Recovery Matters webinars get to the heart of key issues that are important in disaster recovery. Join the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience and the Australian Red Cross to hear from experts on the impacts of heat and understanding the mental health impacts of heat.
Let’s think about heat - International Heat Action Day
This year, Red Cross internationally has launched Heat Action Day, a campaign to promote action to reduce the impacts of extreme heat. While it is the beginning of winter here, this is the time we should begin planning our activities to beat the heat.
This webinar will feature a range of speakers and cover the impacts of extreme heat, how we warn people about heat, how we can reduce the impacts of heat and understanding the mental health impacts of heat.
Guest speakers:
Dr Roop Singh, Climate Risk Advisor, Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre
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Roop is a Climate Risk Advisor for the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre working at the intersection of climate and society. She supports disaster managers around the world to access, interpret and use climate risk information for decision-making. She is a part of the Centre's urban team and leads work on adaptation to extreme heat, including writing the Heatwave Guide for Cities and heat action planning. Roop is also the host of the Can't Take the Heat podcast and a lecturer at Columbia University. |
Bradley Santos, Bureau of Meteorology
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Brad joined the Bureau of Meteorology in 2000 and completed the Graduate Diploma of Meteorology in 2001. At the end of 2001, he was posted to the State Forecasting Centre in Perth. In late 2006, Brad was promoted to the Severe Weather Section, focussing on tropical cyclones, severe thunderstorms and fire weather. Brad worked as the State Operations Centre Meteorologist at the Department of Fire and Emergency Services between January 2012 and February 2014. He became the WA Severe Weather Manager in May 2015. Brad became the Team Lead Fire, Heatwave and Air Quality in January 2021 and works out of the State Office in West Perth, Western Australia. |
Alana Pedler, Operations Coordinator, Red Cross in South Australia
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Alana Pedler is the State Operations Coordinator for the Australian Red Cross - Emergency Services program. Leading Red Cross’ Operational planning and response work in South Australia to support communities to prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies. Managing the volunteer engagement, training, and planning for mobilising Red Cross volunteers to support during times of crisis. |
Jingwen Liu, PhD Candidate, University of Adelaide
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Jingwen (Jasmine) is a PhD Candidate at the University of Adelaide. She obtained a MSc (Environmental and Public Health Management) in 2016. In 2018, she completed her MPH within the School of Public Health at the University of Adelaide. Her current research focuses on the burden of climate-sensitive non-communicable diseases in Australia. Jingwen's research interests lie in the environmental epidemiology, health risk assessment, and climate change mitigation and adaptation. |
Blesson Varghese, University of Adelaide and SA Health
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Dr Blesson is an early career researcher and an epidemiologist with specific interests in environmental and occupational health. Blesson has a background in Health Science (Public Health) with First Class Honours and completed his PhD from the University of Adelaide, which examined the impacts of extreme heat on work-related injuries in Australia. His recently completed work at the Bureau of Meteorology examined the correlations between demographic profiles, dwelling profiles, existing health risk factors, and the human health impacts of heatwaves. Currently, he works at Wellbeing SA in injury surveillance and prevention, and is also part of a team at the University of Adelaide examining the burden of disease of climate-sensitive or heat-attributable diseases and injuries in Australia |
Webinar Host:
John Richardson, National Resilience Adviser, Emergency Services, Australian Red Cross