Dr Kathy Trieu
Dr Trieu is a leading expert in global food policy and sodium reduction, currently serving as the Co-Director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre on Population Salt Reduction at The George Institute for Global Health. With a distinguished career in public health, Dr Trieu has advanced nutrition policies and programs aimed at reducing diet-related diseases worldwide, particularly among disadvantaged populations.
Dr Trieu holds a PhD in Medicine from The University of Sydney, Australia and has received several prestigious fellowships, including the NHMRC Early Career Fellowship and the National Heart Foundation of Australia Postdoctoral Fellowship.
As Program Lead - Nutrition Implementation Research at The George Institute, Dr Trieu plays a pivotal role in shaping effective food policies and innovative nutrition programs. Her work focuses on the practical application and implementation of evidence-based nutrition approaches. This includes leading a program of work to change the world’s salt supply from regular to potassium-enriched salt as a strategy to reduce cardiovascular diseases. As well as developing and adapting Food is Medicine programs for disadvantaged communities in Australia. Her expertise extends internationally, providing guidance and support to many low- and middle-income countries in implementing evidence-based strategies for better health outcomes.
In addition to her research, Dr Trieu serves as a Conjoint Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine, The University of New South Wales, where she contributes to the academic development of future public health leaders.
Dr Trieu continues to make significant impact on improving global nutrition and reducing the burden of diet-related diseases through strategic policy and research.
Professor Bruce Neal
Professor Neal is a UK-trained physician who has 25 years’ experience in clinical, epidemiological, and public health research with a focus on heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
He has a longstanding interest in high blood pressure and diabetes and the potential for both clinical interventions and changes in the food supply to deliver health gains. His work has been characterised by its focus on collaboration, quantitation, translation and impact.
He holds professorial appointments at UNSW Sydney, Imperial College London, and an honorary appointment at the University of Sydney. He has published some 450 scientific papers and since 2016 has been identified by Thomson Reuters as one of ‘The World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds’ - an acknowledgement bestowed on just a few thousand researchers across all disciplines worldwide.
He has deep expertise in the conduct of large-scale clinical trials addressing cardiovascular disease but has also done a significant body of work addressing food policy issues related to sugars, fats, portion size and food labelling.
Why do we need a policy to address gender data gaps in health and medical research?
Bitesize: What if we could switch the salt to reduce blood pressure?
Associate Professor Mei Ling Yap
Associate Professor Mei Ling is a clinician researcher and the Head of the Cancer Program at the George Institute for Global Health. She is an NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow (2023-2027) and was the 2024 recipient of the NSW Premier's Outstanding Cancer Research Award for "Improving Equitable Outcomes". She is a Conjoint Associate Professor at UNSW Sydney and Western Sydney University as well as lead of the Collaboration for Cancer Outcomes, Research and Evaluation (CCORE), the Ingham Institute for Medical Research.
A/Prof Yap completed her clinical training in Australia, Singapore and Canada and is a Staff Specialist Radiation Oncologist based at South Western Sydney Local Health District.
A/Prof Yap leads projects supporting cancer services capacity building in low-and middle-income countries in the Asia-Pacific as co-chair of the Asia-Pacific Radiation Oncology Special Interest Group of RANZCR. She serves on the Editorial Board of JCO Global Oncology.
Vikneswary Batumalai
Dr Vikneswary (Vicky) Batumalai is a Senior Research Fellow at The George Institute for Global Health and an Adjunct Senior Lecturer at UNSW Sydney. With a background in clinical radiation therapy, she brings a deep understanding of the challenges faced by people diagnosed with cancer, particularly those from culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Vicky's research is driven by a strong commitment to improving equity across the cancer care continuum. Her work focuses on identifying and addressing disparities in access, quality, and outcomes of cancer care, both in Australia and internationally. Her work aims to inform policy and drive sustainable, system-wide change.