9th Southern Cross Australasian Travel and Tropical Medicine Conference
11-13 September 2026. Venue: InterContinental Brisbane, Australia
2026 Speakers
INTERNATIONAL KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Prof Lucille Blumberg
MB BCH MMed (Micro) ID (SA) FFTM (RCPS,Glasgow) DTM&H DOH DCH D.Sc (Med) honoris causa ( University of the Witwatersrand), South Africa
Prof Lucille Blumberg
Professor Lucille Blumberg is an infectious diseases physician and medical microbiologist. She currently has honorary appointments at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, the Universities of Stellenbosch (Medical Microbiology) and University of Pretoria (Faculty of Veterinary Sciences), South Africa. Her focus is on outbreak prevention and response, emerging diseases, travel- related infections, the viral haemorrhagic fevers, malaria and zoonosis especially rabies. She is the current chair of the Strategic Advisory Group for Infectious Hazards for the WHO Emergencies Programme and a member a member of the scientific advisory group for the WHO Neglected Tropical Diseases programme. She is a long-standing member of the National Rabies Advisory Group in South and is the previous chair of the South African Malaria Elimination Committee (SAMEC). Prof Blumberg has been involved in the prevention, detection and responses to a number of communicable disease outbreaks including cholera, typhoid, rabies, the Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers (Lujo, Rift Valley fever, Ebola), influenza (pandemic A H1N1, and Avian Influenza A H5N2) and diphtheria. Her special interests are in malaria, rabies, other zoonoses, East African Trypanosomiasis, travel and tropical medicine and border health issues. She worked with Right to Care as a Technical Scientific Advisor from 2021 to 2025.
Dr Miguel Cabada
Dr. Miguel Cabada is Associate Professor and Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. He is the founding Director of the Cusco Branch of the Alexander von Humboldt Tropical Medicine Institute at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia. He has been the President of the Latin American Society of Travel Medicine since December 2025. Dr. Cabada is an infectious disease trained physician with expertise in general infectious diseases and tropical medicine. In addition, he heads an epidemiological and translational research program that includes neglected tropical parasites, travel-related diseases, and emerging infectious agents that cause undifferentiated febrile illnesses in the highlands and jungle of the Cusco Region in Peru. His program main focus is the epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, and control of helminths that affect the local population. Dr. Cabada is the principal investigator of several U.S. NIH funded studies investigating different aspects of Fasciola hepatica infection and travel-related illnesses and has published more than 90 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on these topics. Dr. Cabada has held leadership roles in the Latin American Society of Travel Medicine, the International Society of Travel Medicine, and the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
Prof Joon Sup Yeom
- Division Chair, Division of Infectious Disease, Severance Hospital
- Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine (Feb 2018 – date)
- Director, Yonsei Institute for Global Health
- South Korea Site (Severance Hospital) Director, The Global Surveillance Network of the International Society of Travel Medicine in parternership with the CDC (GEOSENTINEL) (2018-date)
- Editorial Board Member, Yonsei Medical Journal (2019-date)
- Deputy Editor, Public Health Weekly Report (2021-date)
INVITED SPEAKERS
A/Prof Bridget Barber
Bio coming soon
A/Prof Richard Bradbury
Richard Bradbury is an internationally recognised parasitologist and former Team Lead of the Parasitic Diseases Diagnostic Reference Laboratory at the CDC in the United States of America. He is a member of the WHO Diagnostic Technical Advisory group for NTDs and has contributed to several other WHO advisory panels in the field of NTDs and parasitic diseases. He acts as a co-Director of the JCU WHO Collaborating Centre on Vector-borne and Neglected Tropical Diseases. Richard is one of seven people to receive the ASM Lyn Gilbert award for major contributions in any area of diagnostic laboratory microbiology nationally or internationally.
Prof Lulu Bravo
Bio coming soon
Mr Chris Campbell
Bio coming soon
Dr Sarah Chu
Dr Sarah Chu is a Brisbane based GP and Travel Medicine Doctor, Senior Lecturer at The University of Queensland, Honorary Treasurer for the Australasian College of Tropical Medicine, Member of the Medicine Today Board of Honorary Consultants and member of the Immunisation Coalition.
Prof Richard Franklin
Bio coming soon
Prof Darren Gray
Professor Darren Gray is an infectious disease epidemiologist and microbiologist; He Director of the Population Health Program; Founding Director of the Centre for Tropical Health & Emerging Diseases; and Senior Group Leader of the Global Health & Tropical Medicine Group at QIMR Berghofer, Queensland’s Medical Research Institute. Prof Gray currently leads a research program that investigates the transmission and control of tropical infectious diseases and diseases of disadvantage, including some of the most prevalent and important infections that cause much suffering and economic loss worldwide. He aims to develop new public health interventions against these diseases that will lead to their sustainable control and eventual elimination.
