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Sydney COVID-19 cluster: experts available for comment

UNSW has a wide range of experts available for comment on the coronavirus pandemic.

Published on the 20 Jun 2021 by UNSW Media
Frontline healthcare workers are advised to wear surgical masks to protect against viruses in droplets, and respirator masks to guard against airborne viruses. Photo: Shutterstock

For general media enquiries please call (02) 9385 2864. The Media team is currently working remotely. Please leave a voicemail message and we’ll return your call as soon as possible. 

Email: media@unsw.edu.au. This email is monitored during business hours.

For after-hours enquiries please call +61 (02) 9348 0061.

Health and Science

  • Epidemiologist and Advisor to World Health Organization Infection Control and Prevention Guidance Development Group for COVID-19, Professor Mary-Louise McLaws, UNSW Medicine & Health
  • Biosecurity expert Professor Raina MacIntyre, Kirby Institute at UNSW Medicine & Health
  • Professor Anthony Kelleher, Director of the Kirby Institute at UNSW Medicine & Health, leads the Institute's development of COVID-19 immunotherapies. The Kirby Institute is conducting various COVID-19 research projects, including cohort studies, clinical trials, treatment studies, modelling, surveillance and intervention studies.
  • Epidemiologist Professor John Kaldor, Public Health Interventions Research Group Head, Kirby Institute at UNSW Medicine & Health
  • Professor Greg Dore, Viral Hepatitis Clinical Research Program Head, Kirby Institute at UNSW Medicine & Health, can discuss COVID-19 testing and types of tests.
  • Epidemiologist Dr Abrar Chughtai, UNSW Medicine & Health
  • Virologist Professor Bill Rawlinson, UNSW Medicine & Health
  • Immunologist Associate Professor Stuart Turville, Kirby Institute at UNSW Medicine & Health can discuss COVID-19 variants. 
  • Virologist Professor Peter White, UNSW Science
  • Virologist Emma Harding, UNSW Science
  • Molecular biologist Professor John Mattick, UNSW Science, can discuss genomic testing.
  • Associate Professor Holly Seale, UNSW Medicine & Health, is a social scientist and can discuss social/behavioural responses focused on COVID-19 vaccination as well as other public health strategies including mask use. She is an advisor to the World Health Organisation on COVID-19 vaccination. 
  • Professor Sanjay Jha, UNSW Engineering, can discuss security and privacy issues with the Australian Government’s contact tracing app. 

Business

  • Associate Professor Nitika Garg from the School of Marketing is available to discuss panic buying.
  • Dr Yenni Tim from the School of Information Systems and Technology Management is available to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on cyber security.
  • Founding Director of UNSW Tax Clinic Dr Ann Kayis-Kumar is available to comment on tax issues faced by people and small businesses in financial distress.
  • Taxation and Business Law Professor Pamela Hanrahan can comment on the Australian Government’s business relief package, corporate law and capital markets law changes, and the impact on superannuation. 
  • Economics Professor Richard Holden can comment on the impact on the global economy. 
  • Banking and Finance Associate Professor James Doran can comment on the impact on finance, the share market and investors.
  • Gigi Foster, Professor with the School of Economics at the UNSW Business School, can speak to the effects of the lockdowns on welfare and the political economy of the Covid period.

Centre for Social Impact

For media enquiries contact Nicola Hannigan on 0407 075 307 or n.hannigan@unsw.edu.au.

  • Dr Cobi Calyx can comment on disaster response and recovery, science communication and health promotion.
  • Associate Professor Gemma Carey can comment on disability and the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). 
  • Chris Hartley can comment on housing, homelessness and social housing policy.
  • Professor Kristy Muir can comment on disadvantage, poverty, social cohesion, homelessness and housing, government policy, wage subsidies, Universal Basic Income (UBI) and leadership. 
  • Dr Megan Weier can comment on measuring social progress, wellbeing and access to pharmaceuticals.

Law

  • Law Professor Graham Greenleaf can discuss the relevance of data privacy laws in relation to COVID surveillance methods including the COVIDSafe app, QR Codes, and COVID status certificates.
  • Professor Jane McAdam, Director of the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, can discuss the impact on refugees, asylum seekers and other displaced people.
  • Human rights expert Scientia Professor Louise Chappell can talk about human rights under COVID-19. 

Arts, Design & Architecture

  • Rental housing and housing affordability expert Dr Chris Martin from UNSW City Futures Research Centre can discuss tenancy law and renters’ rights.
  • Professor Deborah Lupton from UNSW's Centre for Social Research in Health and Social Policy Research Centre can discuss people's use of digital health and their views on health data privacy.
  • Political science and international relations Professor Fengshi Wu from UNSW Arts & Social Sciences can discuss societal responses in relation to China in the COVID-19 era. 
  • Global Health and Development Professor Anthony Zwi can comment on global health and policy responses.
  • Social policy and governance expert Associate Professor Bingqin Li can discuss social distancing and lockdowns.
  • Experimental Arts Professor Jill Bennett is available to comment on creative, trauma-informed responses to distress and older peoples’ experiences.
  • Social researcher Dr Siobhan O’Sullivan can discuss animal cruelty in Asian wet markets and the move to ban trade in wild animal meat.