). As leader of the Vac cine Uptake Group\, MCRI\, her research focuses on vaccine confidence an d uptake\, particularly amongst high risk-groups and in low and middle-i ncome countries\, and on effective risk communication. In Australia\, sh e is a member of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) and chair of the Social Science Advisory Board and a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee\, National Centre for Immunisation Res earch and Surveillance (NCIRS). She is committed to efforts to improve v accine confidence and uptake in the Asia Pacific Region and she works cl osely with DFAT to provide technical immunisation support for the region . She is Chair\, Australian Regional Immunisation Alliance (ARIA) and on the steering committee for Melbourne Children’s Global Health.\n\n\n\ n\n\n\n\n\n11:15 amPlans for improving immunisation rates for adults 65 years and overProf Paul van Buynder▼\n\n\n\n\nProfessor Paul Van Buynd er is a Public Health Physician and past Chairman of the Immunisation Co alition. He is a professor in the School of Medicine at Griffith Univers ity in Queensland. He has held senior public health positions in a numbe r of Australian states\, in two Canadian jurisdictions and at the Centre for Infections in the UK. He has held personal appointments on sub-comm ittees of National Immunisation Technical Advisory Committees in three c ontinents. Paul is a reviewer of over 10 journals and has over 80 referr ed book chapters and articles.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n11:40 amLearnings from E astern Sydney PHN aged care programCourtney McGregor▼\n\n\n\n\nCourtne y McGregor is a Public Health Officer with the South Eastern Sydney Loca l Health District Public Health Unit\, with a background in infectious d isease management and immunisation quality improvement. Her work include s leading a residential aged care vaccination project that identified pr actical solutions to improve coverage among aged care residents\, a vuln erable population. Courtney holds a Master of Public Health and focuses on translating evidence into policy andpractice that meets real‑world needs.\n\n\n\n\n12:05 pmPanel discussion: deep dive into vaccination str ategies and next steps▼\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSession 3 \n\n\n\n\nChair Dr Hazel Clothier▼\n\n\n\n\n\n1:15 pmVaccination through pharmacy - st rategies and measures of successAnna Theophilos▼\n\n\n\n\nAnna Theophi los is a Melbourne-based community pharmacist\, pharmacy owner\, and pas sionate advocate for equitable access to vaccination. With 17 years’ e xperience as a pharmacy owner\, Anna has dedicated her career to buildin g practical\, scalable solutions that improve health outcomes for some o f Australia’s most vulnerable populations.\n\n\n\nHer passion for vacc ination access was ignited after confronting national data showing alarm ingly low coverage rates among Australians aged 65+\, particularly those in residential aged care or living with specific care needs. “I was h orrified by the gap\,” Anna recalls\, “and realised something needed to change - urgently.” Determined to close this gap\, Anna developed innovative models for delivering pharmacist-led vaccination programs in aged care facilities\, ensuring residents could access life-saving vacci nes without the logistical and administrative barriers that too often st and in the way. Her programs have been recognised for their ability to s implify processes for facilities\, improve compliance\, and achieve outs tanding uptake rates.\n\n\n\nAs a member of the TerryWhite Chemmart Advi sory Group\, Anna works at a national level to shape strategies that str engthen community pharmacy’s role in preventive health. She collaborat es closely with government\, industry partners\, and professional bodies to drive policy and operational changes that make vaccination more acce ssible to older Australians and those with complex care needs.In 2025\, Anna was appointed the inaugural PSA National Vaccination Ambassador - a role that allows her to amplify the profession’s voice\, champion evi dence-based immunisation\, and inspire pharmacists nationwide to lead th e way in protecting public health.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n1:45 pmVacci nation through GP Practices - strategies and measures of successDr Leann e Jones▼\n\n\n\n\nDr Jones is a General Practitioner at the Windmill H ill Medical Centre\, Launceston and a Director of the Immunisation Coali tion \; (IC).As a GP with more than 35 years’ experience\, Dr Jone s has an in-depth knowledge of the health issues facing Tasmanians. Dr J ones was a Board Member of the General Practice North where she served f or two years as its Chair\, and was a Board member of General Practice T asmania for eight years. She has a special interest in immunisation and sits on various immunisation advisory and reference groups. She was also the Media Advisor and GP Advisor on Immunisation\, and was \; the T asmanian Medicare Local spokesperson on Immunisation.Dr Jones graduated with a BMedSc and MBBS from the University of Tasmania.She is involved w ith education of General Practitioners with Primary Health Tasmania and undergraduate medical students at the University of Tasmania.