Prof Paul Griffin
Bio coming soon
A/Prof Ian Heslop
Bio coming soon
Bhuvan KC
Bhuvan KC is a pharmacy academic at the School of Clinical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, specialising in the quality use of medicines. His work focuses on travel health and pharmacist-led service delivery, including research on pharmacy-based travel health services and medicine use among high-altitude trekkers in the Himalayas. He also has a strong interest in chronic pain management. Bhuvan’s work bridges clinical pharmacotherapy, public health, and pharmacy practice to improve patient outcomes across diverse healthcare settings.
Dr Ken Koh
Bio coming soon
Prof Colleen Lau
Prof Colleen Lau leads The University of Queensland’s program on Operational Research and Decision Support for Infectious Diseases (ODeSI). She has a significant portfolio of research on infectious diseases and is internationally recognised for her expertise in travel medicine, vaccine preventable diseases, emerging infectious diseases, and neglected tropical diseases. Her research focuses on answering practical questions in clinical management of infectious diseases and improving strategies to solve public health problems. She is a Distinguished International Fellow of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, and a key member of CRESTMA (Clinical Research & Evidence Synthesis at Travel Medicine Alliance.
Dr Joyce Lawrence
I am an Anesthesiologist by background who is currently employed by Port Moresby General Hospital in Papua New Guinea. The scope of my practice include perioperative anesthesia services, pain management and critical care medicine. I am currently undertaking critical care medicine postgraduate training which is a two years program (2026 – 2027).
I have been an active member of the infection prevention and control committee in my hospital representing my department since 2023. I was privileged to be selected to do fellowship in antimicrobial stewardship under the Fleming Fund Scheme which started in September 2024 and ended in March 2026. Currently I am the AMS team lead in my hospital.
Prof Eyal Leshem
Prof. Eyal Leshem, MD, DTM&H(Glasg.) Board certified in internal medicine and infectious diseases, Prof. Leshem is a clinical associate professor in Tel Aviv University, and the director of the Center for Travel Medicine and Tropical Diseases, Sheba Medical Center in Israel.
In 2014, he graduated from his training as an epidemic intelligence service (EIS) officer at the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and since then, he served as a consultant to the CDC foundation and the World Health Organization (WHO). Prof. Leshem participated in CDC and WHO led surveillance and evaluation projects assessing vaccine impact and effectiveness in Haiti, Burkina Faso, Togo, the Philippines, Brazil, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Kosovo, the United States and Israel. He participated in outbreaks including acute gastroenteritis, enterovirus D68 associated acute flaccid myelitis, fungal meningitis and MERS-CoV with the US CDC. His academic work focused on diarrheal diseases surveillance, rotavirus and COVID vaccine impact and travel medicine. He has lead and co-authored over a hundred articles and book chapters.
Prof Neelika Malavige
Bio coming soon
Dr Deb Mills
Dr Deborah Mills is the Medical Director of a Travel Medicine clinic in Brisbane, and in 2006 founded the Travel Medicine Alliance (TMA) – An Australian network of travel medicine clinics.
Her book ‘Travelling Well’ is in its 22nd edition with over 210,000 copies in print
She is part of the research collaboration with academic groups from Australian Universities knowns as CRESTMA. This research has influenced travel medicine guidelines in Australia and internationally. Her current research interests are intradermal vaccines (especially Rabies and Japanese Encephalitis), Dengue vaccines, sexually transmitted diseases, TB, vaccine side effects, and smartphone apps.
Dr Sarah McGuinness
Bio coming soon
Dr Sean Rothwell
Prof Priscilla Rupali
Dr Priscilla Rupali is Professor & Head of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Christian Medical College Vellore in South India. She has obtained a “Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene” at the Universidad Cayetano Heredia at Lima Peru affiliated to the University of Alabama Birmingham and a Fellowship in “Transplant Infectious Diseases” at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. She has pioneered many courses like “Annual 2 week course in Clinical Tropical Medicine”, “Fellowship in General Infectious Diseases” for physicians in secondary care, ‘Global Health and Humanitarian Medicine’ program with MSF for training in tropical medicine and public health, Fellowship in Antimicrobial Stewardship for Pharmacists” and the first ever evidence based living guideline on covid interventions in the country (https://indiacovidguidelines.org ). She has multiple grants in the fields of antibiotic stewardship, brain infections and guideline development and over 175 publications.
Dr Mikaela Seymour
Dr Mikaela Seymour is a Public Health Physician based at the Health Security and Surveillance Branch, National Department of Health, Papua New Guinea. She has particular interest in global health, health equity and tropical medicine, and has worked extensively in PNG since 2015. Her work has spanned primary care delivery, immunisation programs, health security and technical advisory roles, including a secondment to the PNG Institute of Medical Research via the Australian Regional Immunisation Alliance. Mikaela has been recognised as a Lowy Institute Aus‑PNG Young Leader, AMA Doctor in Training of the Year, and Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia, she also serves as a reservist at the ADF Malaria and Infectious Disease Institute.
