Communicable Diseases & Immunisation Conference 2026
'Public Health at Risk - Collective Solutions to New Challenges'
Monday 15 to Wednesday 17 June 2026 | Marvel Stadium Melbourne/Naarm, Wurundjeri Country, VIC
#CDIC2026
Keynote Speakers
​Below are the confirmed keynote speakers for the Communicable Diseases & Immunisation Conference 2026. Watch this space as more speakers are confirmed.
Dr Gina Samaan
Regional Emergency Director, WHO Health Emergencies Programme
Dr Gina Samaan, is a prominent field epidemiologist and global health leader currently serving as the Regional Emergency Director for the World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Region. Based in the Philippines, she oversees WHO’s work on preparedness for and response to infectious and other public health hazards across the 38 countries and areas in the region.
Dr Ushma Wadia
Doctor of Philosophy, UWA Medical School, Clinical Senior Lecturer, UWA Medical School, UWA Centre for Child Health Research.
Dr Ushma Wadia is a paediatrician and clinical researcher in Perth, Western Australia, focusing on infectious diseases, vaccinology, and respiratory virus surveillance. She is a PhD candidate and Clinical Senior Lecturer at the University of Western Australia. Her PhD focuses on evaluating the effectiveness of RSV immunisation strategies for Australian children.
Dr Conall Watson
Dr Conall Watson, consultant epidemiologist in the UK Health Security Agency's immunisation and vaccine preventable disease division.
Dr Conall Watson is a consultant epidemiologist and joint head of the respiratory virus section of the UK Health Security Agency's Immunisation and Vaccine-Preventable Diseases Division. His work encompasses immunisation programme design, implementation and evaluation, and the surveillance and control of respiratory virus diseases including influenza and RSV. Conall trained in clinical pharmacy and public health in the UK, and was a coinvestigator in the World Health Organization's Ebola ring vaccination trial. He has a PhD from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine on infectious disease dynamics in Melanesia.
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