Distinguished Carolina Professor Susan L Cutter Seminar Series, hosted by ANU Research School of Earth Sciences

This seminar will present an overview of multi-sector health responses during natural disasters. Two case studies from Cyclone Winston in Fiji and Hurricane Maria in Dominica will be used to highlight operational research opportunities to strengthen the response and recovery to natural disasters.

Dr Meru Sheel is an epidemiologist and Westpac Research Fellow with interest in health emergencies, emerging infectious and vaccine-preventable diseases.Meru earned a PhD in life sciences from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research and the Queensland University of Technology, working on new vaccines for bacterial pathogens, and a MPhil in Applied Epidemiology from the ANU. Meru completed her post-doctoral training at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research and Telethon Kids Institute. She then worked at the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance. Meru has worked in several dynamic and challenging environments in Australia, Fiji, Samoan Islands, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Tonga and the Caribbean; including cyclone response.