Prof Dennis Shanks
Prof Dennis Shanks has been the Director of the Australian Defence Force Malaria and Infectious Disease Institute (ADF MIDI) in Brisbane for the last 15 years and is an adjunct professor at the University of Queensland, School of Public Health as well as James Cook University. He directs militarily relevant medical research on infectious diseases capable of stopping tropical operations such as malaria, dengue and influenza. For the previous 20 years Professor (then Colonel) Shanks had been a US Army medical officer who spent the majority of his military career conducting field trials of new antimalarial drugs in the tropics. His assignments included service at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the overseas laboratories of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research at the Armed Forces Research Institute Medical Sciences in Thailand and the US Army Medical Research Unit in Kenya, as well as the Australian Army Malaria Research Unit in Ingleburn, Australia (a fore-runner of ADF MIDI). Concerned mostly with malaria prevention studies, Prof Shanks has conducted field studies in various rural populations including gold miners in New Guinea, Thai border militia on the Cambodia border, displaced persons in camps along the Thai-Burmese border, tea estate workers of the Kenyan Rift Valley and Kenyan villagers near Lake Victoria. He performed one of the pivotal efficacy trials for atovaquone proguanil which lead to its licensure as a chemo-prophylactic combination and has tested most antimalarial drugs in use today. Prof Shanks did the first field trial of tafenoquine, a new antimalarial drug which was registered in Australia and the USA in 2018 for the prevention and treatment of malaria. Most recently he has been using historical data to determine the causes of malaria relapses and mortality during the 1918 influenza pandemic. He has published over 220 research papers on malaria and other infectious diseases. Prof Shanks serves as the medical monitor for several antimalarial clinical trials and is on several advisory committees. His awards include the US Army Legion of Merit and the Donald MacKay Medal from the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
Prof Marc Shaw
Bio coming soon
Ms Anna Theophilos
Anna Theophilos is a nationally recognised pharmacist and PSA National Vaccination Ambassador, with a strong focus on travel health and public health vaccination delivery. She is Founder and Director of The Vaccination Hub, where she designs and leads large-scale vaccination programs, including the LPHU-led MMR initiative connecting over 500 pharmacies. Anna works closely with public health units, pharmacy networks and providers to deliver accessible, compliant and measurable vaccination services. As owner of TerryWhite Chemmart Surrey Hills South, she leads a high-performing vaccination service and is widely recognised for advancing pharmacist-led models in travel and community immunisation.
A/Prof Cameron Webb
Associate Professor Cameron Webb is a Medical Entomologist with more than 30 years experience in wrangling mosquitoes. In his roles with NSW Health Pathology and the University of Sydney, he provides advice to local, state, and federal government agencies on how best to manage the pest and public health threats of mosquitoes. With increasingly global travel, urbanisation, and unpredictable environmental conditions, addressing the emerging threats of exotic mosquitoes and the pathogens they spread is a focus of his research and its translation to better public health policy and practice.
Dr Jenny Visser
Dr Jenny Visser BSc, MBChB, FRNZCGP, MTravMed, Fellow International Society of Travel Medicine.
Jenny is the lead academic for Travel Medicine Postgraduate Studies at the University of Otago. She enjoys the stimulation that teaching brings. Her research interests include the travel health needs of long-term expatriates and expedition medicine.
She has and continues to advocate strongly for the advancement of travel medicine at national and international levels. She is past president of the New Zealand Society of Travel Medicine, immediate Past President of the Asia Pacific Travel Health Society and has served as Counsellor on the Executive Board of the International Society of Travel Medicine (ISTM). She currently chairs both the ISTM’s Membership Committee and the Expedition and Wilderness Medicine Interest Group.
In addition to her academic roles, she works part time in clinical travel medicine and has done so more than 20 years. She particularly enjoys expedition medicine having spent 10 summers in Antarctica, a season as a volunteer doctor at a high altitude rescue post in Nepal, two months on set in a remote village in Bougainville and doctor on treks to Kilimanjaro, China and Fiji.
Prof Nick Zwar
Professor Nick Zwar MBBS, MPH, PhD, FRACGP, CTH, FACTM is an academic general practitioner with a long-term clinical, research, and teaching interest in travel medicine. Nick is a fellow of both the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and the Australasian College of Tropical Medicine. Current roles include chair of the RACGP Travel Medicine Specific Interest Group, Deputy Chair of the Australian Travel Health Advisory Group, and a member of the International Society of Travel Medicine Primary Travel Doctor Professional Group. Nick has been involved in research on the risk of hepatitis A and hepatitis B in Australian travellers and on risks and advice to travellers visiting friend and relatives. Nick has written regularly on travel medicine for Australian Doctor magazine for more than 25 years. PIC Cavan Flynn Bond uni