\n\n\n\n\n\ n\n\n\n2:10 pmPanel discussion: successful strategies and addressing cha llenges▼\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGroup workshops - Theme: practical steps towards increasing vaccination rates\n\n\n\n\n2:50 pmInfluenza OR RSVDr Leanne Jones and Dr Sarah Chu▼\n\n\n\n\nDr Jones is a General Practit ioner at the Windmill Hill Medical Centre\, Launceston and a Director of the Immunisation Coalition \; (IC).As a GP with more than 35 years experience\, Dr Jones has an in-depth knowledge of the health issues facing Tasmanians. Dr Jones was a Board Member of the General Practice N orth where she served for two years as its Chair\, and was a Board membe r of General Practice Tasmania for eight years. She has a special intere st in immunisation and sits on various immunisation advisory and referen ce groups. She was also the Media Advisor and GP Advisor on Immunisation \, and was \; the Tasmanian Medicare Local spokesperson on Immunisat ion.Dr Jones graduated with a BMedSc and MBBS from the University of Tas mania.She is involved with education of General Practitioners with Prima ry Health Tasmania and  \; undergraduate medical students at the Uni versity of Tasmania.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDr Sarah Chu graduated from the Univ ersity of Queensland in 2004 with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery. She is a member of the International Society of Travel Medicin e and has a Certificate in Travel Health\; she enjoyed providing travel medicine services at The Travel Doctor TMVC Brisbane before COVID-19 and is an accredited Yellow Fever doctor. In addition to being awarded a Fe llowship from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners\, sh e is a Fellow of The Australasian College of Tropical Medicine\, Fellow of The Australasian College of Tropical Medicine (Faculty of Travel Medi cine)\, Associate Member of the Faculty of Travel Medicine Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow\; Dr Chu also holds a Diploma in Dermatology from the Australian Institute of Dermatology\, and a Diploma in Child Health from Westmead Children’s Hospital and the University of Sydney. She enjoys practising yoga and is a registered level 1 yoga t eacher with Yoga Australia. Dr Chu recently completed Physician Board Ce rtification in Lifestyle Medicine with the International Board of Lifest yle Medicine. She is a Senior Lecturer for the University of Queensland and enjoys teaching the next generation of doctors-in-training.\n\n\n\n\ n3:35 pm HPV OR Japanese EncephalitisDr Sarah McGuinness and Angela Newb ound ▼\n\n\n\n\nSarah McGuinness is an infectious diseases clinician a nd researcher based at Alfred Health and Monash University in Melbourne. Her research focuses on improving ways to prevent infectious diseases i n at-risk populations. She has a special interest in travel and tropical medicine and leads the hospital-based travel clinic at the Alfred Hospi tal. \;She is a co-author of the Manual of Travel Medicine (4th edit ion) and co-facilitates an annual Travel Medicine Masterclass for Austra lasian travel health providers. She is an editorial board member of the Journal of Travel Medicine and an active member of the Australasian Coll ege of Tropical Medicine and International Society of Travel Medicine\, serving on various committees and frequently presenting on travel medici ne topics.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAngela Newbound is an Immunisation Education C onsultant based in South Australia\, and is a member of the Immunisation Coalition.\n\n\n\nShe has been involved in immunisation program deliver y in South Australia since 2000\, originally as an immunisation provider \, and then in program coordinator roles within the Divisions of General Practice\, SA Health Immunisation Section\, the Medicare Local Network and the Primary Health Network until December 2024 in which she provided clinical advice\, support and education to a wide range of immunisation providers.\n\n\n\n\n4:30Table leader of each disease to present finding s▼\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSummary and Closing Comments\n\n\n\n\n4:50 pmClosing c ommentsGary Grohmann▼\n\n\n\n\nGary Grohmann is an independent consult ant virologist and currently a board member and member of the scientific advisory committee of the Immunisation coalition in Australia. He is a former WHO consultant (2015-2022 in Geneva) and worked on a number of pr ojects with the Health Systems and Innovation Group and the Essential Me dicines Programme\, including working with the Technology Transfer Initi ative assisting developing country vaccine manufacturers\, revising the WHO Research blueprint\, writing the Global Action Plan (GAP) for Influe nza Vaccines\, reviewing Biocontainment\, and leading the Pandemic Influ enza Preparedness Framework Review Group Secretariat. He was Director of Immunobiology at the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) (1997- 2015 ). Prior to working for the TGA he worked for the University of Sydney i n the Faculty of Veterinary Sciences as Associate Professor working on p ublic health and environmental issues and was a researcher at the CDC in Atlanta on Noroviruses and other enteric viruses\, working on opportuni stic infections in an HIV cohort (1987-90). He has had adjunct teaching appointments at the University of Sydney\, University of NSW and the Uni versity of Technology\, Sydney\, teaching virology to science\, medical and veterinary science students\, and is currently an adjunct professor at the University of Sydney.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWe would like to thank t he following companies for supporting this event: URL;VALUE=URI:https://immunisationcoalition.org.au/events/10th-annual-im munisation-forum-2026/ UID:urn:uuid:296c30ee-421c-4b8d-9e77-96feb32738c4 STATUS:CONFIRMED ORGANIZER: DTSTAMP:20260519T042449Z DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260618T083000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260618T162000 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR