Leveraging the influence of policy and politics in prevention

In this session, we will explore the role of politics and policy making in influencing prevention research and practice. We will unpack the policy cycle – its strengths, limitations, and real-world implications. Participants will gain insights into navigating and working within existing policy cycles and identifying opportunities to amplify the impact of prevention efforts on population health and wellbeing.

This is an opportunity to increase your understanding of how policy and politics influence prevention and discover ways to drive meaningful change in public health.

About the presenter

Carmel Williams is Director of the Centre for Health in All Policies Research Translation, based in South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute and the School of Public Health at the University of Adelaide. She is founding Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Health in All Policies Implementation and co-author of the 2023 World Health Organization Working Together for Equity and Healthier Populations: Sustainable multisectoral collaboration based on Health in All Policies Approaches guidance.

Before working in academia, she had a long career in policy at SA Health, where she led numerous collaborative projects on the social and environmental determinants of health, drawing research, policy and practice together to deliver evidence informed public policy outcomes.

Carmel works extensively with the WHO and other international organisations, undertaking knowledge translation and capacity building programs with researchers, policy makers and practitioners. She was appointed as the Editor in Chief of the Health Promotion Journal of Australia in August 2023.