Tammy Allen

Tammy is an experienced public health practitioner, researcher and dedicated educator. She has worked in the public health field for over 20 years across Australia and the Pacific. Her expertise includes community engagement and mosquito borne disease management, using behavioural and social science perspectives, and public health emergency operation center management. She has demonstrated sustained, global leadership in both these areas, including high-level involvement with the World Health Organization (HQ).

In 2021 (- current 2024), Tammy was selected to be part of the World Health Organization's, Technical Advisory Group (TAG-Arbovirus) to support countries implementing the Global Arbovirus Initiative. Tammy provides high-level technical input to global frameworks, plans, meetings, and presents at global seminars on behavioural impact, communications and dengue fever prevention.

Since 2015 (-current 2024), Tammy has been an Advisor to the World Health Organization's Emergency Operations Centre Network (EOC-NET) HQ. She was one of the key contributors to the now globally recognized Best Practice Guidelines 'Framework for a Public Health Emergency Operations Centre' as well as contributing to the 'Handbook for developing a public health emergency operations centre, Part A – policies, plans, procedures', & Part C – training and exercise and WHO Systematic Review of Public Health Emergency Operation Plans and Procedures.

Tammy works closely with the WHO EOC-NET (HQ) to lead global EOC research. For example, in 2021 she led a scoping review, and global cross-sectional survey on the barriers and enablers to using EOCs in public health emergency management. This work underpinned the updated version of the Framework for PHEOC (to be published). She has been an advisor to 8 global network meetings including presenting on EOC research gaps, chairing research panel discussions and providing technical input into new/updated resources.

Guest speaker invitations

2024 - Invited speaker 'Communication for Behavioural Impact in Dengue Fever Outbreak Response'. WHO-AFRO Dengue Fever Webinar Series.

2023 - Invited speaker 'Communication for Behavioural Impact in Dengue Fever Outbreak Response'. WHO-SEARO Dengue Outbreak Control Webinar Series.  

2023 - Invited speaker. ‘Best practice community engagement in Arbovirus control in the Asia-Pacific Region’. WHO TAG Arbovirus Meeting, Ghana.

2019 - Invited Panel Chair Emergency Operations Centers, Research and Innovation, WHO Health Emergency Operation Centres Network Meeting, Chiang Mai, Thailand.

2017 - Invited Speaker, ‘Community Engagement and Risk Communication' Health and Humanitarian Action in Emergencies Course, Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance, Hawaii (presented in Cairns)

2016 - Invited Expert, Asia-Europe Foundation and European Centre Disease Control: How can we better prepared for the next global health threat: planning & implementing risk communication. Stockholm, Sweden.

Recent Awards

2020 - Team Lead, JCU Citation Teaching Award

2017 - First Author, Best Paper: Journal of Tropical Medicine and Health : Impact of the Lymphatic Filariasis Control Program towards elimination of filariasis in Vanuatu: 1997-2006.

Conference Presentations

2023 - Oral Presentation - Factors influencing community participation approaches in Aedes management in the Torres Strait, 15th Mosquito Control Association of Australia Conference, Brisbane

2023 - Poster Presentation - Aedes mosquito management in the Torres Strait: what is impeding a community-based model of practice? 2nd Annual Southern Cross Tropical Medicine Conference, Sydney, Australia

2021 - Poster Presentation - The buzz factors influencing community engagement in Aedes aegypti management in north Queensland. Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service Symposium, Cairns, Australia

2019 - Poster Presentation ‘Gaps and Opportunities in EOC Research’, WHO Health Emergency Operation Centres Network Meeting, Chiang Mai, Thailand

2019 - Allen, T, Crouch, A, Topp, SM. Mosquito-borne disease and community engagement in high-income countries: scoping review. Global Health Security Conference. Sydney, Australia (Poster Presentation)

2014 - Spencer, R, Allen, T. ‘Systematic Review of PHEOC Plans and Procedures’, First Public Health Emergency Operation Centre Framework Meeting, WHO, Geneva (Oral Presentation).

2014 - Spencer, R. Allen, T. Using a disaster management system to respond to public health emergencies, Australasian Tropical Health Conference, Cairns, Australia (Oral Presentation)

2011 - Allen, T. Long, S. Dengue Fever Social Mobilisation Pilot Project, Australian Health Promotion Association Conference, Cairns, Australia.