The fascinating way diseases spread

Every major emerging infectious disease made the same journey: from wildlife, through domestic animals, into us. Understanding this sequence is one of the most urgent unsolved problems in science, with consequences that go well beyond human health. Animals, ecosystems, and agriculture all pay the price.

Michael Ward has spent nearly 40 years studying this question. Using cases from rabies to bird flu, he gets into the mechanics of disease spillover: the contact rates, the pathways, and the moments where an outbreak could have been stopped. Because the best strategy for the next pandemic starts long before anyone gets sick.

Bio

Professor Michael Ward is Chair of Veterinary Public Health at the University of Sydney and one of the world's leading infectious disease epidemiologists. A veterinary graduate with nearly four decades of research experience, he has held positions at Purdue University, Texas A&M, and the Queensland Department of Primary Industries before returning to Australia in 2008. In 2024 he was awarded the Australian Research Council Laureate Fellowship, one of the country's most prestigious research honours. He has studied some of the world's most dangerous diseases up close.

Event

Thursday 7 May, 8:00 – 8:45 PM @The Harold, 70A Ross St, Forest Lodge NSW 2037

The other talk at this location is What if social media made us feel better about our bodies? at 6:30 – 7:15 PM